Çağdaş Atan

Çağdaş Atan
Personal information
Full name Çağdaş Atan
Date of birth (1980-02-29) 29 February 1980
Place of birth İzmir, Turkey
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Central defender
Team information
Current team
 Konyaspor (head coach)
Youth career
1999–2000 Altay
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 Marmaris 28 (7)
2001–2003 Altay 54 (4)
2003–2004 Denizlispor 30 (3)
2004–2006 Beşiktaş 40 (2)
2006–2008 Trabzonspor 41 (5)
2008–2009 Energie Cottbus 20 (2)
2009–2011 Basel 44 (1)
2011–2012 Mersin İdman Yurdu 26 (0)
2012–2014 Akhisarspor 57 (1)
2014–2015 Gaziantep BB 13 (0)
2015 Manisaspor 12 (0)
Total 365 (25)
International career
2003–2004 Turkey B 3 (1)
2004 Turkey 2 (1)
Managerial career
2020–2021 Alanyaspor
2022–2023 Kayserispor
2023–2025 Başakşehir
2025– Konyaspor
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Çağdaş Atan (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈtʃaːdaʃ ˈatan]; born 29 February 1980) is a Turkish former professional footballer and current manager who is serving as the head coach of Konyaspor. During his playing days, he operated primarily as a central defender.

Atan began his career in the youth ranks of Altay and Marmaris Belediyespor, before establishing himself in senior football with Denizlispor in the early 2000s. His performances then earned moves to Turkish top-tier sides Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor. In 2009, Atan signed with Basel in the Swiss Super League, where he won successive league titles and appeared in UEFA Champions League group-stage matches. He later returned to Turkey to play for Mersin İdmanyurdu, Akhisarspor, Gaziantep BB, and Manisaspor, ultimately retiring from playing in 2015.

Internationally, Atan earned his first cap for the Turkey national team in 2004 and marked the occasion by scoring in a friendly against Croatia. He also featured for Turkey’s U21 side earlier in his career.[1]

After hanging up his boots, Atan moved into coaching. He started as an assistant manager at Alanyaspor before being promoted to head coach in 2020. He guided the club to a historic 5th-place finish in the 2019–20 Süper Lig, securing their first-ever qualification for European competition. In 2022, he took charge of Kayserispor, leading them to respectable mid-table finishes in Turkey’s top division.

Atan’s managerial reputation grew with his move to Başakşehir in 2023, where he earned a contract extension in May 2025. However, after an underwhelming start to the 2025–26 season, the club and Atan mutually agreed to part ways in September 2025.[2]

Club career

Early career

Atan began his career with Altay before moving to Marmaris, where he signed his first professional contract, in 2000. He returned to Altay in 2001 and played for two seasons. After that, he signed for Denizlispor and Beşiktaş On 1 June 2006, he transferred to Trabzonspor, based in the Black Sea port city of Trabzon.

In the summer of 2008 Atan signed a two-year contract with German club FC Energie Cottbus. But because the team suffered relegateion he stayed with the club just one season. After their relegation Energie Cottbus had made Atan an offer for the 2. Bundesliga, but the financial ideas of the two sides were too far apart.[3]

Basel

On 25 June 2009 it was announced that Atan had joined FC Basel on a free transfer.[4] He joined Basel's first team in advance of their 2009–10 season under head coach Thorsten Fink. After playing in three test games, Atan played his domestic league debut for the club in the away game in the Kybunpark on 12 July 2009 as Basel won 1–0 against St. Gallen.[5] He scored his first goal for his new club in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park on 20 February 2010. It was the winning goal of the match as Basel won 2–1 against Aarau.[6] Basel joined the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League in the second qualifying round. Basel advanced to the group stage, in which despite winning three of the six games the ended in third position and were eliminated. They finished four points behind group winners Roma and one behind Fulham, against whom they lost 3–2 in the last game of the stage. Atan played the full 90 minutes.[7] At the end of the 2009–10 season he won the Double with his club. They won the League Championship title with 3 points advantage over second placed Young Boys.[8] The team won the Swiss Cup, winning the final 6–0 against Lausanne-Sport.[9]

Basel started in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and advanced to the group stage, but ended the group in third position. Therefore, they dropped to the 2010–11 Europa League knockout phase, but here they were eliminated by Spartak Moscow.[10] Atan played in six of the 10 Champions League matches, scoring a goal in the qualification game against Hungarian team Debrecen.[11] He also played in 10 of the 18 domestic league matches in the first half of the season, however, in the second half of the season he was no longer considered by head coach Fink. With Basel, Atan won his second Swiss Championship at the end of the 2010–11 season.[12]

The club decided not to extend Atan's contract. In his two seasons with the club, Atan played a total of 92 games for Basel scoring a total of four goals. 44 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, five in the Swiss Cup, 16 in the UEFA competitions and 27 were friendly games. He scored one goal in the domestic league, one in the Champions League and the other two were scored during the test games.[13]

2011–2015: Later career

On 18 August 2011, it was announced tha Atan had joined the Turkish club Mersin İdman Yurdu, which had been promoted to the Süper Lig in the previous season. After just one season with Mersin İdman Yurdu, he left the club and moved within the league to newly promoted Akhisar Belediyespor. Unable to reach an agreement for a contract extension with his club during the summer, Atan moved to the second-tier team Gaziantep BB. However, he left Gaziantep BB during the next mid-season and instead joined league rival Manisaspor. Following the 2014–15 season, he retired from his career.

International career

On 18 February 2004 Çağdaş wore the Turkey national team jersey for the first time in a match against Denmark.On 31 March 2004, he scored his first national team goal in a friendly match against Croatia. He also played for the Turkey national under-21 football team 3 times and scored 1 goal.

Managerial career

Early career

In 2016 Atan started several tenures as assistant manager under Sergen Yalçın in various clubs.[14] In 2020, he had the opportunity to take charge of a football team for the first time and became the head coach of Alanyaspor. During his tenure, he successfully managed the team, finishing the 2020–21 Süper Lig season in 7th place.

On 15 June 2022, he continued his managerial career by signing with Kayserispor. In his first season he led Kayserispor to finish the Süper Lig season under his leadership in 9th place. With his football knowledge and managerial abilities, Atan is considered as one of the important figures in Turkish football. In the 2023–24 season, Kayserispor made a promising start by securing one win and three draws in their first four matches under the guidance of Atan. However, the team faced a challenge as the transfer window remained closed since the season's commencement. Atan consistently communicated his concerns to the club's board about the team's unaddressed transfer needs. On 6 September 2023 following the closure of the transfer window, Atan officially announced his departure from Kayserispor via a statement posted on social media.[15]

Başakşehir

On 9 September 2023, After Emre Belözoğlu's departure, Başakşehir announced the appointment of Atan as the new manager.[16][17] On 11 September 2023, Atan signed an official contract with a duration of 2+1 years with the Başakşehir.[18] Atan took charge of a team facing significant challenges, as they were positioned at the bottom of the league table in 19th place and had not recorded any wins at the time of his appointment.

Despite this difficult start, Atan implemented strategic changes and effectively motivated the squad, leading to a remarkable turnaround in the team's performance. By the end of the season, Başakşehir finished in 4th place in the league, demonstrating Atan's managerial capabilities. This impressive rise not only secured the team a spot in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round but also marked a successful campaign, laying a foundation for future growth.

In the 2024–25 season, Atan led Başakşehir into European competitions for the second consecutive year. The club successfully advanced through the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds, defeating La Fiorita (10–1 aggregate), Iberia 1999 (3–0 aggregate), and St Patrick’s Athletic (2–0 aggregate), reaching the league phase. Despite a strong start, Başakşehir struggled in the league phase, finishing 26th overall. Domestically, the team secured 5th place in the Süper Lig with 54 points, earning another shot at European qualification. In the Turkish Cup, Başakşehir competed in Group C, finishing 3rd behind Konyaspor and Galatasaray, although level on points and goal difference with Galatasaray, they narrowly missed out on progression due to the fair play rule, having received one more yellow card.

Atan’s second season demonstrated his consistency in guiding the club to European stages, while also reinforcing its competitive standing in Turkish football. On 29 May 2025 Recognizing the consistent progress under Atan’s leadership, the club announced that the club extended Atan’s contract for two more years. The signing ceremony, marking the extension of his tenure, was held with the participation of club president Gümüşdağ, board members, and players. Under Atan, Başakşehir has continued to strengthen its institutional structure and competitive presence in both domestic and European football.[19][20]

After renewing his contract for two years on 29 May 2025, Çağdaş Atan faced a challenging start to the 2025–26 season. In European competition, Başakşehir first reached the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, defeating Cherno More 5–0 on aggregate (4–0, 1–0), and then overcame Viking 4–2 on aggregate (1–1, 3–1).[21] However, they were eliminated in the play-off round after suffering a 2–5 aggregate defeat to CS Universitatea Craiova—losing 1–2 at home and 1–3 away.[22]

The first leg against CS Universitatea Craiova ended in a 1–2 home defeat at Fatih Terim Stadium.[23] Following a 1–3 defeat in the return leg held in Romania (3–1 on the night; 5–2 aggregate), Basaksehir’s European campaign came to an abrupt end.[24]

On 8 September 2025, Başakşehir announced that it had mutually terminated its contract with Atan. In the club’s statement, Başakşehir thanked Atan for his professionalism and for leading the team to European competitions in back-to-back seasons, and wished him success in the next stage of his career.[2]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Marmaris 2000–01 3. Lig 28 7 0 0 — 28 7
Total 28 7 0 0 0 0 28 7
Altay 2001–02 1. Lig 24 1 2 0 — 26 1
2002–03 Süper Lig 30 3 3 0 — 33 3
Total 54 4 3 0 0 0 57 4
Denizlispor 2003–04 Süper Lig 32 2 3 0 — 35 2
Total 32 2 3 0 0 0 35 2
Beşiktaş 2004–05 Süper Lig 20 1 2 0 3 0 25 1
2005–06 20 1 7 0 5 0 32 1
Total 40 2 10 0 8 0 58 2
Trabzonspor 2006–07 Süper Lig 20 4 4 0 1 0 25 4
2007–08 21 1 3 0 — 24 1
Total 41 4 7 0 1 0 49 2
Energie Cottbus 2008–09 Bundesliga 30 2 2 0 — 32 2
Total 30 2 2 0 0 0 32 2
Basel 2009–10 Super League 34 1 3 0 10 0 47 1
2010–11 10 0 2 0 6 0 18 0
Total 44 1 5 0 16 0 65 1
Mersin İdman Yurdu 2011–12 Süper Lig 26 0 1 0 — 27 1
Total 26 0 1 0 0 0 27 1
Akhisarspor 2012–13 Süper Lig 31 1 0 0 — 31 1
2013–14 26 0 6 0 — 32 9
Total 57 1 6 0 0 0 63 1
Gaziantep BB 2014–15 1. Lig 13 0 0 0 — 13 0
Total 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
Manisaspor 2014–15 1. Lig 12 0 0 0 — 12 0
Total 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
Career total 374 23 37 0 25 0 436 23

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Turkey 2004 1 0
Total 2 1
Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Atan goal.
List of international goals scored by Çağdaş Atan
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 31 March 2004 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia  Croatia 2–2 2–2 Friendly

Managerial Statistics

As of 23 December 2025[25]
Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Alanyaspor 12 August 2020 2 September 2021 47 21 8 18 044.68
Kayserispor 15 June 2022 6 September 2023 43 18 8 17 041.86
Başakşehir 9 September 2023 8 September 2025 98 46 23 29 046.94
Konyaspor 6 November 2025 present 8 2 3 3 025.00
Total 196 87 42 67 044.39

Honours

Player

Beşiktaş

Basel

References

  1. ^ "Turkey 2–1 Croatia: friendlies round-up". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Başakşehir'de sürpriz ayrılık". TRT Spor (in Turkish). 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  3. ^ (red) (23 June 2009). "Çağdaş Atan verabschiedet sich aus Cottbus" [Çağdaş Atan says goodbye to Cottbus] (in German). DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. ^ Kieslich, Christoph (25 June 2009). "Samuel Inkoom und Cagdas Atan stossen im Engadin zum FC Basel" [Samuel Inkoom and Cagdas Atan join FC Basel in Engadin] (in German). Basler Zeitung. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (12 July 2009). "FC St. Gallen - FC Basel 2:0 (0:0)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  6. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (20 February 2010). "FC Basel - FC Aarau 2:1 (0:1)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  7. ^ Homewood, Brian (16 December 2009). "Zamora one-two knocks Basel out". UEFA. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  8. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (2012). "Switzerland 2009/10" (in French). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  9. ^ Swiss Football Verband (SFV) (9 May 2010). "FC Basel - FC Lausanne-Sport 6:0 (2:0)". Swiss Football Verband (SFV) internet. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  10. ^ van Poortvliet, Richard. "Spartak shake off Basel revival". UEFA. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  11. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (4 August 2010). "FC Basel - Debreceni VSC 3:1 (1:0)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  12. ^ Zea, Anthony (2012). "Switzerland 2010/2011". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  13. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2015). "Çağdaş Atan - FCB statistic". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  14. ^ Çağdaş Atan Gaziantepspor’da‚ olaymedya.com, 3 May 2016
  15. ^ "Kamuoyuna saygılarımla…" (in Turkish). Twitter. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Rams Başakşehir, Çağdaş Atan'a emanet!" (in Turkish). beIN Sports. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü teknik direktör Çağdaş Atan ile prensip anlaştı" (in Turkish). TRT. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  18. ^ "HOŞ GELDİN ÇAĞDAŞ ATAN" (in Turkish). Başakşehir. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Çağdaş Atan ile iki yıl daha". İstanbul Başakşehir FK (in Turkish). 29 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Çağdaş Atan 2 yıl daha Başakşehir'de". TRT Spor (in Turkish). 29 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Başakşehir topples Cherno More and Viking in European qualifiers". UEFA.com. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  22. ^ "İstanbul Başakşehir ousted from Conference League after 3–1 loss to Craiova". Turkiye Today. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Başakşehir falls 2–1 at home to Craiova in Conference League play-off first leg". Turkiye Today. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  24. ^ "RAMS Başakşehir has closed the European chapter". Haberler.com. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  25. ^ "Cagdas Atan Manager Profile". sofascore.com. Sofascore. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
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