Nihat Bekdik
Encyclopedia
"Aslan" Nihat Bekdik was a Turkish professional footballer. He spent the entirety of his career with his hometown
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 club, Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

. He also represented Turkey on 21 occasions, captaining them 10 times.

Football

Nihat was born in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 and played his entire career as a defense player for Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

, playing 268 games between 1920 and 1936.
Like many other Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

 players at that time, he was a student of the Galatasaray High School and started playing football at the Grand Cour of the Galatasaray High School at the age of 10.
He was selected to Galatasaray A2 team when he was 12. Two years later he quit palying football and just did athletics for the next four years. He returned to football in 1920 and started to play at the A team of Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

.
He won the Istanbul Football League
Istanbul Football League
Istanbul Lig or originally Constantinople Football Association League was founded by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears and started with the 1904-05 season with only four teams as "Istanbul Sunday League". The matches between the four teams, Moda FC, HMS Imogene FC, Elpis FC, and Cadi-Keuy FC were...

 sixth times as captain of the team in 1928 and 1936.

Other sports

He was also a very good triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...

er and high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....

er. In 1923 he set new Turkish records at triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...

 (11.92m) and high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....

 (1.58m).
After his football career he continued doing sports in Equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

, sailing
Galatasaray Sailing
Galatasaray Sailing Team is the men's and women's sailing section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey. There are optimist, finn, Laser Radial, Laser Standart, Mistral, Laser M and windsurf teams...

 and swimming
Galatasaray Swimming
Galatasaray Swimming Team is the men's and women's swimming section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey.-Technical and Managerial Staff:-Current squad:-Domestic success:*Turkish Summer Championship:...

.
With his Boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

 "Aslan" he won numerous cups.

Political career

Between 1957 and 1960 he was in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...

 as a member of the Democratic Party.

Aslan

Because of a lion badge at his sweat suit and his fabulous performances on the pitch, the spectators called him "Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...

" which means "Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

" in English.
Later "Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...

" became the nickname of the club Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 October 1927 Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 
3-1 3-1 Friendly

As player

  • Galatasaray SK
    Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
    Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

    • Istanbul Football League
      Istanbul Football League
      Istanbul Lig or originally Constantinople Football Association League was founded by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears and started with the 1904-05 season with only four teams as "Istanbul Sunday League". The matches between the four teams, Moda FC, HMS Imogene FC, Elpis FC, and Cadi-Keuy FC were...

      : 6
      • 1921-1922, 1924–1925, 1925–1926, 1926–1927, 1928–1929, 1930–1931
    • Istanbul Cup (football)
      Istanbul Cup (football)
      The Istanbul Football Cup is a defunct football competition in Turkey. The cup replaced the Istanbul Shield in 1942 and lasted until 1947.-Past winners:...

      : 1
      • 1933

As manager

  • Galatasaray SK
    Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
    Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

    • Istanbul Football League
      Istanbul Football League
      Istanbul Lig or originally Constantinople Football Association League was founded by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears and started with the 1904-05 season with only four teams as "Istanbul Sunday League". The matches between the four teams, Moda FC, HMS Imogene FC, Elpis FC, and Cadi-Keuy FC were...

      : 1
      • 1928–1929

External links

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