Rüştü Reçber

1985–2003: early years and Fenerbahçe

Born in Korkuteli, Rüştü began his career at nearby Antalyaspor, having converted from a forward to a goalkeeper. Early in his career, he missed out on moves to two of the Istanbul-based Big Three of Turkish football: he rejected Galatasaray at the age of 17 because coach Mustafa Denizli wanted him to start off at the youth team, and in 1993 a move to Beşiktaş fell through when he was seriously injured in a car crash. After debuting for Turkey under-21, Rüştü was told by national manager Fatih Terim in 1992 that he would become the greatest goalkeeper in the nation's history. In 1993, he joined the last remaining of the Big Three, Fenerbahçe, spending his first season back on loan at Antalyaspor. He gained his big break in October 1994, when club and national starting goalkeeper Engin İpekoğlu injured his foot against Kayserispor; he debuted against Petrol Ofisi and went on to make 240 appearances in his first spell, also becoming captain and winning the Süper Lig twice.

2003–2004: Barcelona

In July 2003, Rüştü was very close to signing for Arsenal, but he had a dispute with manager Arsène Wenger who he felt insulted his fitness. Instead, he joined La Liga club Barcelona. After manager Frank Rijkaard chose to play Víctor Valdés in the first two league matches because Rüştü's Spanish was still very weak. Rüştü was upset by this, saying "It is not normal for a goalkeeper of my history and caliber to be left out because I…

2002 FIFA World Cup

Turkey finished third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Rüştü was one of two goalkeepers in the 16-man Team of the Tournament, alongside Germany's Oliver Kahn. On 26 March 2005, captain Rüştü earned his 100th cap in a 2–0 home win over Albania in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Euro 2008

With first choice goalkeeper Volkan Demirel suspended, Rüştü started the UEFA Euro 2008 quarter-final match against Croatia. A questionable foray from his goalmouth allowed Croatia to score the match's first goal with a minute remaining in extra time. Rüştü immediately made amends for his mistake though, assisting on Semih Şentürk's injury time goal in the 122nd minute. In the ensuing penalty shootout, he faced four kicks, saving the last one from Mladen Petrić to secure Turkey's victory in the shootout and enabling Turkey to progress to the Euro semi-finals for the first time ever. In the aftermath of the 3–2 semi-final loss to Germany, a game in which he was captain, he announced his retirement from the national team. However, he was since called up against Spain for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. He was called up for the last time for Turkey in a game against Finland on 26 May 2012, the last of his 120 caps.

Rüştü was renowned as a gifted shot-stopper, possessed an excellent positional sense. Using his height, he was also able to come up for high balls. He also possessed strong reflexes and good deflecting ability. Known as a penalty stopper, his shoot-out performance against Croatia in the UEFA Euro 2008 quarter-finals was described as heroic by UEFA in 2015. He was featured in a UEFA Training Ground series video under the title of Rüştü's Turkish Delight, in which he was described as a Master of Penalties. He was an eccentric goalkeeper, who also stood out for his charismatic personality. Physically, he was recognisable for his long hair and anti-glare paint under his eyes. He was also adept at taking goal kicks and clearing backpasses.

Rüştü is married to Işıl Reçber (née: Kepe) and the couple have a son and a daughter. The couple first met in period when Rüştü just signed for Fenerbahçe from Antalyaspor, in 1994. Rüştü used to be a Galatasaray supporter in his childhood. His son, Burak, born in 2007, plays football at Galatasaray academy. In March 2020, Reçber tested positive for COVID-19 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He was admitted to hospital for care where he was put under isolation. He was discharged in April.