Hakan Ünsal

Who is Hakan Ünsal?

Hakan Ünsal is a Turkish former international footballer.

Hakan Ünsal is remembered by many for his rocket left foot and his pinpoint passing as well as his nonstop desire for victory. He played most of his career at Galatasaray after joining from Karabükspor in 1993/94. After being a part of the squad that won the UEFA Cup in 2000, Hakan moved to Blackburn Rovers of the English Premiership in January 2002. His return to Galatasaray was rapid as he was once again in Galatasaray colours for the 2002/03 season. After leaving Galatasaray following the 2004/05 season, he had a brief stint with Çaykur Rizespor before retiring from football.

He played for Turkey national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup where he collected his third place medal.

He is most famous for an incident during the World Cup when Brazil played Turkey. Rivaldo was about to take a corner and Hakan kicked the ball at him as he was annoyed about the time Rivaldo was taking, delaying the game, as Brazil was winning 2-1. The ball hit Rivaldo on his legs but he collapsed dramatically holding his face and consequently Ünsal was sent off and Brazil went on to win the match. Rivaldo was fined, but the sanctions were criticized by many as being too lenient.