MKE Ankaragücü

Ankaragücü are based in Ankara, but were founded in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul in 1904 as Altınörs İdman Yurdu. The club competed in the Istanbul Friday League. It is unclear as to the motive behind the uprooting of the Istanbul-based club to Ankara. Another theory is that the club splintered, with some players following Şükrü Abbas and others following Agah Orhan. Şükrü Abbas founded Turan Sanatkarangücü in 1910. In 1938, both clubs merged to form AS-FA Gücü. The club name was changed for one last time in 1948, with both sides settling on Ankaragücü.[4] Ankaragücü have won the former Turkish Football Championship in 1949, the greatest success in their history, and reached the third place before in 1924 under the name Anadolu Turan Sanatkarangücü.

Ankaragücü's classic home kit

The club were one of the original sixteen clubs in the 1959 Turkish National League.[5] They were admitted into the league after finishing second in the Ankara Professional League.[2] The club finished fifth in the Beyaz Grup (White Group) in the first season of the Milli Lig.[5]

Ankaragücü were relegated to the 2.Lig in 1967–68 after finishing second to last place. The club returned to the top league next season. Ankaragücü were again relegated in the 1975–76 season,[6] but promoted to the 1st League next season.[7] Ankaragücü was relegated for the third time in 1977–1978 season.[8]

Ankaragücü returned to the 1st League in 1981 due to a political decision, towards which the FIFA was still powerless back then. The Turkish President Kenan Evren and Ankara governor Mustafa Gönül wanted a club from the capital in the 1. Lig and thus saw to that the club gained promotion despite only having finished second in the 2nd division, behind Sakaryaspor. Ankaragücü had won the Turkish Cup too.[9] Ankaragücü has played in the 1st League since then. The club was occasionally successful during the 1990s.

Under Ersun Yanal's managership, the club has seen two successful seasons, becoming sixth in the 2000–01 season and fourth in the 2001–02 season. After Ersun Yanal left the club, Ankaragücü found it in a struggle to be saved from relegation each year and were in full-blown and widespread disarray. The club managed to stay clear of relegation at the last few matches during these years. Consequently, a financial crisis hit the club during the late 2000s.

After the economic crisis, Ahmet Gökçek became the chairman replacing Cemal Aydın. He promised that the club would become a champion in upcoming years. He was formerly (informally) associated with Ankaraspor and TFF objected to the control of two clubs at the same time and relegated Ankaraspor. After the relegation of Ankaraspor, he merged the football squads of two teams, but he did not manage to form a squad that would win a championship.

The congress in which Ahmet Gökçek was elected annulled by Turkish court and Cengiz Topel Yıldırım returned to the chairman position. Due to the economic crisis, Cengiz Topel Yıldırım sold key players of the squad and the team was one of the weakest teams of Turkish Super League. Sami Altınyuva became the next chairman but did not solve the financial problems. Due to the ongoing financial crisis, many players left the club. Later, Bent Ahlat, Atilla Süslü and Mehmet Yiğiner became chairmen but the financial problems were not solved.

Due to financial crisis, the club relegated from Süper Lig in the 2011–2012 season and from PTT 1. Lig in the 2012–2013 season.

They returned to the TFF First League after being promoted from the third tier of Turkish football during the 2016–17 season. They got promoted back up to the Süper Lig the following season, where they currently remain. Ankaragücü finished in the relegation zone in the 2019–2020 Süper Lig, but the Turkish Football Federation voided all relegation due to COVID-19.

• Turkish Football Championship
  • Winners (1): 1949
• Turkish Cup
  • Winners (2): 1971–72, 1980–81
  • Runners-up (3): 1972–73, 1981–82, 1990–91
• Turkish Super Cup
  • Winners (1): 1981
  • Runners-up (1): 1972
• TFF First League[11]
  • Winners (3): 1968–69, 1976–77, 2021-2022

• Ankara Football League
  • Winners (6): 1924, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1956–57

As of 15 September 2023[22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  POL Rafał Gikiewicz 2 DF  TUR Alperen Kuyubaşı 3 DF  TUR Alper Uludağ 4 DF  TUR Atakan Çankaya 5 DF  CZE Matěj Hanousek 6 MF  TUR Cem Türkmen 7 MF  GRE Anastasios Chatzigiovanis 8 MF  POR Pedrinho 9 FW  BIH Riad Bajić 10 MF  GER Efkan Bekiroğlu 11 MF  CPV Garry Rodrigues 16 MF  BIH Andrej Đokanović 18 DF  BIH Nihad Mujakić 20 MF  AUT Enes Tepecik 21 FW  KGZ Sirozhiddin Astanakulov 22 DF  GAM Ali Sowe (on loan from Rostov) 23 MF  TUR Ali Kaan Güneren 25 DF  FRA Enock Kwateng

No. Pos. Nation Player 26 DF  SRB Uroš Radaković 27 DF  TUR Arda Ünyay 29 FW  JAM Renaldo Cephas 30 MF  TUR Tolga Ciğerci (captain) 32 FW  ITA Federico Macheda 41 GK  TUR Doğukan Kaya 45 DF  TUR Mert Çetin (on loan from Verona) 70 DF  GRE Stelios Kitsiou 77 DF  TUR Hayrullah Bilazer 80 MF  ROU Olimpiu Moruțan 94 FW  TUR Arda Kumru 95 DF  TUR Mert Can 96 DF  TUR Yusuf Eren Göktaş 97 MF  TUR Onur Efe Ekri 99 GK  TUR Bahadır Han Güngördü

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  TUR Atakan Dama (at Ankara Demirspor until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  SEN Lamine Diack (at Nantes until 30 June 2024) — FW  TUR Mervan Yiğit (at Bandırmaspor until 30 June 2024)