Filipe Çelikkaya
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Filipe Engin Neves Çelikkaya | ||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chicago Fire FC (assistant manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1999 | Cova Piedade | ||
| 1999–2004 | Belenenses | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008 | Sacred Heart Pioneers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2005 | Fazendense | ||
| 2005–2006 | Atlético Cacém | ||
| 2006–2007 | Oeiras | ||
| 2008 | Sintrense | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Almada U17 | ||
| 2010–2012 | Benfica U15 | ||
| 2014–2015 | Almada | ||
| 2020–2024 | Sporting CP B | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Filipe Engin Neves Çelikkaya (born 19 January 1985) is a Portuguese football manager. He is the current assistant manager of Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer. He spent four years as manager of Sporting CP B, while Ruben Amorim was manager of the first team.
Early life and playing career
Çelikkaya was born in Lisbon. His father, from Eskişehir, Turkey, was on a European tour of over two years when he met his mother in Portugal.[1] An only child, both of his parents were unemployed when he was born, though his father later obtained work in industry.[1] He grew up mostly in Almada, apart from a brief spell in Estarreja through his father's work.[1]
Çelikkaya was a youth player at C.F. Os Belenenses, alongside Ruben Amorim, but began studying to become a coach at an early age after realising that he would not become a professional player.[2] He played college soccer for the Sacred Heart Pioneers in Connecticut.[3]
Managerial career
Çelikkaya's father once gave him a book called The Theory of Collective Sport, which shaped his coaching philosophy.[4] One of his early roles was in S.L. Benfica's academy.[2] He left alongside Bruno Lage to become his assistant at Al Ahli SC in the Qatar Stars League.[4] He assisted Luís Castro at G.D. Chaves, Vitória de Guimarães and FC Shakhtar Donetsk.[4]
In 2020, Amorim became manager of Sporting CP and appointed Çelikkaya to the reserve team.[2] During his four years at the club, 25 players graduated from the reserves to the first team, including Eduardo Quaresma and Geny Catamo.[2] In May 2024, Çelikkaya left to pursue first-team opportunities.[2]
In December 2024, Çelikkaya rejected an offer from Beşiktaş J.K. of the Turkish Süper Lig, who had sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst.[5] On 8 January 2025, he was hired as an assistant to Gregg Berhalter at Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Simões de Abreu, Alexandra (21 December 2024). ""Era treinador do Almada, na distrital, e fomos a primeira equipa a usar o GPS durante uma época inteira. Na I Liga ainda ninguém utilizava"" ["I was the manager of Almada, in the district leagues, and we were the first team to use GPS for an entire season. In the Primeira Liga nobody was using it yet"]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Bate, Adam (20 May 2024). "Filipe Celikkaya interview: Ruben Amorim will succeed anywhere, says Sporting B coach now striking out on his own". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ a b da Silva, Lurdes C. (8 January 2025). "Portuguese coach Filipe Celikkaya on his experience with Chicago Fire, future ambitions". The Herald News. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Bajkowski, Simon (5 November 2024). "I worked with Hugo Viana and Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP - it's clear what Man City and Man United will get". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Filipe Çelikkaya recusa proposta para treinar o Besiktas" [Filipe Çelikkaya rejects offer to manage Beşiktaş]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 December 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2025.