Mehmet Topal

Early career

Born in Malatya, Topal started his football career at local Malatya B.S. at the age of 13. He made his senior debut with lowly Dardanel Spor A.Ş. in the third division. In September 2006, Topal joined Süper Lig powerhouse Galatasaray SK, moving to the club alongside Japanese Junichi Inamoto.

Galatasaray

Topal appeared in only 11 games in his first season in Istanbul. However, due to an injury to Swedish international Tobias Linderoth, he was handed his chance in the starting XI, later commenting on his teammate: "He helped me a lot, told me about the areas I should improve and how to do so. Sadly, I got my chance through his injury but I want him to recover in the shortest time possible." In April 2008, Topal extended his contract with Gala for five years, having played 26 matches during the campaign to help the team win the national championship and also reaching the Turkey national team in that timeframe. In the 2008 summer transfer window, there were rumours surrounding a move to Everton in the Premier League, with David Moyes apparently keen to bring the player to Goodison Park. Topal eventually stayed put, appearing in an average of 22 games in the following seasons but also having to deal with injury early into 2009–10.

Valencia

On 12 May 2010, Topal signed for Valencia CF for a fee believed to be in the region of €5.5 million. On 14 September, he made he first UEFA Champions League appearance with his new club, playing the full…

Topal earned his first cap for Turkey on 6 February 2008, coming on for Emre Belözoğlu in the 78th minute of a 0–0 friendly home draw with Sweden. Shortly after, he was selected by manager Fatih Terim for his UEFA Euro 2008 squad, playing all the games in Austria and Switzerland but one for the eventual semi-finalists. On 22 May 2016, Topal captained the nation for the first time, in their 1–2 friendly loss to England at the City of Manchester Stadium. A week later, he scored his first international goal on his 58th cap, the only one of a last-minute victory over Montenegro in Antalya. Picked for Euro 2016, he started in all the matches, featuring as a central defender in a 0–3 group stage defeat against Spain.

Topal started his managerial career on 6 June 2024, joining Romanian club Petrolul Ploiești on a three-year deal. He resigned on 22 December that year, leaving the team in sixth place in the Liga I after 21 fixtures—one of their best runs since returning to the top division in the 2022–23 campaign. Two days later, Petrolul Ploiești announced that his resignation had not yet been accepted and that the situation would be clarified soon. The club attributed his decision to personal reasons, a claim Topal denied on his Instagram account. The contract was officially terminated on 31 December.

Club

International

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Topal goal.