Türkiye international goalkeeper Mert Günok has brought the curtain down on his Beşiktaş career, parting ways with the Istanbul club by mutual consent and leaving behind a four-and-a-half-year spell defined by resilience, responsibility and quiet leadership.
Beşiktaş confirmed the termination on Jan. 6, with Günok following a day later with a deeply personal farewell message on social media. It read like a diary entry from a veteran who had seen it all.
“Hundreds of training sessions, dozens of matches, victories, defeats, injuries, comebacks, luck and bad luck... I experienced every emotion a goalkeeper can go through,” Günok wrote. “I always gave my absolute best for Beşiktaş. I played over 100 matches in this jersey and never once tarnished the culture or history of this club. Every journey has an end. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.”
Günok joined Beşiktaş on Aug. 15, 2021, arriving on a free transfer from Istanbul Başakşehir with a reputation as one of the Süper Lig’s most reliable shot-stoppers.
He wasted little time establishing himself as the club’s No. 1, bringing calm and consistency to a position that had long demanded stability.
His impact was immediate. Günok helped Beşiktaş lift the 2021 Turkish Super Cup shortly after his arrival and went on to log more than 100 appearances across all competitions.
Whether in domestic title races, European group stages or high-voltage derbies, he was a constant presence between the posts.
There were clean sheets, penalty saves and match-defining moments, particularly against fierce rivals Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, but also adversity.
Injuries and Beşiktaş’s uneven form in recent seasons tested his resolve. Each time, Günok responded with professionalism, earning respect inside the dressing room and in the stands.
Born in Karabük in 1989, Fehmi Mert Günok rose through Fenerbahçe’s academy before making his professional debut in 2009.
After years of waiting for a permanent starting role, he rebuilt his career at Bursaspor and later flourished at Başakşehir, where he played a central role in their historic 2019-20 Süper Lig title.
That form carried onto the international stage.
A regular for Türkiye since 2012, Günok etched his name into national-team folklore at Euro 2024 with a last-second save against Austria in the round of 16, a moment widely hailed as one of the tournament’s defining images.
Günok’s most recent contract, signed in January 2025, was set to run until June 2027. But the partnership ended early amid shifting squad plans under coach Sergen Yalçın and reported disagreements over playing time.
Rather than prolong the standoff, both sides opted for an amicable separation.
Beşiktaş thanked the veteran keeper for his service in a brief statement, wishing him success in the next chapter of his career.
Now a free agent at 36, Günok is already at the center of the winter transfer conversation.
Strong reports link him with a return to Fenerbahçe, the club where his professional journey began.
Talks are said to be advanced over a deal that would see him provide experienced competition and depth, with Domenico Tedesco valuing his pedigree and availability without a transfer fee.
If completed, the move would add another layer of intrigue to Turkish football’s fiercest rivalry, and bring Günok’s career full circle.
