Rıdvan Yılmaz (born 21 May 2001) is ıdvanYıa Turkish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Rangers and the Turkey national team.
Yılmaz is a graduate of the Beşiktaş youth academy. He made 62 first-team appearances for Beşiktaş, helping them win the domestic league and cup double in the 2020–21 season. In July 2022, he joined Rangers for an initial transfer fee of £3.4 million.
Yılmaz made 50 appearances for Turkey's youth national teams, from under-16 to under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in May 2021, and was a member of Turkey's squad at UEFA Euro 2020.
Club career
Beşiktaş
Yılmaz was born in Gaziosmanpaşa, Istanbul. He spent 10 years of his youth career in the academy of Beşiktaş, which he joined at the age of seven. Yılmaz made his professional debut with Beşiktaş as a late substitute in a 7–2 Süper Lig win over Çaykur Rizespor on 8 April 2019. In the 2020–21 season, he won the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup with Beşiktaş.
Rangers
On 25 July 2022, Yılmaz joined Scottish club Rangers on a five-year deal for an initial transfer fee of £3.4 million, with the deal containing add-ons that could raise the fee to £5.3 million. He made his debut for the club as a substitute against Belgian team Union Saint-Gilloise, during a UEFA Champions League qualifier loss on 2 August.
Yılmaz suffered a serious hamstring injury in a Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen in October. After more than four months, he returned to the Rangers first-team as a substitute in a Scottish Cup game against Raith Rovers in March 2023.
International career
Yılmaz played youth international football for Turkey at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels, making 50 appearances in total.
In May 2021, Yılmaz was called up to the senior Turkey national football team's preliminary 30-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He made his senior international debut on 27 May 2021, in a warm-up friendly against Azerbaijan. He was included in Turkey's final 26-man squad for Euro 2020.