1. Early Life
Hamza Hamzaoğlu was born on 1 July 1970 in Turkey. Details regarding his family background and early childhood are not extensively documented in public records.
2. Player Career
Hamza Hamzaoğlu's professional football career as a player spanned from 1988 to 2004, primarily as a midfielder.
2.1. Club Career
Hamzaoğlu began his club career in 1988 with İzmirspor. In 1995, he made a significant transfer to Galatasaray, where he served as a captain and a crucial midfielder. During his four-year tenure with Galatasaray, he achieved considerable success, winning the Süper Lig twice, the Turkish Cup once, and the Turkish Super Cup once. After leaving Galatasaray, he continued his playing career with several other Turkish clubs, including Siirtspor, İstanbulspor, Yozgatspor, and Konyaspor. He concluded his professional playing career at Beylerbeyi in 2004.
2.2. International Career
Hamzaoğlu also represented Turkey at the international level. From 1991 to 1993, he played for the Turkey U21 national team, making a total of 9 appearances. He also earned one cap for the senior Turkey national team in 1993.
3. Managerial Career
Hamza Hamzaoğlu embarked on his managerial journey in 2004, initially taking on caretaker roles before securing full-time coaching positions. His career as a manager is characterized by a steady progression through various Turkish clubs, culminating in a highly successful period with Galatasaray.
3.1. Early Managerial Roles
Hamzaoğlu's managerial career began in 2004 as a caretaker manager for Konyaspor, one of his former playing clubs. It was not until 2008 that he signed his first full-time managerial contract with Malatyaspor. The following year, he moved to Eyüpspor, and a year later, he managed Denizlispor. In 2011, he took charge of Akhisarspor, where he achieved significant success by guiding the club to Süper Lig promotion, marking their first major trophy by winning the 2011-12 TFF First League. Following this success, in 2012, Hamzaoğlu also served as an assistant to Fatih Terim for the Turkey national football team.
3.2. Galatasaray Tenure
On 28 November 2014, Hamza Hamzaoğlu was appointed as the new manager of Galatasaray, succeeding Cesare Prandelli. He signed a five-month contract that extended until the end of the season. In that very season, Hamzaoğlu led Galatasaray to win both the Süper Lig and the Turkish Cup, completing a domestic double. In the subsequent season, he added the Turkish Super Cup to the club's accolades. Despite this success, his contract was terminated on 18 November 2015. For his achievements in 2015, Hamzaoğlu was honored with the Turkish Manager of the Year Award.
3.3. Subsequent Managerial Roles
After his departure from Galatasaray, Hamzaoğlu continued his managerial career with several other clubs in the Turkish top flight. He went on to manage Bursaspor, Osmanlıspor, Antalyaspor, and BB Erzurumspor. In November 2019, he became the new manager of Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği. Subsequently, he coached Yeni Malatyaspor, Kayserispor, and Çaykur Rizespor. As of February 2022, he took on a new role with Eyüpspor.
3.4. Managerial Statistics
The following table provides a detailed record of Hamza Hamzaoğlu's coaching performance by team and tenure, last updated on 18 February 2022.
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||||
| Malatyaspor | Turkey | 28 November 2008 | 9 March 2009 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 20.00 | |||
| Eyüpspor | Turkey | 2 October 2009 | 23 June 2010 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 55.88 | |||
| Denizlispor | Turkey | 19 July 2010 | 3 February 2011 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 37.50 | |||
| Akhisar Belediyespor | Turkey | 3 March 2011 | 30 June 2014 | 126 | 52 | 32 | 42 | 41.27 | |||
| Galatasaray | Turkey | 1 December 2014 | 18 November 2015 | 52 | 33 | 9 | 10 | 63.46 | |||
| Bursaspor | Turkey | 18 December 2015 | 23 January 2017 | 49 | 24 | 10 | 15 | 48.98 | |||
| Osmanlıspor | Turkey | 27 March 2017 | 9 June 2017 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 22.22 | |||
| Antalyaspor | Turkey | 4 January 2018 | 21 May 2018 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 33.33 | |||
| BB Erzurumspor | Turkey | 7 March 2019 | 28 May 2019 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 40.00 | |||
| Gençlerbirliği | Turkey | 1 November 2019 | 3 August 2020 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 32.00 | |||
| Yeni Malatyaspor | Turkey | 19 August 2020 | 21 February 2021 | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 34.48 | |||
| Kayserispor | Turkey | 20 March 2021 | 25 April 2021 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0.00 | |||
| Çaykur Rizespor | Turkey | 24 September 2021 | 19 February 2022 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 30.00 | |||
| Eyüpspor | Turkey | 24 February 2022 | present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 418 | 176 | 95 | 147 | 42.11 | ||||||
4. Honours
Hamza Hamzaoğlu has achieved significant honors throughout both his playing and managerial careers.
4.1. Player
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 1992-93, 1993-94
- Turkish Cup: 1993
- Turkish Super Cup: 1993
Konyaspor
- TFF First League: 2002-03
4.2. Manager
Akhisarspor
- TFF First League: 2011-12
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2014-15
- Turkish Cup: 2014-15
- Turkish Super Cup: 2015
4.3. Individual
- Turkish Manager of the Year: 2015
5. Personal Life
Beyond his professional football career, there is limited publicly available information regarding Hamza Hamzaoğlu's personal life, including details about his family or other biographical aspects.
6. Assessment and Legacy
Hamza Hamzaoğlu is a respected figure in Turkish football, having made notable contributions both as a player and, more significantly, as a manager. As a player, his role as captain and midfielder for Galatasaray during a successful period of the 1990s cemented his place in the club's history, marked by multiple domestic titles. His transition to management saw him lead Akhisarspor to their first major trophy, demonstrating his capability to achieve success with less prominent teams. His tenure at Galatasaray as manager is perhaps his most celebrated, where he achieved a rare treble by winning the Süper Lig, Turkish Cup, and Turkish Super Cup within a single season. This feat showcased his tactical acumen and leadership abilities at the highest level of Turkish club football. Despite a relatively short but impactful period at Galatasaray, his achievements underscore his standing as a manager who can deliver significant results. His subsequent coaching roles at various clubs further highlight his dedication and continuous involvement in the development of Turkish football.