İsmail Kartal

İsmail Kartal
Kartal with Persepolis in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth (1961-06-15) 15 June 1961
Place of birth Istanbul, Turkey
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Right back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1981 Sarıyer 0 (0)
1981–1983 Gaziantepspor 59 (2)
1983–1993 Fenerbahçe 236 (15)
1993–1994 Denizlispor 32 (12)
1994–1995 Adanaspor 7 (1)
Total 334 (30)
International career
1982–1984 Turkey U21 2 (1)
1982–1985 Turkey 6 (0)
Managerial career
2000–2001 Karabükspor
2004–2005 Sivasspor
2005–2006 Mardinspor
2006 Altay
2006 Mardinspor
2006–2007 Malatyaspor
2008 Orduspor
2008–2009 Konya Şeker
2014–2015 Fenerbahçe
2015 Eskişehirspor
2016 Gaziantepspor
2017–2018 Ankaragücü
2019–2020 Çaykur Rizespor
2020–2021 Konyaspor
2022 Fenerbahçe
2023–2024 Fenerbahçe
2025 Persepolis
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

İsmail Kartal (born 15 June 1961), colloquially known by the given nickname "Arap İsmail" due to his tanned skin,[1] is a Turkish professional football manager and former player who recently was the manager of Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis.

Playing career

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Kartal began his football career at Sarıyer. He later transferred to Gaziantepspor. After two years at the club, he transferred to Fenerbahce and played there from 1983 to 1993, playing 235 matches and scoring 15 goals, nine of which came from penalties. He won two national league titles with Fenerbahce in 1984–85 and 1988–89 seasons.

He enjoyed the most productive period of his playing career with Denizlispor in the 1993–1994 season, scoring 12 goals in 32 matches. After playing for Adanaspor in the 1994–1995 season, he retired from active football. Kartal played twelve seasons from 1981 to 1993 in the Turkish Süper Lig.

International career

Kartal two appearances for the senior Turkey U21 national football team from 1982 through 1984 and made six appearances for the senior Turkey national football team from 1982 through 1985.[2]

Managerial career

After his retirement as a professional football player, worked in the Fenerbahçe Academy between 1997 and 1999. He made his first professional managerial debut at Karabükspor in the TFF First League. He then took over at Sivasspor, leading the Yiğidolar to the TFF First League championship at the end of the season and into the Süper Lig for the first time in their history.[3][4] He also managed Mardinspor, Altay, Malatyaspor, Orduspor and Konya Anadolu Selçukspor.

He led Ankaragücü to became second of TFF First League and promoted to the Süper Lig in 2018.[5]

Fenerbahçe

Between 2010 and 2014, he was the assistant coach at Fenerbahce.

First era (2014–15 season)

After Ersun Yanal's resignation, Kartal took over as manager.[6][7]

At the end of the 2014–15 Süper Lig season, he officially announced his resignation as manager of Fenerbahçe, though it was clear beforehand that he would not be manager for the next season.[8]

Second era (2021–22 season)

On 12 January 2022, following the departure of Vitor Pereira, Kartal signed with Fenerbahçe for the rest of the season.[9] At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe finished in second place, by eight points behind Trabzonspor. Kartal finished with a record of twelve wins, five draws and four losses in 21 matches.

Third era (2023–24 season)

On 28 June 2023, Kartal signed a one-year contract with Fenerbahçe for his third managerial spell at the club.[10] In the 2023–24 season, he led the club to achieve 99 points in the Süper Lig, yet they finished second behind their rivals Galatasaray with 102 points.[11] Upon the conclusion of the season, he left the club on 31 May 2024.[12]

Persepolis

On 24 January 2025, Persepolis signed Kartal to a 18-month contract for the rest of the 2024–25 season.[13][14][15]

In June 2025, following the outbreak of the 12-day Iran–Israel conflict, İsmail Kartal terminated his contract with Persepolis F.C. and left the club by mutual agreement.[16]

Honours

Player

Sarıyer

Fenerbahçe

Assistant Manager

Fenerbahçe

  • Süper Lig: 2010–11, 2013–14
  • Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13

Manager

Sivasspor

Fenerbahçe

Managerial statistics

As of 15 May 2025
Team Nat League From To Record PPM
G W D L Win %
Karabükspor TFF First League 16 November 2000 31 January 2001 4 2 0 2 050.00 1.50
Sivasspor 25 August 2004 30 June 2005 35 23 5 7 065.71 2.11
Mardinspor 19 October 2005 24 January 2006 9 3 3 3 033.33 1.33
Altay 24 January 2006 27 March 2006 11 5 3 3 045.45 1.80
Mardinspor 4 August 2006 26 October 2006 12 4 4 4 033.33 1.36
Malatyaspor 9 November 2006 21 May 2007 22 12 4 6 054.55 1.82
Orduspor 17 January 2008 30 June 2008 16 5 9 2 031.25 1.50
Konya Şeker 31 October 2008 23 October 2009 40 18 14 8 045.00 1.70
Fenerbahçe Süper Lig 12 August 2014 30 May 2015 46 29 11 6 063.04 2.17
Eskişehirspor 14 October 2015 13 November 2015 4 0 0 4 000.00 0.00
Gaziantepspor 21 July 2016 7 December 2016 16 5 2 9 031.25 1.06
Ankaragücü TFF First League 21 June 2017 17 December 2018 34 18 9 7 052.94 1.62
Süper Lig 19 7 2 10 036.84
Çaykur Rizespor 3 June 2019 3 March 2020 28 9 5 14 032.14 1.14
Konyaspor 15 September 2020 8 February 2021 24 9 6 9 037.50 1.38
Fenerbahçe 12 January 2022 2 June 2022 21 12 5 4 057.14 1.95
28 June 2023 31 May 2024 58 45 6 7 077.59 2.40
Persepolis Persian Gulf Pro League 24 January 2025 4 July 2025 16 8 4 4 050.00 1.75
Total 415 214 92 109 051.57 1.56

References

  1. ^ "İşte yeni kaptan" (in Turkish). 9 May 2017.
  2. ^ "İSMAİL KARTAL". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  3. ^ "2004-2005 Sezonu TFF". tff.org.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  4. ^ "İsmail Kartal eski takımına karşı". NTVspor.net (in Turkish). 12 December 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  5. ^ ""108 yıllık çınar" yeniden Süper Lig'de".
  6. ^ "İSMAİL KARTAL - Teknik Adamlar Bilgi Detayı TFF". tff.org.
  7. ^ "Fenerbahçe, İsmail Kartal'ı açıkladı!". MILLIYET HABER - TÜRKIYE'NIN HABER SITESI. 12 August 2014.
  8. ^ "İsmail Kartal istifa etti!". MİLLİYET HABER - TÜRKİYE'NİN HABER SİTESİ. 30 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Futbol A Takım Planlamamız Hakkında Bilgilendirme" (in Turkish). Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Yuvana hoş geldin İsmail Kartal" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe S.K. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Fenerbahçe 6-0 İstanbulspor". Fenerbahçe S.K. 26 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Her şey için teşekkürler İsmail Kartal" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe S.K. 31 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Kartal becomes Persepolis coach: Turkish media - Mehr News Agency". en.mehrnews.com. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Ismail Kartal named Persepolis coach". Tehran Times. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  15. ^ "کارتال سرمربی پرسپولیس شد". ایسنا (in Persian). 24 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  16. ^ "İsmail Kartal No Longer Persepolis Coach - Sports news - Tasnim News Agency". Tasnim News Agency.