Kubilay Türkyilmaz
# Kubilay Türkyilmaz

Kubilay Türkyilmaz (Turkish: Kubilay Türkyılmaz; born 4 March 1967) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a forward. He completed his international career as the all-time joint leading goal scorer for the Swiss national team, with 34 goals in 64 appearances between 1988 and 2001, equalling the performance of Max Abegglen. Their record was bettered by Alexander Frei in 2008.

## Club career

Born in Bellinzona, Ticino, Türkyilmaz began his club career with the local club AC Bellinzona in 1986 and later joined Servette FC in 1989. He left the country in 1990 for the Italian club Bologna FC before joining Galatasaray SK of Turkey, where he won the Süper Lig in his first season, 1993–94, and scored twice against Manchester United in the next season's UEFA Champions League. In 1995, he returned to Switzerland with Grasshopper Zürich, winning the league in 1995–96 and 1997–98.

## International career

Türkyilmaz made his international debut on 2 February 1988 against France in Toulouse as a 65th-minute substitute for Hans-Peter Zwicker. Switzerland lost the Tournoi de France match 2–1. His first goals were two against Luxembourg in qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, on 21 September 1988, his seventh match.

He missed the 1994 FIFA World Cup with serious injury, but appeared at Euro 1996, scoring Switzerland's equaliser against England in the opening match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw at Wembley.

His last 8 international matches, from 1997 to 2001, saw him score 14 times, including his first international hat-trick, versus Azerbaijan in qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He added another hat trick, of three penalty kicks on 7 October 2000 in a 5–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Zürich against the Faroe Islands. It was the first hat-trick of its kind in the competition's history. In his final match, on 5 September 2001, he scored twice against Luxembourg away in qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

## Personal life

Türkyilmaz was born in Switzerland to a family of Turkish descent that immigrated from the Yozgat Province; he has said that he would have played for Turkey had they inquired first. He once refused to play for Switzerland in a game against Turkey for fear of being branded a traitor. He now runs a café in his native Bellinzona.

## Statistics

### International goals

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first

| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1. | 21 September 1988 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 21 September 1988 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 4–0 | 4–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 21 June 1989 | St. Jakob Stadion, Basel, Switzerland | Brazil | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 20 September 1989 | Stade de la Maladière, Neuchâtel, Switzerland | Portugal | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 11 October 1989 | St. Jakob Stadion, Basel, Switzerland | Belgium | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 15 November 1989 | Espenmoos, St. Gallen, Switzerland | Luxembourg | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 8 May 1990 | Wankdorfstadion, Bern, Switzerland | Argentina | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 8. | 21 August 1990 | Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria | Austria | 1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 9. | 21 August 1990 | Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria | Austria | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 10. | 12 March 1991 | Sportplatz Rheinau, Balzers, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein | 4–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 11. | 1 May 1991 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | Bulgaria | 3–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 12. | 5 June 1991 | Espenmoos, St. Gallen, Switzerland | San Marino | 7–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 13. | 21 August 1991 | Strahov Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 14. | 9 October 1991 | Stadion Allmend, Lucerne, Switzerland | Sweden | 3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 15. | 17 April 1993 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta | Malta | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16. | 12 October 1994 | Wankdorfstadion, Bern, Switzerland | Sweden | 4–2 | 4–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 17. | 16 August 1995 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Iceland | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 18. | 11 October 1995 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Hungary | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 19. | 24 April 1996 | Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano, Switzerland | Wales | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 20. | 8 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | England | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| 21. | 30 April 1997 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Hungary | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22. | 11 October 1997 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Azerbaijan | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23. | 11 October 1997 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Azerbaijan | 2–0 | 5–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 24. | 11 October 1997 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Azerbaijan | 5–0 | 5–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 25. | 4 September 1999 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 26. | 8 September 1999 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland | Belarus | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 27. | 8 September 1999 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland | Belarus | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 28. | 7 October 2000 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Faroe Islands | 3–1 | 5–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 29. | 7 October 2000 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Faroe Islands | 4–1 | 5–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 30. | 7 October 2000 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | Faroe Islands | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 31. | 11 October 2000 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Slovenia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 32. | 11 October 2000 | Bežigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Slovenia | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 33. | 5 September 2001 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 34. | 5 September 2001 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Galatasaray

* Süper Lig: 1993–94

Grasshoppers

* Nationalliga A: 1995–96, 1997–98

Individual

* Swiss Footballer of the Year: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
