Semih Kaya

Semih Kaya (Turkish pronunciation: [semih kaja], born 24 February 1991) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Yeni Malatyaspor.

Club Career

Early career

Kaya joined Galatasaray's youth academy from Altay's youth team when he was 15.

On 25 February 2007, when he was playing against older young players in the season of Super Gencler Ligi (Super Youth League) against Besiktas, in the fifth minute of the game, a kick from Batuhan Karadeniz collided with his head, forcing him to leave the game; he later went to a hospital to undergo head surgery (coagulation).

The start of the 2008–09 season saw foreign interest in Kaya rise, with reports that Italian club Internazionale were monitoring him ahead of a transfer deal, though the rumours never materialized.

Kaya's first Super Lig appearance was against Istanbul B.B. on 19 February 2009. After not receiving significant playing time, he joined fellow Super Lig club Gaziantepspor on loan in January 2010 for the remainder of the season, and, in the summer of 2010 he signed for Turkish First League side Kartalspor on loan. On 18 October 2010, he scored two goals in the A2 Lig game against Altay.

Return to Galatasaray

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Kaya was not typically selected for Galatasaray's starting line-up, but following injuries to other players, notably Gokhan Zan, and a fall in form of Servet Cetin, Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim granted him a chance to prove himself. Following a series of solid performances, he soon became first-choice centreback alongside the Czech Tomas Ujfalusi.

Kaya scored his first goal for the club against Samsunspor on 7 January 2012 in the 51st minute of a 2–0 comeback, with the game ending 4–2 for Galatasaray. In the 2011–12 season, he played 30 games and was a key member of the championship-winning squad. He continued to be first choice centre-back for the club and country, delivering calm and confident

This page also has a version in other languages :  Семих Кая (russian)