Khalil Altıntop is a Turkish footballer who now plays for the German Augsburg. This December he turns 34 years old, so most likely, in the near future he will end his career. Hamit Altıntop plays the position of an attacking midfielder, but can also rise higher, playing a drawn or even central striker. He has a twin brother, Hamit, who is also a footballer.
Carier start
Hamit and Halil Altıntop were born on December 8, 1982 in a Turkish family living in German Gelsenkirchen. From early childhood, it became clear that both brothers are very talented and have a great career in football. Already at the age of nine, the brothers ended up at the Schwarz-Weiss Gelsenkirchen youth academy, from which they moved to Rothhausen a year later. Only in 1997 did they end up at the academy of the Wattenscheid professional club, with which they signed professional contracts in 2000. In “Wattenscheid”, the brothers played for three years, and Khalil Altıntop entered the field 81 times, scoring 35 goals. However, his brother Hamit turned out to be more talented - he went to Schalke, one of the strongest clubs in Germany, in 2003, while Khalil had to be content with a transfer to Kaiserslautern.
Going to the Kaiserslautern
Khalil Altıntop is a football player who managed to open up so well in Kaiserslautern that he was eventually invited to his brother in Schalke. For three years, he spent 96 matches for the team, scoring 29 goals in them. When it became known that the Gelsenkirchen club showed interest in him, Khalil refused to renew the contract. And in the summer of 2006, he joined Schalke as a free agent.
The game for Schalke
Halil Altıntop, however, only managed to play with his brother for one year - already in 2007 Hamita signed one of the strongest clubs in the world, Bayern Munich. Khalil remained in Schalke, where he won back all three and a half years of his contract. All this time he was a base player, so he managed to enter the field as many as 124 times, scoring 21 goals. However, Khalil had no prospects in Schalke, so he had to go down, and in the winter of 2010 he became a player in Eintracht.
Transfer to Eintracht
In the new club Khalil was greeted with open arms - he spent only a year and a half there, but managed to play in 55 matches, scoring six goals. And again, the player did not renew the contract with the club, deciding to go to Turkey, because by nationality Altıntop remained a Turk, although he was born in Germany.
Relocation to Turkey
In Turkey, Khalil received a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, for which he played 84 matches, scoring 16 goals. However, the level of football in Germany was always higher, so Altintop quickly wanted to return. Fortunately, there was still a demand for him in Germany, so in the summer of 2013 he signed a contract with Augsburg.
Return to Germany
At Augsburg, Khalil quickly became a base player and one of the key players on the field. For three years in the club he played 95 matches, scoring 16 goals. This season, Altıntop has entered the field 12 times, marking two goals scored. His contract with the club expires in the summer of 2017, and it is not yet known whether the agreement will be extended or whether the Turkish striker will continue to play football.
Team appearances
Halil Altıntop made his debut in the Turkish national team in March 2005, having gone two minutes in the match against Georgia. When he was allowed to play a whole time with Kazakhstan, he scored the first goal scored. Altintop was not often called up to the national team, so in all he has only 38 matches and 8 goals scored. Unfortunately, Khalil has not taken part in any major tournament for the Turkish national team during his entire career. His last match took place in November 2011, where Khalil came out against the Croatian national team for 19 minutes.