Metehan Baltacı

Metehan Baltacı
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-11-03) 3 November 2002
Place of birth Fatih, Turkey
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Gençlerbirliği
(on loan from Galatasaray)
Youth career
2012–2021 Galatasaray
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Galatasaray 12 (0)
2021–2022 → İskenderunspor (loan) 27 (2)
2023 → Manisa (loan) 9 (0)
2023–2024 → Eyüpspor (loan) 27 (0)
2026– → Gençlerbirliği (loan) 0 (0)
International career‡
2019–2020 Turkey U18 7 (0)
2022–2024 Turkey U21 12 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:49, 15 October 2024 (UTC)

Metehan Baltacı (born 3 November 2002) is a Turkish footballer who plays as a centre-back for Gençlerbirliği.

Professional career

Galatasaray

Baltacı is a product of the Galatasaray youth academy, joining in 2012.

İskenderunspor (loan)

A youth product of Galatasaray, Baltacı began his senior career on a season-long loan with İskenderunspor in the TFF Third League on 7 August 2021.[1]

Return to Galatasaray after loan

He returned to Galatasaray the following season and on 19 October 2022, he made his senior debut with Galatasaray in a 7–0 Turkish Cup win over Kastamonuspor on 19 October 2022.[2] On 1 February 2022, he extended his contract with Galatasaray until 2026.[3]

Manisa (loan)

That same day, he joined Manisa on loan for the second half of the 2022–23 season in the TFF First League.[4]

Eyüpspor (loan)

On 6 August 2023, he joined Eyüpspor on loan for the 2023–24 season in the TFF First League.[5]

Return to Galatasaray after second loan

On 13 November 2025, Baltacı was banned from playing for 9 months for his involvement in the 2025 Turkish football betting scandal.[6] He is being remanded in custody, meaning he is in prison.

Gençlerbirliği (loan)

On August 22, 2026, he signed a loan agreement with Gençlerbirliği valid until the end of the 2026–27 season.[7]

International career

Baltacı is a youth international for Turkey, having played up to the Turkey U21s since 2022.[8]

Betting investigation

As part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, known to the public as the “Football Betting Investigations,” Metehan Baltacı was detained on 5 December 2025 after it was determined that he had placed bets on legal betting sites.[9][10] On 27 February 2026, an indictment was prepared against him, seeking a prison sentence ranging from 4 to 13 years.[11]Baltacı was released on March 25.[12]

Honours

Eyüpspor

Galatasaray

References

  1. ↑ "Son dakika | Galatasaray, Metehan Baltacı'yı İskenderunspor'a kiraladı - Galatasaray (GS) Haberleri - Spor". Fanatik. 7 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "ZİRAAT TÜRKİYE KUPASI | Galatasaray 7-0 Kastamonuspor (Maç Sonucu)". NTVSpor.net.
  3. ↑ "Galatasaray duyurdu! Sözleşmesi uzatıldı". Haber7.
  4. ↑ "Manisa FK, Galatasaray'dan Metehan Baltacı'yı kiraladı". Haber7.
  5. ↑ "Metehan Baltacı Eyüpspor'a kiralandı". CNN TÜRK.
  6. ↑ "Here is the penalty for 102 football players who placed bets! Two stars from Galatasaray are also on the list". Haberler. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  7. ↑ @kirmizikara (22 August 2026). "Metehan Baltacı Gençlerbirliği'mizde" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 August 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  8. ↑ "Galatasaray'ın genç savunmacıları sağlam". Al Ain Türkçe. 24 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bahis soruşturmasında yeni dalga: Ahmet Çakar, Mert Hakan Yandaş ve Metehan Baltacı gözaltına alındı - canlı oku". Medyascope (in Turkish). 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Turkish football betting scandal: Galatasaray and Fenerbahce players arrested". BBC Sport. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  11. ↑ "'Futbolda bahis' soruşturması... Metehan Baltacı, Mert Hakan Yandaş ve Ersen Dikmen hakkında istenen ceza belli oldu - Son Dakika Haberleri İnternet". www.hurriyet.com.tr. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  12. ↑ "Metehan Baltacı tahliye oldu". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). 26 March 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Trendyol 1. Lig'de 2023-2024 Sezonu Şampiyonu Eyüpspor Oldu - TFF'den Mesajlar Detay Sayfası TFF". www.tff.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "CUMHURİYETİN YÜZÜ, TÜRKİYE'NİN EN BÜYÜĞÜ, ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "TÜRKİYE'NİN İLK VE TEK BEŞ YILDIZLI ŞAMPİYONU GALATASARAY!" (in Turkish). Galatasaray S.K. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  16. ↑ "ÜST ÜSTE 4. SENE ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. 9 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
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