Trabzonspor talisman
The 28-year-old playmaker came through the youth ranks at Trabzonspor after being spotted at amateur side Giresun Yolspor, and has been in the first team for nearly a decade. Until now the club have refused all moves for their talisman but the lure of a new challenge has finally proved too much for a player all set for his first major finals at UEFA EURO 2008™. "I started at Trabzonspor but I will continue my career abroad," said Gökdeniz, who has signed a three-year contract with an option for two further seasons. "This is a good but also a sad thing for me, because I have to take off the Trabzonspor shirt which I love as if it was my own child. I could have gone to some other European clubs but I chose Rubin because I wanted my old club to earn some money out of this transfer."
Rise
Since making his league debut as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Adanaspor AS in 1999/00, Gökdeniz has been a fixture in the Trabzonspor side. He earned an international debut against the Czech Republic in 2003, played in that year's FIFA Confederations Cup and now has 47 caps, having aided Turkey's progress to Austria and Switzerland. Winning the 2003 and 2004 Turkish Cups as he took on a more attacking role, he suffered a blip in 2005/06 with a six-month ban following a betting scandal, but has redeemed himself and even in a mixed season for Trabzonspor has struck eleven goals in 24 league games, taking his appearance total to 244. When Rubin begin their campaign this weekend he will link up with two old rivals from Galatasaray AS, striker Hasan Kabze and defender Stjepan Tomas.
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