Muzzy Izzet
A dynamic midfielder who entertained Filbert Street
Welcome back to Football Icons! With the international break, there is no Premier League football this weekend so hopefully this weeks edition can help fill some of that void for you.
Long before Leicester City’s fairy tale Premier League triumph, there was Muzzy Izzet—a tireless midfielder who was the heartbeat of the Foxes in the late 90s and early 00s. If you remember those classic Leicester City sides under Martin O’Neill, then you’ll definitely recall Izzet’s relentless energy, pinpoint passing, and eye for goal. Whether it was his iconic overhead kick or his gritty performances in midfield, Izzet was a player who left it all on the pitch. This issue is all about a player who became a cult hero at Filbert Street.
Player Profile
Name: Mustafa Kemal "Muzzy" Izzet
Date of Birth: October 31, 1974
Nationality: Turkish
Position: Midfielder
Premier League Clubs: Chelsea, Leicester City, Birmingham City
Premier League Appearances: 248
Premier League Goals: 34
Premier League Assists: 27
Clubs: Chelsea, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Thurmaston Town
Overview
A Turkish midfielder, born and raised in London's east end, Muzzy Izzet was somewhat of a maverick player. Although small in build he was a tough, robust player who could deal with the physicality of a midfield battle while also offering creativity and flair in attack. He was an intelligent, two-footed player who was capable of gliding past opponents and would regularly chip in with important goals. He is widely regarded by Leicester City fans as one of their best ever players, and is remembered for his commitment, loyalty, and significant contributions to Leicester’s successes during the late 90s and early 2000s.
Memorable Moments
Most of Izzet’s greatest football achievements happened outside of the Premier league, such as the two league cup triumphs in 1997 (beating Middlesborough 1-0 in a replay after the initial final had finished 1-1- Yes there did used to be replays of the final), and 2000 (beating Tranmere Rovers 2-1 at Wembley).
However, Izzet made 246 Premier league appearances over 8 years and there are still plenty of memorable moments to look at. His best career goal is widely regarded as the incredible overhead kick he scored against Grimsby Town in a First Division match in 2002, the season Leicester would go on to be promoted to the Premier League. We've seen Rooney, Ronaldo, Bale and even Alejandro Garnacho pull these off in more recent times and I’d argue Izzet’s incredible effort tops the lot. See for yourself. Micky Adams reaction says it all!
But his best Premier league goal is up for debate. He scored quite a few beauties but this volley against Spurs in the 98/99 season is probably his finest. Izzet was more than capable of scoring goals like these and it was that technical brilliance matched with his drive and worth ethic that endeared him to Leicester fans. This goal sealed a 2-1 win in the 85th minute and fired Leicester above Spurs and into 11th in the table.
Izzet was one of Leciester’s best players but his cult hero status at Leicester City could have been in jeopardy when he handed in a transfer request across 2001 and 2002. There was lots of interest around Izzet with clubs including Middlesborough, Leeds and Aston Villa rumoured to be keen. He handed in a transfer request when Leicester were relegated at the end of the 2001/02 season however no move materialised. Middlesborough were the closest to signing him after Leicester accepted a £6m fee, however Izzet rejected the chance to move, citing that he did not want to be seen to be “jumping ship”. He eventually withdrew his transfer request in March 2003 with the club securing promotion back to the Premier league a month later.
Izzet’s most memorable Premier league season was his last as a Leicester player in the 2003/04 season. He scored 2 goals and completed the most assists in the season with 14, ahead of players including Paulo Di Canio, Ryan Giggs, and Denis Bergkamp.
He assisted 29% of Leicester’s league goals that season which is a phenomenal percentage and still a Premier League record. As of when this article was written, no player has assisted a higher percentage of their teams goals in a single Premier league season. To put that into context, the highest percentage Kevin De Bruyne has ever assisted for Manchester City is 19% in the 2019/20 season when he assisted 20 of Man City’s 102 goals. Mesut Ozil came close to matching Izzet when he assisted 18 of Arsenals 65 league goals (28%) in 2015/16.
Despite Izzet’s remarkably efforts, Leicester were once again relegated from the league and he left in the summer to join Birmingham on a free transfer. He scored his first and only goal for Birmingham in September 2004 against Bolton Wanderers. He later suffered a serious knee injury and the following 18 months barely played, before retiring from professional football in June 2006.
Opinion
With a name like Muzzy Izzet, he was always going to be difficult to completely forget, but it wasn’t just his unusual nickname that stands out for me. I think Izzet always had something about him that made him great to watch. A lot of his Leciester time was played under Martin O’Neil, alongside the likes of Emile Heskey, Neil Lennon and Robbie Savage. They were an underdog team full of heart and desire, always punching above their weight, and that is how I would sum up Izzet. He was perfect for that team, and he always performed more than you expected. He wasn’t the biggest, quickest or strongest but when you watched him play, he was always bigger, quicker and stronger than you thought. I wonder if the teams he played against viewed him like that as well.
Did you know?
As well as holding the record for the highest percentage of team goals assisted in a single season, Muzzy Izzet is also currently the highest scoring Turkish international in Premier league history with 34 goals. In fact only 12 Turkish players have ever scored a Premier league goal (as of when this was written), how many of the other 11 can you name? Difficult right?
Where are they now?
Since retiring, Izzet has stayed involved in football and launched the AFDA Football Academy with fellow Leicester teammate Steve Walsh. An academy aimed at giving young players the chance to improve their football skills while also working towards a qualification. He also occasionally appears at charity and public speaking events as well as being a charity ambassador himself for the Dorothy Goodman school.
Tell us your memories
As always we want to hear from you. Do you have any memories of Muzzy Izzet? Did you know he had such a remarkable season of assists? Hit the comments, and let us know.
Next week
In next weeks issue, a free kick specialist who played for three Premier league clubs and was adopted by one as “their own”. Any ideas?