10.03.2025 18:30
Eyüpspor's head coach Arda Turan made some noteworthy statements about the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in an interview with the Spanish press. The young coach said, "I believe that respect should be shown to other teams. The rivalry between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray is not going through a good period. We are talking more about what is happening off the field rather than what is happening on the field."
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Eyüpspor's head coach Arda Turan made striking statements to Andy Mitten from The National. The young coach used remarkable expressions regarding the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.
"THE RIVALRY IS NOT GOOD RIGHT NOW"
Arda Turan's statements are as follows;
- Tell us about your childhood
"I had everything that came from my family. My father worked in ground services at Turkish Airlines. My mother was a housewife. Both were good Galatasaray fans. Galatasaray is my greatest love. Maybe someone who supports River Plate or Boca Juniors can understand. I became a ball boy when I was 11 years old. A famous ball boy! I gave the ball to [John Arne] Riise, who passed it to Emile Heskey, and it was a goal. I was very disappointed because I made a mistake. There is also a photo from Georgi Hagi's last match at Galatasaray. He scored a goal, and there was a ball boy child applauding the goal. That was me!
I joined Galatasaray when I was young. I was playing in the neighborhood. I got injured and was sitting on the sidelines. I was nine years old. A kid came to me and said, "Do you want to play football?" I told him that it was my dream to play for Galatasaray. He gave me a card for the Galatasaray academy. I went and got selected. June '99. A bad earthquake happened in August. It was a tough time, many people died. I prayed for people at night, but I also prayed to succeed in just one training session when my time came. That was all I wanted from life, to play well in just one training session. In September, we had our first training.
I was a good student, but I was emotionally devastated when Galatasaray lost a match. I had friends who supported Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. I also believe that the rights of other teams should be respected. The rivalry between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray is not going through a good period. We are talking about things off the field rather than on the field, and that is not a good thing.
"I WAS LIKE MESSI ON THE FIELD"
- How did you feel when you joined Galatasaray's A team?
I felt like a superhero. I played for the first time in a Champions League qualifying match. The president told us we were experiencing an economic crisis. He said if we win, we would get our money. If we didn't win, we would get our money in five months. We won 5-2, and I scored two goals and made two assists. The fans were chanting my name. That's why I felt like a superhero, and I shared the dreams of the fans.
This was not just for Galatasaray. In 2009, we played against Spain in the World Cup qualifiers. The next year, we lost 1-2 to the team that would win the World Cup, but I felt like Messi. I was 21 years old, but I felt like the boss. There were Ramos, Pique, Xabi Alonso, Torres, Xavi. We were ahead until the 62nd minute when Xabi Alonso scored, and then Albert Riera scored in the 92nd minute.
I loved that stadium. I was the last prince, the last captain of the old stadium. It was small, but it was like hell for other teams. "Welcome to hell!" If you support Manchester United, you know this. 3-3, 0-0. I cried tears of joy for the first time. I was six years old, and I was watching the match in England on TV. Peter Schmeichel had told people he wouldn't concede three goals, and he conceded three goals. I respect Manchester United; it's a great club, but eliminating United from Europe was a big deal for us to be able to play in the Champions League.
"I TRANSFERRED FOR A RECORD FEE"
- Why did you leave Galatasaray for Atletico Madrid?
I wanted to be tested at a higher level. I had the chance to leave when I was only 20, but I postponed it because I wanted to help Galatasaray. By the time I turned 24, I was injured and a bit weaker. It was a bad thing, but it helped me leave because I was not at my strongest. Galatasaray also received a lot of money for me; it was a record fee for a Turkish player.
"RESPECT FIRST, THEN LOVE WITH SIMEONE"
- Was it a big change to go from Istanbul to Madrid? Was it difficult?
For the first six months, I was in a new place where I didn't speak the language, but my first coach, Gregorio Manzano, helped me a lot. He was a calm, sympathetic man. We were playing well and scoring a lot of goals in our matches, but we were losing a lot too. Then we switched to Cholo [Diego Simeone]. If it had been him first, it might have been harder because my character is not easy.
But I always felt we could win the Europa League (in 2012). We played against Celtic in the group stage, and I played well. Then Cholo came (in December 2011). Wow. He changed the mentality immediately. What a guy. He would tell us every day to fight, to fight, to fight. He would say to all of us: 'You are not Messi, so you have to fight, work, and get to the level of players who are better than you. Play with your heart and your mind. We are a family together. Don't think of yourself; think of the team.' We worked hard under Cholo, trying 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. He told us that if we gave everything, we had a chance to win every match. I was learning a lot, and I felt I had earned Cholo's respect, just as he respected me. It was respect first, then love.
"I RESPECT LEICESTER, BUT..."
I respect Leicester City's Premier League championship, but to be honest, I think Atletico's is more important. The greatest in football history. In Madrid, there were Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema; in Barcelona, there were Messi, Neymar, Suarez. They were the two best teams in history. They were winning the Champions League, but we became champions by beating them. We had to win every week because they were winning every week. We would go to Bilbao and beat Athletic 1-0. It was very difficult. We hoped Barcelona would lose in Seville; it was a tough match. They would win 4-1 and kill your dreams every week. We hoped Real Madrid wouldn't beat Osasuna. They would win 4-0. It was like this every week, but Cholo told us to take it match by match. Of course, we couldn't lose to Barcelona and Real Madrid. We drew twice with Barcelona. We beat Real Madrid 1-0 away.
"I HAD TO GO TO BARÇA"
After all that success at Atletico, why did I go to Barcelona (in 2015) and become the most expensive Turkish player in history once again?
I was in love with passing and tiki-taka; Luis Enrique and Guardiola were now playing an improved version of it, and Barcelona had just won the treble with Messi, Dani Alves, Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Busquets. Luis Enrique was the coach. If I hadn't signed with them, something would have been missing in my life. I could learn something from the best, but due to Barcelona's transfer ban on underage players, I wasn't allowed to play for the first six months.
Seeing Messi play was one of the most beautiful things in my life, but watching it for six months was very frustrating.
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The best player at that time and I have a lot of respect for Cristiano [Ronaldo] as well. You can control every minute of the game with Messi. If he wants to pass, he can do it better than anyone else. If he wants to press, he can do that just as well. Or if he wants to head the ball, it's the same. Whether it's penalties, free kicks, or making runs behind the defense, he can do it better than anyone else. If he had played as a goalkeeper, he would probably have been the best. I started playing with him in my second season at Barcelona, and he scored 54 goals. I scored 13 goals in 30 matches.
My job was to give him the ball as close to the goal as possible, in the position where he was most dangerous. It was impossible to play poorly behind Neymar and Suarez, who always wanted to dribble. Barcelona was less effective when Neymar and Suarez, one of the best forwards, didn't track back much. Losing Iniesta was a huge loss for Barcelona.
It was very difficult to play against Atletico for Barcelona, and the opposite was also true. We knew a lot about each other; we knew the small details. We played with the same players every season. When I went to play against Atletico, Simeone was hostile throughout the match. Because if you are against Simeone, it means you are against him. But when you are with him, he is a wonderful person who only wants the best for you.
"MY IDOL IS LUIS ENRIQUE"
- What is life like as a coach?
I never thought I would have such a life as a coach. If you want to work, you can work 24 hours a day. It's that kind of job. You are always thinking. You have 11 players, 11 opponents, and five substitutions. If I go into details, 24 hours is not enough. Guardiola, Klopp, Arteta, they are geniuses of this sport, and you try to follow them, to see all the different systems being played, but on the other hand, there is my former coach from Barcelona, Luis Enrique. I don't look at what he does with Kylian [Mbappe], Messi, or other players at PSG; I look at what he did with the Spanish national team. The team lost to Italy in the semifinals (in 2021), but it was a great, great match. Offensively, Luis Enrique is my idol. Personally, I love him. He is in my heart. If he has a problem, he tells you face to face, in the right way. Tough, fair. Last year, my wife and children were on vacation on a boat in southern Turkey. He swam towards my boat and shouted, 'Arda!' I wasn't there. He came to see me.
"ONE DAY I WILL CHANGE TURKISH FOOTBALL"
- What kind of person are you as a coach?
I learned defensively from Simeone and offensively from Luis Enrique. I should mention Fatih Terim for attacking ideas at Galatasaray and Guus Hiddink for being calm with his players. I am young, and I need to learn to solve all the problems on the field.
I am very honest with my players; I don't lie. If they ask me for help, I am always there for them. I know they dream of being the best footballers, so I need to show them positively how to do that. I need to create a safe and happy playing environment. But I want to change the style and mentality of football in Turkey. And I will change it. I believe that one day a Turkish team will win a European cup. This is my dream, whether for a club or the national team. I have played for my country 100 times, and every time I felt like I had to go through the selections to be chosen. Even if it was a friendly match, I played as if it were the last match of my life because I was worried I wouldn't be selected for the next match.
In the future, I want to coach at the clubs I have played for. I have a dream of working in Europe, and what we have achieved with Eyüpspor in the last two years has caught the attention of the football world. We are a small club competing in the top league for the first time. Despite this, we are in fifth place in the league and rank among the best teams in many statistical categories. We are trying to create a football culture here. From time to time, I hear about the interest of European clubs. I closely follow world football. The game is developing very quickly, and it is very important to keep up with that speed. That’s why I try to improve myself and adapt. However, we must always remember that the game is still the game we played on the streets. If we lose that feeling, we will also lose the joy we get from the game. And in Turkey, a lot of time is spent fighting over things that happen off the field. We need to return to focusing on what happens on the field.