The defensive midfielder (born 23 April 1970) started his football career in Germany and played for the German club SV Darmstadt 98 before moving to Turkey in 1993 and joining Fenerbahçe SK. After spending two successful seasons there, Havutçu was transferred to Kocaelispor on a two-year deal. In 1997, he was acquired by Beşiktaş JK, where he eventually became a team captain and won 1 Super League, 1 Turkish Cup and 2 Super Cup trophies as a player. An accomplished midfielder with a work rate second to none, Havutçu made 45 international appearances for Turkey and was part of the bronze medal winning team of 2002 World Cup. Following his retirement in 2006, he served as an Assistant Manager at Beşiktaş JK for several years, and in 2011, Havutçu took full charge of the team after Manager Bernd Schuster resigned from his post. He led the Black Eagles to the Turkish Cup title the same season and signed a 3-year contract with the Club.