Imagine the following situation: you are a historic scorer for your team, for a big team in your country, and after that you can no longer set foot in your homeland, losing everything due to a political accusation. All that and more sums up the story of Hakan Sukurthe legendary former forward who made history with the Turkish National Team in a World Cup.
With a great career and a large number of goals, Sukur had to go into exile in the United States to completely distance himself from the life he knew. He lost everything, built a new life and wants to return to his land at some point. Do you remember how Hakan Sukur played?
What was Hakan Sukur’s football career like?
Born Adapazar, the former goalscorer trained in the youth teams of Sakaryaspor from 1981 to 1987, the year in which he debuted in first class. In that same season he became champion of the Turkish Cup, in addition to having participated in 6 games scoring 4 goals in the League, which transformed him into one of the great promises of local football.
With an auspicious debut in the first division, between 1990 and 1991 he played for the Bursaspor and then ended up in one of the great teams in Türkiye, Galatasaraywhere he played most of his career and became a multi-champion forward.
In 1995, Sukur left for Italy to have his first participation in international football. He played 5 games in the Turinbut after a few months he decided to return to Galatasaray.
In 2000, the former forward packed his suitcase again to tour international football. Between 2000 and 2003 he went through the Inter de Milan, Parma (Italian Cup champion) and Blackbourn Rovers from England. However, Hakan returned to the club he loved (Galatasaray) until his retirement in 2008. In the Turkish club he obtained, 5 Turkish Cups, 8 Super Leagues, a Europa League and scored 289 goals; an idol of the institution.
Although football is experienced in Turkey with a very similar passion as in Argentina, it is not a predominant country in the history of the beautiful sport. With his team, Hakan Sukur came to Euro 2000 Quarterfinals held in Belgium and the Netherlands, and went down in history when it came out third in the 2002 World Cup in Korea Japan. In said World Cup, the former striker scored the fastest goal in World Cup history in the match against South Korea for third place. It took the former striker 11 seconds to convert in that defining match. Sukur played 111 games and scored 51 goals in Turkey, establishing himself as the top scorer in the team’s history.
Why Hakan Sukur cannot enter Turkey
In 2011, Sukur was elected as a member of the Turkish parliament, representing the Justice and Development Party in Istanbul. However, his political career took an abrupt turn two years later when he resigned from the party, becoming an independent legislator.
The situation became even more complicated in August 2016, when the Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for Hakan Sukur, accusing him of being part of a terrorist group linked to the preacher. Fethullah Gülen. These accusations emerged amid the tumultuous events of the coup attempt in Türkiye in 2016 against the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I have nothing left anywhere in the world. Erdogan took everything from me. My right to freedom, the right to explain myself, to express myself, the right to work,” said the former Turkey goalscorer. If he returned to his country, Sakur would face prison or the death penalty. “No one can explain what my role in this coup was supposed to be. “I have never done anything illegal, I am not a traitor or a terrorist.”he added.
Due to the persecution suffered in his country, Hakan Sukur moved to the United States, where he rebuilt his life.
What is Hakan Sukur’s life in the United States?
Once in the United States, and persecuted for being an alleged terrorist, the former Turkish scorer started a cafeteria that he later had to close for fear of being an easy target for some act of terrorism against him.
Over time Sukur found other paths: He became an Uber driver and at the same time dedicated himself to selling books. In addition, he is currently dedicated to being a private soccer coach, which brings him back to the sport.
However, despite everything he suffered, the former player revealed in an interview with The New York Times that he would like to return to his country: “It is my country. I love my people, even though their ideas about me are distorted by the controlled media”.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
