Erbay Gönelli
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ahmet Erbay Gönelli Sr. | ||
| Date of birth | 21 April 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Gönyeli, Cyprus (today Northern Cyprus) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1985 | Gönyeli | (206+) | |
| 1985–1987 | Gunçlur Gücü | (15+) | |
| Total | (221+) | ||
| International career | |||
| 1977–1980 | Northern Cyprus | 3 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ahmet Erbay Gönelli Sr.,[1] nicknamed "Captain Erbay",[2] (born 21 April 1953) is a Northern Cyprus former footballer who played as a striker.
Gönyeli
Gönelli joined Birinci Lig club Gönyeli in 1968,[2] following the lifting of a league-wide suspension in Northern Cyprus that had been in effect since 1963 due to the Cyprus crisis.[3] He won the İkinci Lig during his first season at the club, and he won the Cypriot Cup (Northern Cyprus) in 1971 and his Birinci Lig first league title in 1971–72. He won two more titles in 1977–78, 1980–81 and finished as a runner-up during a further six seasons with the club.[3] During this time, he was also the league's top goalscorer for eight consecutive seasons between 1972–73 and 1980–81, and he was also the top goalscorer in 1983–84.[4]
In his final season with the club in 1984–85, he won the Cypriot Cup (Northern Cyprus) and the President's Cup.[5] He scored no less than 206 goals for Gönyeli during his fifteen seasons with the club as club captain.[6]
Gunçlur Gücü
Gönelli joined Gunçlur Gücü initially as a coach in 1981 through the persuasion of his uncle Mehmet Kaptan, but he did not join as a player until the 1985–86 season; in his first season at the club he won promotion to the Birinci Lig.[2] He retired after the 1986–87 season, where he finished as Birinci Lig top goalscorer with fifteen goals and as the league's all-time top goalscorer with no less than 221 goals.[4][6]
International career
Gönelli debuted for Northern Cyprus on 5 January 1977 during the 1–0 loss against Turkey.[7]
Gönelli was called up to represent Northern Cyprus at the 1980 Islamic Games.[6] He scored a goal on 2 October 1980 during the 2–1 victory against Malaysia.[8][9] He also played in the 1–1 draw against Libya on 3 October 1980.[10]
