Türkyilmaz ends football career after injury

Türkyilmaz is the all-time top scorer for Switzerland’s national football team Keystone Archive

The all-time top scorer for Switzerland's national football team, Kubilay Türkyilmaz, has ended his career because of a knee injury.

The 34-year-old Ticino prodigy, who played for FC Lucerne, announced his retirement on Monday.

“My disappointment is tremendous,” Türkyilmaz said. “I didn’t want my career to end this way.”

Türkyilmaz injured his knee during an away match between Switzerland’s national team and Luxembourg on September 5. During that game, he scored two goals, becoming the best Swiss scorer of all times.

With 34 goals in 62 matches, Türkyilmaz broke Xam Abegglen’s previous record.

Türkyilmaz’s career

Türkyilmaz, the son of Turkish immigrants, was born on March 4, 1967 in the town of Bellinzona in canton Ticino.

He began playing football at the age of nine in Bellinzona. He got off to a brilliant start, and was selected for the Swiss national team in 1988, in a match against France.

Switzerland lost 2-1, but Türkyilmaz was subsequently selected 62 times for the national team.

Türkyilmaz played for Bellinzona between 1986 and 1989, before being transferred to Servette. From 1990 to 1993, he played for Bologna, and then headed to Galatasaray, where he stayed until 1995.

The following season, Türkyilmaz went to play for Grasshoppers, where he stayed for three years. In 1999, he played for two different clubs, including FC Lucerne.

After playing briefly for three other clubs, Türkyilmaz finally returned to FC Lucerne in July this year.

Milestones in Türkyilmaz’ career include his teams winning the Turkish league in 1994 and the Swiss Champions’ League in 1996 and 1998. The Ticino player also took part in the Champions League in 1993, 1994 and 1996.

swissinfo with agencies