Orkun Kökçü

Orkun Kökçü
Kökçü in 2026
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-12-29) 29 December 2000
Place of birth Haarlem, Netherlands[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Beşiktaş
Number 10
Youth career
2007–2009 Olympia Haarlem
2009–2010 EDO
2010–2011 Stormvogels
2011–2014 Groningen
2014–2018 Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2023 Feyenoord 119 (23)
2023–2026 Benfica 60 (14)
2025–2026 → Beşiktaş (loan) 30 (8)
2026– Beşiktaş 2 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Netherlands U18 5 (2)
2018–2019 Netherlands U19 7 (2)
2019 Turkey U21 2 (0)
2020– Turkey 53 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:09, 23 August 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 08:55, 25 June 2026 (UTC)

Orkun Kökçü (Turkish pronunciation: [oɾˈkun ˈcœctʃy]; born 29 December 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş, whom he captains. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Turkey national team.

Club career

Feyenoord

A youth product of FC Groningen, where he arrived after having played for local clubs around his hometown Haarlem,[2] Kökçü joined the Feyenoord youth academy in 2014.[3] He made his debut for Feyenoord at the age of 17 in a 4–0 win over VV Gemert in the first round of the KNVB Cup on 17 September 2018, scoring Feyenoord's second goal.[4] He made his Eredivisie debut against FC Emmen on 9 December 2018,[5] and contributed with a goal and an assist after coming on as a substitute.[6] On 10 April 2019, he extended his contract at Feyenoord until 2023.[7] On 26 June 2020, he reached an agreement to extend his contract with Feyenoord for another two years, a deal to the end of the 2024–25 season.[8]

Following Jens Toornstra's departure, Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot chose Kökçü as his club captain on 2 September 2022.[9] With Kökçü as captain, Feyenoord went on to win the 2022–23 Eredivisie.[10]

Benfica

On 10 June 2023, Kökçü joined Benfica on a five-year deal for a reported fee of €25 million, plus €5 million in variables.[11] The sum represented a record signing for the Portuguese club and the league surpassing Darwin Núñez transfer from Almería to Benfica in 2020 for transfer fee of €24 million and a club record sale for Feyenoord becoming the club's biggest sale since Kökçu's former Feyenoord teammate Luis Sinisterra's transfer to Leeds United in 2022 for a fee of €25 million.[12]

Kökçü made his debut for Benfica in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, starting in a 2–0 win over rivals FC Porto.[13] He scored his first goal on 2 September, netting Benfica's third goal in a 4–0 home win over Vitória de Guimarães.[14] Kökçü made his UEFA Champions League debut on 20 September, starting in a 2–0 home loss to Red Bull Salzburg.[15]

Beşiktaş

On 12 July 2025, Kökçü agreed on a loan deal with Süper Lig club Beşiktaş with an obligation to buy.[16] On 17 October 2025, Kökçü was appointed as the new captain of the team.[17]

International career

Kökçü playing for Turkey in 2024

Kökçü was a youth international for the Netherlands, having represented the Netherlands U18s,[18] and Netherlands U19s.[19] In July 2019, Kökçü announced the intent to play for the Turkey national team.[20] He represented the Turkey U21s in a 3–2 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification loss to the England U21s on 6 September 2019.[21]

He made his Turkey national team debut on 6 September 2020 in a Nations League game against Serbia, he started the game and played the first hour of the 0–0 away draw.[22]

In June 2021, Kökçü was included in the list of 26 Turkish players selected to compete at UEFA Euro 2020.[23]

On 7 June 2024, he was named in the final squad of 26 players chosen by Vincenzo Montella to take part in UEFA Euro 2024.[24]

On 2 June 2026, Kökçü was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[25]

Personal life

Born in the Netherlands, Kökçü is of Turkish descent,[26] from Suvermez, Emirdağ.[27] He is the younger brother of the professional footballer Ozan Kökçü who plays internationally for the Azerbaijan national team. He is a lifelong fan of Beşiktaş and indicated a desire to play for the club he had been supporting since childhood.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 August 2026[29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Feyenoord 2018–19 Eredivisie 11311—00—124
2019–20[c] Eredivisie 22240—9[d]1—353
2020–21 Eredivisie 22310—6[d]12[e]0314
2021–22 Eredivisie 32710—18[f]2—519
2022–23 Eredivisie 32841—10[d]3—4612
Total 11923112—4372017532
Benfica 2023–24 Primeira Liga 27740209[g]01[h]0437
2024–25 Primeira Liga 337313012[i]44[j]05512
Total 60147150214509819
Beşiktaş (loan) 2025–26 Süper Lig 30862—5[k]0—4110
Beşiktaş 2026–27 Süper Lig 1000—5[d]3—63
Beşiktaş total 31862—103—4713
Career total 210452455074147032064
  1. ↑ Includes KNVB Cup, Taça de Portugal, Turkish Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Taça da Liga
  3. ↑ Season curtailed due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
  4. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ↑ Appearances in Eredivisie European competition play-offs
  6. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
  8. ↑ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  9. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  10. ↑ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  11. ↑ One appearance in UEFA Europa League, four appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

As of match played 25 June 2026[30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Turkey 202020
2021111
202250
202361
2024140
202581
202671
Total534

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.[30]

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 November 2021Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro13 Montenegro2–12–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 25 March 2023Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia19 Armenia1–12–1UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
3 20 March 2025Rams Park, Istanbul, Turkey39 Hungary1–03–12024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs
4 1 June 2026Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey49 North Macedonia1–04–0Friendly

Honours

Feyenoord

Benfica

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Cookies op gelderlander.nl - gelderlander.nl". www.gelderlander.nl.
  2. ↑ Gouka, Mikos (10 December 2018). "Kökcü is bij Feyenoord een debutant van een andere orde". De Stentor (in Dutch).
  3. ↑ "The 50 Eredivisie U21 Stars To Watch 2018/19: Orkun Kokcu". Football Oranje. 8 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Kökcü geeft visitekaartje af bij Feyenoord-debuut: 'Ongelooflijk trots'". www.vi.nl.
  5. ↑ "Emmen vs. Feyenoord - 9 December 2018". Soccerway.
  6. ↑ "Cookies op gelderlander.nl – gelderlander.nl". www.gelderlander.nl.
  7. ↑ "Kökcü na tekenmoment: 'Nu hoop ik op meer'". www.feyenoord.nl (in Dutch).
  8. ↑ "Principeakkoord: nieuw contract bindt Kökcü tot 2025 aan Feyenoord" (in Dutch). Feyenoord. 26 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Warming-up: Slot benieuwd waar zijn selectie staat | Kökcü nieuwe Feyenoord-captain". NOS (in Dutch). 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Feyenoord verslaat Go Ahead en is na zes jaar weer kampioen van Nederland" [Feyenoord beats Go Ahead and is champions of the Netherlands after six years] (in Dutch). 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "Kökcü é reforço do Benfica!" [Kökcü signs with Benfica!] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Benfica oficializa contratação de Kökçü: os detalhes do negócio" [Benfica make Kökçü's signing official: the details of the deal] (in Portuguese). Record. 10 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Benfica 2-0 FC Porto: A Musa que faltava a Schmidt para ganhar a Supertaça" [Benfica 2-0 FC Porto: The Musa that Schmidt lacked to win the Supercup]. SAPO Desporto (in European Portuguese). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "Kokçu estreia-se a marcar pelo SL Benfica com fantástico golo" (in Portuguese). Bola na Rede. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Delgado, André (20 September 2023). "Entrada em falso do Benfica na Champions face à derrota frente ao Salzburgo" [Benfica's false entry into the Champions League following the defeat against Salzburg]. SAPO Desporto (in European Portuguese).
  16. ↑ "Oficial: Kokçu tem novo clube" [Official: Kokçu has a new club] (in Portuguese). abola.pt. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  17. ↑ "New Beşiktaş captains revealed". bjk.com. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  18. ↑ "OnsOranje: Jeugd mannen onder 18". onsoranje.nl.
  19. ↑ "OnsOranje: Jeugd mannen onder 19". onsoranje.nl.
  20. ↑ "Kökçü opts for Turkey over Netherlands". Football Oranje. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "Turkey U21 vs. England U21 – 6 September 2019 – Soccerway". Soccerway.
  22. ↑ "Serbia v Turkey game report". UEFA. 6 September 2020.
  23. ↑ "Turkey Euro 2020 squad profile: Best player, manager and past Euros record". www.fourfourtwo.com. 4 June 2021..
  24. ↑ "A Millî Takımımızın EURO 2024 Kadrosu Açıklandı - A Milli Takım Haber Detayları TFF". www.tff.org. Retrieved 13 June 2024..
  25. ↑ "2026 Turkey World Cup roster: Complete 26-man team". 2 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Sporx (9 September 2014). "Hollanda'nin 10 numarasi bir TURK - Futbol". Sporx.
  27. ↑ "Orkun Kökçü kimdir? Orkun Kökçü kaç yaşında nereli?". 2 July 2025.
  28. ↑ "Orkun Kökçü'den flaş Beşiktaş açıklaması! - Orta Çizgi - Beşiktaş Haberleri | Beşiktaş Transfer Haberleri".
  29. ↑ Orkun Kökçü at Soccerway
  30. 1 2 "Orkun Kökçü". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  31. ↑ "Soccerway Match Report". Soccerway. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "History: Roma 1-0 Feyenoord | UEFA Conference League 2021/22 Final". UEFA.com.
  33. ↑ "Taça da Liga pintada de vermelho e branco!" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  34. ↑ Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  35. ↑ "Orkun Kökcü, Fenna Kalma, Xavi Simons and Esmee Brugts are the big winners of the Eredivisie Awards". Eredivisie. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  36. ↑ "Oussama Idrissi named as eredivisie player of the month". Eredivisie. 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  37. ↑ "Gravenberch uitgeroepen tot eredivisiespeler van de maand". Eredivisie. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  38. ↑ "AZ breaks through the Ajax stronghold in the Eredivisie team of the month". Eredivisie. 28 January 2022.
  39. ↑ "Ajax provides most players for team of the month February". Eredivisie. 4 March 2022.
  40. ↑ "Bruma named Eredivisie player of the month, Ali Akman receives first official Johan Cruyff talent of the mont award and XI of the month". Eredivisie. 10 September 2021.
  41. ↑ "Ajax still provides most players for team of the month". Eredivisie. 14 January 2022.
  42. ↑ "AZ breaks through the Ajax stronghold in the Eredivisie team of the month". Eredivisie. 28 January 2022.
  43. ↑ "Ajax provides most players for team of the month February". Eredivisie. 4 March 2022.
  44. ↑ "8 clubs provide players for Eredivisie team of the month in April". Eredivisie. 6 May 2022.
  45. ↑ "Cody Gakpo is the Eredivisie Player of the Month for the second month running". Eredivisie. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  46. ↑ "Taylor Booth named as Eredivisie Player of the Month for November". Eredivisie. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  47. ↑ "Sparta and AZ dominate Eredivisie team of the month in march". Eredivisie. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  48. ↑ "Eight clubs represent the Eredivisie Team of the Month for April". Eredivisie. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  49. ↑ "Kökcü garante prémio Golo do Mês na Liga Portugal Betclic" [Kökcü guarantees Goal of the Month award in Liga Portugal Betclic] (in Portuguese). Liga Portugal. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023.
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