Celaleddin Koçak

Celaleddin Kocak ( _tr. Celaleddin Koçak) (born on November 24, 1977 in Berlin, Germany) is a footballer. He currently is a free agent after Trabzonspor manager Ersun Yanal left him out of the squad.

He began his career at Tennis Borussia Berlin but found little success there. Like many young footballers born to Turkish immigrant parents in Germany, he tried his chances by joining a Turkish team. In December 1999, he decided to join Altay SK of İzmir. Six months later he had been impressive enough to earn a place at Superlig side Ankaragücü. He stayed there for two years, joining Diyarbakırspor in 2002. Here he helped the newly promoted side to remain in the top division.

In summer 2003, Koçak joined Malatyaspor and it was here that he really made a name for himself. As well as helping Malatyaspor to a mid table place, he was particularly impressive in their performances in the UEFA Cup.

The next year, he joined Ziya Doğan, who had brought him to Malatyaspor a year earlier, at Trabzonspor. Again, he established himself in the team from the beginning and became a regular as Trabzonspor finished as runners up in the league.

His national affiliation is currently a cause of controversy, as he only holds German citizenship due to strict German laws on dual citizenship. He has been called up to play for the Turkish national team but is unable to do so because he does not have a Turkish passport. This is a situation that the TFF is trying to resolve.

Celaleddin in a left sided player who can alternate between defence and midfield. At Trabzonspor, he is used primarily in defence. His abilities lie in his power and speed which help him to make forward runs as well as defending effectively.