Orkun Kökçü was born on December 29, 2000, in Haarlem, the Netherlands. His mother was born in the Netherlands but is originally from Afyon, Turkey. Kökçü, whose brother Ozan Can Kökçü is also a footballer, is managed by their father. He has played for Stormvogels, Groningen, and Feyenoord. A midfielder, Kökçü has been playing for Benfica since 2023. He played 19 matches and scored 5 goals for the Netherlands national team between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he began representing Turkey and has scored 3 goals.
Football Career
Orkun Kökçü's football journey began when “Papa Koeman” discovered his talent. He started playing football in the youth academy of Stormvogels. During the 2011/2012 period, he continued his development at Groningen’s youth academy. Then, in the 2014 season, his adventure with Feyenoord began. He progressed through Feyenoord’s youth system, playing for Feyenoord U17, U19, and later the senior team.
In Feyenoord U17, he recorded 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 matches. For the U21 team, he scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in 13 matches. In U19, he had an impressive record of 15 goals and 7 assists in 40 matches. He scored his first UEFA Europa League goal in November 2020, in the match between Feyenoord and CSKA Moscow.
As captain of Feyenoord, he played 175 matches, scoring 32 goals and providing 26 assists. His outstanding performance during the 2022/2023 season earned him the “Player of the Year” award.
Continuing his career at Benfica, Kökçü has scored 17 goals and provided 17 assists in 86 matches. He transferred to Benfica, a top-flight Portuguese club, on July 1, 2023. He made his debut in the Primeira Liga on August 14, 2023. His first league goal came on September 2, 2023, in the Boavista FC vs. SL Benfica match, where he scored in the 45+5th minute. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on September 19, 2024, in the 29th minute of the FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) vs. SL Benfica match. So far, Kökçü has made 87 appearances for Benfica, contributing 17 goals and 18 assists to his team.
National Career
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Orkun Kökçü played for the Netherlands at U17, U18, and U19 levels. While captaining the U19 team, he scored 5 goals in 19 matches.
In 2019, at the age of 18, Kökçü began playing for Turkey’s U21 national team. He made his debut on September 6, 2019, under the management of Vedat İnceefe. He played in 2 matches for the U21 team.
In 2020, he started playing for the senior Turkish national team. Making his debut on September 6, 2020, Kökçü has since earned 39 caps and scored 3 goals. He represented Turkey in the UEFA European Championship tournaments in both 2021 and 2024.
Achievements
Feyenoord
- Dutch Super Cup: 2019
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 2022/2023
- UEFA Europa League Participant: (2019-2020), (2020-2021), (2022-2023)
- UEFA Conference League Participant: 2021-2022
SL Benfica
- Portuguese League Cup: 2024
National Team
- UEFA European Championship Participant: 2021, 2024
