Hakan Yakin
A Swiss midfield magician whose vision and technical flair made him a fan favorite and a key architect for the national team.
Born 1977 (age 49)·Swiss footballer·Birthday: February 22·Generation X
Biography
Hakan Yakin scored the winning goal in the 2002 Swiss Cup final for Basel. Born in 1977 in Basel, Switzerland, to Turkish parents, he began his career at Grasshopper Club Zürich, where he won two Swiss Super League titles. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2004 but returned to Switzerland after one season. Yakin then played for Young Boys, Al-Gharafa, and Luzern. Internationally, he earned 87 caps for Switzerland between 2000 and 2011, scoring 20 goals. He played in the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. His creativity and left-footed precision made him the central playmaker for the national team during its rise as a consistent tournament qualifier. After retiring, he became a coach, managing Grasshopper and the Swiss under-21 team. He currently coaches FC Schaffhausen.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Hakan was born in 1977, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hakan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Hakan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Earned 87 caps for the Swiss national team, scoring 20 goals between 2000 and 2011.
- Won multiple Swiss Super League titles, notably with FC Basel in the early 2000s.
- Scored a memorable hat-trick against Switzerland's rivals, Turkey, in a 2006 World Cup qualifier.
- Named Swiss Footballer of the Year in 2003.
Did You Know?
His older brother, Murat Yakin, was also a Swiss international and later managed the national team.
He holds Swiss and Turkish citizenship.
He scored directly from a corner kick in a UEFA Cup match for FC Basel in 2002.
After retiring, he earned a UEFA Pro coaching license.
“My game was about seeing the pass others didn't see.”
