Mehmet Aurélio

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Aurélio signed for Fenerbahçe in 2003 from Trabzonspor. Over five years, he played 218 games, scoring 18 goals and assisting 35. He helped the club win the Süper Lig in 2004, 2005 and 2007 — the last coming in the club's centenary year. He called the 2007–08 Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea a career highlight, though Chelsea won the tie over two legs. After a spell at Real Betis, where he described his time in Seville as a low point, he returned to Istanbul with Beşiktaş in August 2010 on a free transfer. On 11 May 2011, he converted his penalty in the shootout as Beşiktaş won the Turkish Cup against İstanbul BB (4–3, 2–2 after extra time). His contract expired in summer 2012. He signed with former club Olaria on 1 March 2013 and retired at the end of the season.

In Their Own Story

In July 2006, after five years of work in Turkey, Marco Aurélio was naturalised as a Turkish citizen and adopted the name Mehmet. He was immediately called up for a friendly against Luxembourg on 16 August, starting in a 1–0 win at the Stade Josy Barthel. He became the first naturalised player to represent Turkey. His debut caused controversy: columnist Ergun Babahan wrote in Daily Sabah that integration was a Turkish tradition dating back to the Devshirme abductions of Christian children by the Ottoman Empire, while chief referee Mustafa Çulcu argued with manager Fatih Terim that it was a 'degradation' of the national team. On 12 September 2007, Aurélio scored his first international goal in a 3–0 home win over Hungary in Euro 2008 qualifying. At the finals, he played every minute of the group stage but was suspended for the quarter-final after two bookings. He returned for the semi-final, where Turkey lost 3–2 to Germany.

Reader's Guide

Mehmet Aurélio joined Fenerbahçe in 2003 and played 218 games over five years, scoring 18 goals and assisting 35. He won the Süper Lig in 2004, 2005 and 2007 — the last in the club's centenary. He highlighted the 2007–08 Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea as a career highlight, though Chelsea won the tie over two legs. After leaving Fenerbahçe in 2008, he played for Real Betis (29 games, 4 goals in his first season) and then Beşiktaş, where he won the Turkish Cup in 2011, converting his penalty in the shootout. He retired at Olaria in 2013. In May 2024, he became assistant manager at Antalyaspor to Alex, a Brazilian who was his teammate at Fenerbahçe.

Did You Know?

• Aurélio was born Marco Aurélio Brito dos Prazeres and changed his name to Mehmet upon becoming a Turkish citizen in July 2006.
• He was the first naturalised player to represent the Turkey national team, debuting in a 1–0 friendly win over Luxembourg on 16 August 2006.
• His debut caused controversy: chief referee Mustafa Çulcu argued with manager Fatih Terim that it was a 'degradation' of the national team.
• He played every minute of the group stage at UEFA Euro 2008 but was suspended for the quarter-final after two yellow cards.
• After retiring, he became assistant manager at Antalyaspor in May 2024, working under Alex — a Brazilian who was his teammate at Fenerbahçe.