Mervan Çelik (born 26 May 1990) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a winger for GAIS. He has previously played for GAIS, Rangers, Pescara, Gençlerbirliği, Akhisar Belediyespor, Häcken, and Fatih Karagümrük. He has represented Sweden at youth international level.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mervan Çelik | ||
| Date of birth | 26 May 1990[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hisingen, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | GAIS | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | IF Warta | ||
| 2004–2006 | BK Häcken | ||
| 2007–2008 | GAIS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2012 | GAIS | 68 | (18) |
| 2012 | Rangers | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | GAIS | 14 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | Pescara | 23 | (4) |
| 2013–2015 | Gençlerbirliği | 42 | (6) |
| 2015–2017 | Akhisar Belediyespor | 12 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | BK Häcken | 33 | (2) |
| 2019 | Fatih Karagümrük | 10 | (2) |
| 2020 | GAIS | 23 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Amed | 25 | (9) |
| 2022– | GAIS | 45 | (15) |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Sweden U19 | 6 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Sweden U21 | 14 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 November 2023 | |||
Club career
GAIS
Çelik played for IF Warta and BK Häcken at youth level before joining GAIS in 2007.[3] "I started as a striker but now I play as an inner midfielder and winger. It does not matter if I play on the right or the left, both positions work for me," he said in an interview on the club's website.[3] Çelik made his competitive début against GIF Sundsvall in the Allsvenskan on 20 July 2008,[2][3] and appeared in the starting eleven for the first time six weeks later against IFK Göteborg.[4] He signed a three-year contract in May 2009,[3] and scored his first goal for the club later that year against Kalmar FF.[2]
Rangers
Having left GAIS at the end of his contract, Çelik was offered a three and a half-year contract from Scottish Premier League team Rangers,[5] which he signed on 20 January 2012.[6][7] After Rangers went into administration, Çelik chose to leave the club in March 2012 without a pay-off.[8] He stated that he didn't make the wrong decision in joining the club, but the club entering administration was unpredictable.[8]
GAIS claimed that Rangers owed them £240,000 compensation for the transfer of Celik. However, there were suggestions that Celik was not offered a new contract within 60 days before the end of his previous deal, meaning that no compensation would have been necessary. Both GAIS and Celik disputed this and the club have threatened to take the matter to FIFA if Rangers don't pay them.[9]
Return to GAIS
After leaving Rangers in March 2012, Çelik signed an eight-month contract with GAIS.[10]
Pescara
Çelik continued his career in Italian first league with the newcomer Pescara in 2012. He scored the first goal for Pescara the 2012–13 season against Sampdoria in a 3–2 loss.
International career
Çelik has represented Sweden at youth level.[11] He made his under-21 debut against Norway on 2 June 2011 and scored two goals in a 4–1 win.[12] He is eligible to play for Turkey through his parents.[3]
Honours
BK Häcken
Personal life
Çelik was born and raised in the suburb Biskopsgården, Hisingen, an island which forms part of the Gothenburg Municipality.[3] Çelik's parents are ethnic Kurds from Turkey.[13] His mother and father lived in Konya before moving to Sweden, where his father opened a restaurant.[3]
References
External links
- Mervan Çelik at the Turkish Football Federation
- Mervan Çelik at Soccerway
- Mervan Çelik – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Mervan Celik at GAIS at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 June 2009) (in Swedish)
- Mervan Çelik at WorldFootball.net
- Celik kan lämna efter succén i U21-debuten at expressen.se (in Swedish)
- Mervan Çelik at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish)