22 Facts About Hakan Yakin

Hakan Yakin is a Swiss professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Swiss Challenge League side FC Schaffhausen.

Hakan Yakin spent the majority of his playing career as a forward or attacking midfielder in the Swiss top flight with brief forays abroad.

Hakan Yakin represented Switzerland national team for eleven years, garnering 87 caps and scoring 20 goals.

Hakan Yakin was born on 22 February 1977 in Basel, Switzerland, to Turkish parents.

Hakan Yakin grew up and went to school in suburban Munchenstein, Basel-Landschaft, just outside Basel, and close to the borders of France and Germany.

Hakan Yakin is the younger brother of international football player Murat Yakin, a former member of the Switzerland national team, who currently works as a manager.

Hakan Yakin's elder half-brother Ertan Irizik is a former football professional.

Hakan Yakin signed his first professional contract with hometown club Basel in January 1995.

Hakan Yakin moved immediately into the starting eleven and so the loan was prolonged, before he returned to the Grasshoppers.

Hakan Yakin showed his other side in the return match in the Stadion Neufeld in Bern one week later.

Hakan Yakin's career was then overshadowed by some trouble regarding his club transfers, as his engagements outside Switzerland were not accompanied by luck.

In March 2009, it was reported that Hakan Yakin had been training with the Grasshoppers Under-21 side, coached by his brother Murat, in a bid to get fit.

Hakan Yakin then signed a contract on 25 June 2009 in his homeland Switzerland with FC Luzern, running through to 30 June 2011.

Hakan Yakin was capped 87 times for Switzerland, the first coming in 2000.

Hakan Yakin was offered Turkish nationality before being called up to the Swiss squad, but turned it down for personal reasons.

Hakan Yakin has played in UEFA Euro 2004, UEFA Euro 2008 and both the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup with his country.

Hakan Yakin finished the tournament as joint-second highest goalscorer with Lukas Podolski, Roman Pavlyuchenko, and Semih Senturk with three goals each, behind David Villa's four goals.

Under new national team coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Hakan Yakin participated in seven of Switzerland's ten qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starting twice and making five substitute appearances, scoring one goal in Switzerland's opening qualifier against Israel.

Hakan Yakin announced his retirement from the Switzerland national team on 4 October 2011.

Hakan Yakin was hired as an assistant coach to his brother Murat at Schaffhausen in 2019.

Hakan Yakin returned to being assistant coach for the remainder of the season under Martin Andermatt.

For personal reasons, Hakan Yakin stepped down from his post for the last two games of the season.