Lefter Küçükandonyadis Legacy

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Lore & Background

Lefter's legacy is woven into the fabric of Fenerbahçe. He scored a total of 423 goals in 615 games for the club, a staggering output that made him a reliable scorer. His reputation was so strong that poet Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu praised his goalscoring ability in the poem İstanbul Destanı, with the line "Ver Lefter'e yaz deftere" ("Pass it to Lefter, you can already write down the goal"), which became a popular chant among Fenerbahçe fans. He was one of the first Turkish footballers to play abroad, spending 1951–1953 with ACF Fiorentina in Italy and OGC Nice in France, before returning to Fenerbahçe to win three Turkish League titles (1959, 1961, and 1964). His career ended in Greece with AEK Athens, where at age 39 he scored twice in a 7–1 away victory against Apollon Smyrnis, becoming the eldest goalscorer in the history of the Greek Championship until 1997.

In Their Own Story

The discrimination Lefter faced as a Greek in Turkey is a painful part of his story, but it also highlights his resilience. In 1955, during the Istanbul pogrom, his house was stoned and splashed with paint. Attackers tried to enter to kill him and his family while they hid in the basement, but did not manage to break in. Lefter knew the attackers—neighbors and youth he had given pocket money to—but refused to name them, claiming he did not see them. During the mass expulsions of Greeks from Istanbul in 1964, he left for Greece. When İsmet İnönü was asked whether he liked Lefter, he replied: "I like Lefter, but I don't like Lefter's kind," referring to Greeks. Despite this, Lefter returned to Turkey in 1966 to coach Samsunspor. He was attacked again in 1974 after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus; a police officer slapped him and said, "We drove you out of Anatolia, we threw you into the sea in İzmir, and we'll throw you out of here too!" Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit subsequently criticized the action. Lefter was buried in the Greek Orthodox cemetery on his native island Büyükada in Istanbul.

Reader's Guide

Lefter's legacy is best understood through his achievements and the honors he earned. With Fenerbahçe, he won the Süper Lig in 1959, 1960–61, and 1963–64, the National Division in 1950, the Prime Minister's Cup in 1950, the Istanbul Football League in 1947–48, 1956–57, and 1958–59, and the Atatürk Cup in 1963–64. Individually, he was the Turkish League top scorer in 1950 and 1957–58, the Istanbul League top scorer in 1947–48 and 1953–54, and the Turkish Footballer of the Year in 1955. He was capped 46 times for Turkey, 9 as captain, and scored 21 goals for the national team, making him the top scorer for Turkey until overtaken by Hakan Şükür. He was the first Turkish football player to receive the "Golden Honor Medal" from the Turkish Football Federation for having played for the national selection in 50 international matches. A Netflix film about his life, titled Lefter: Bir Ordinaryüs Hikayesi, was released in 2015.

Did You Know?

• Lefter is one of only a few players whose names are included in the Fenerbahçe Anthem.
• He was named 'Ordinaryus' (professor of professors) in Turkey.
• At age 39, he became the eldest goalscorer in the history of the Greek Championship while playing for AEK Athens, a record he held until 1997.
• He was the first Turkish football player to receive the 'Golden Honor Medal' from the Turkish Football Federation for 50 international matches.
• Poet Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu wrote the line 'Ver Lefter'e yaz deftere' ('Pass it to Lefter, you can already write down the goal') in his poem İstanbul Destanı, which became a popular chant among Fenerbahçe fans.