The 36-year-old goalkeeper Mert Günok announced the age at which he wants to retire.

10.07.2025 15:30

Beşiktaş's 36-year-old national goalkeeper Mert Günok stated that being the captain of Beşiktaş is an honor for him, while answering questions about Beşiktaş and himself. Mert, who revealed the age at which he wants to retire, said, "I want to continue playing as a goalkeeper until I am 40 years old."

The goalkeeper and captain of the Super League giant Beşiktaş, Mert Günok, made special statements to Demirören News Agency during the training camp in Austria. Mert Günok evaluated the last two seasons, which were like a nightmare.

'WE NEED TO KNOW HOW TO RISE FROM WHERE WE FELL'

Mert stated that, alongside the negative aspects of having too many changes in coaches, they could not show the concentration they provided in big matches in other matches, and while he found the reactions of Beşiktaş fans justified, he said, 'We need to know how to rise from where we fell.' The experienced goalkeeper expressed that they will definitely be in the championship race this season.

'THE CAMP IS GOING WELL'

Mert Günok stated that the camp environment in Bad Erlach is good, saying, "We came to a nice camp place. We started quickly because we will have a match in Europe in a very short time. Therefore, we are continuing our training quickly. We are working hard with double sessions a day. Besides training, we are always together in the lobby and rooms. We discuss what we need to do about the new season, what we could not do well in the past years, both with foreign players and Turkish players. We started the camp well and we are continuing," he expressed.

'LAST YEAR WE COULD NOT BE VERY STRONG OFFENSIVELY'

The 36-year-old goalkeeper stated that the injuries experienced, especially in the defense line, affected them significantly last season, saying, "We could not take the field with the same squad last season. There were constant changes throughout the season. Of course, I can say that injuries were a determining factor in this. Especially Paulista's injury in the defense line, Felix's injury for a period, and the injuries of other players from time to time forced us to make constant changes. This does not create a positive effect. Generally, it creates a negative effect. This reflects on the game as well. It cannot be said that we had a significant impact in the matches we played from time to time. Therefore, we dealt with many negative factors. But as you said, we finished the season as the team that conceded the least goals after the champion team. Of course, sometimes individual performances and sometimes times when we stood well defensively as a team contributed to this. There were times when our left and right backs played as center-backs. Even in these position changes, everyone tried to do their best. We showed some positive things defensively, but there were moments when we fell short offensively. In matches, especially at home, we could not find the goal to break the game or find early goals to take control. This is an important factor for a big team. Especially in the matches we played at home, we needed to find the goal early and take control. I can say that we did not fully achieve this. We could not be very strong offensively last year," he said.

'THE FANS WANT TO SEE FIGHT AND THEY ARE RIGHT'

The experienced goalkeeper expressed that he finds the pressure from the home fans justified, saying, "Our fans are doing their best. Despite our poor performance, they show their support by almost filling the stadium. They have never withheld their support from us. In this sense, they can always be placed in a special category. Of course, their expectations from us are high. They want to see a fight. They want to see the team dominating the match. When this desire is not realized in terms of the game, there are justified reactions from time to time. I cannot criticize this in any way. At one point, they are right. They have more expectations than all of us. To overcome this, despite the team's poor performance for two years, we owe them our support this year. They will not withhold their support. We also want to respond from the beginning of this season with both our fight on the field and by dominating the home matches," he said.

'SOLSKJAER IS A VERY POSITIVE PERSON'

Mert Günok stated that having too many coach changes in the last two seasons did not bring a good scenario and also spoke about coach Solskjaer. He mentioned that the Norwegian coach has good communication with the team, saying, "To start from the beginning of the season, this much change in coaches and players, this much rotation does not bring a good scenario for any team, regardless of the name. Since we started working with our coach, I have always said that he is a very positive person and has good communication with the players, that he always expresses what he wants on the field and trains it in practice. Of course, after that, it falls to us players. The coach ultimately sets a template. He determines a game system. But what is important is how much the players adopt it and reflect it in the game. This is related not only to technical and tactical aspects but also to how the player reflects the game from within. This year, we need to reflect the coach's tactics and techniques on the field, but especially by showing our fighting spirit, running more, and reflecting our desire more, we need to please our fans," he said.

'WE NEED TO KNOW HOW TO RISE FROM WHERE WE FELL'

Mert Günok, one of the team captains of the black-and-white team, gave a clear answer to the question about the championship. He stated that the black-and-white team will embark on the season with the motto of championship, continuing his words as follows:

"Of course, it will happen. There is no other answer to this question. As Beşiktaş, we are embarking on the season with the motto of championship. This year, we will also embark on the season with the motto of championship. The fact that there is a Beşiktaş that has performed poorly for two seasons does not change this reality. We always need to know how to rise from where we fell. This year, we have two new transfers. It is said that more will come. We have quality transfers. Therefore, we want to enter the season as the number one favorite for the championship. For this, we are starting the season early. We will also have a European adventure ahead. We want to start early and continue successfully."

'WE DID NOT GET WHAT WE WANTED IN MATCHES WHERE WE PLAYED WITH LONG BALLS'

Regarding the matches where they played long balls to Rafa Silva last season, he stated that it was the request of coach Solskjaer.

The national glove spoke:

"This situation was something our coach wanted from us last year. Of course, this is also related to the players you play with. In the constantly changing starting eleven, you sometimes saw Rafa playing as a forward even though it is not his main position. Sometimes he took on a role on the wing. We constantly made changes. These changes sometimes foresee a shift to different tactics by our coach. Last year, he had such a request, but whether he will have such a request this season or if we will play a different formation is still unclear. We are at the beginning of the camp and we haven't played any friendly matches yet. Of course, there were moments last season when we played with long balls. But physically, we can say our team is a bit shorter. Therefore, in the matches we played with long balls, sometimes we couldn't get what we wanted. Our coach wanted the long balls to stretch the opponent when we couldn't apply pressure. But it cannot be said that we were effective in this. Generally, when we played long or when we sent the ball to the wings, there were times when the ball returned to us as an attack. We actually experienced this situation after the opposing defenders dealt with the balls we sent into the middle or long. That's why I tried to play to the sides. The coach also wanted me to play to the sides. Due to our physical characteristics, we couldn't succeed in this regard. We will do whatever our coach wants after the friendly matches for this year's formation."

'RIVALS NEED TO KNOW THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO ESCAPE WHEN THEY COME TO OUR FIELD'

Emphasizing that they need to dominate especially the home matches as the key to the championship, Mert Günok said, "First of all, you need to have a system. But besides that, dominating the match is important in our league. As a big team, we definitely need to dominate the game at home. We need to solve the match early. Because with such fan support and the weight of our jersey at home, we need to dominate the match and give our fight from the very beginning to break the match very early. Of course, this doesn't always happen. But the main goal should be this. It requires effort. We need to find an early goal. One of the things that was missing last year was this. Sometimes when we pulled the opponent into their own half, we couldn't find the goal. We couldn't catch 1-0 or 2-0. As the game progressed in that way, the opposing team gains confidence. This also counts against you. Therefore, on the road to the championship, especially in home matches, it is necessary to dominate the match. The opponent needs to know that they won't be able to escape when they come to our field. Of course, there are tough away games. That's where the system comes into play and individual performances come into play. This was what was missing last year. We couldn't be successful offensively. Playing offensively is the biggest factor on the road to the championship," he stated.

'WE COULDN'T REFLECT THE CONCENTRATION FROM BIG MATCHES TO OTHER MATCHES'

Evaluating the issue of losing matches that seemed easier on paper while winning most of the big matches last season, Mert Günok said, "Actually, this summarizes why we had a bad season last year. The biggest reason for playing well in big matches and having difficulties in other matches is concentration. The heartfelt effort given in big matches is not reflected in other matches. If we could have reflected the effort and concentration we showed in big matches to other matches last year, we wouldn't be discussing these things. Of course, not being able to solve and dominate the matches in other games and not being able to return to our game was also a certain factor. As you give confidence to the opponent, they will start to come at you. You can't always dominate the match, but as I said, finding an early goal and putting in the effort is important," he said.

'I HOPE WE CAN GO FAR ENOUGH TO SEE THE FINAL IN OUR STADIUM'

Continuing his remarks about the European goals of the black-and-white team and their potential opponent Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round, Mert Günok said:

"We had to start the league early and we were matched with a strong team. We will play against Shakhtar Donetsk soon. Arda Turan also did good things at Eyüp last season. He proved himself in the last two years. Now he is a coach representing us in Europe. He will start an adventure at Shakhtar. Of course, he will want to beat us. But this year, as you know, the final will be played in our stadium in Europe. I hope we can go far enough to see the final. But to be realistic, it is important to go step by step. Therefore, we will start with the Shakhtar match, eliminate them in our first match, and then wait for our opponent. Our first goal is to qualify for the group stage. After that, we need to look at what comes next," he said.

'WE NEED TO GO TO THE WORLD CUP TO BE ABLE TO SAY WE ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GENERATION'

Pointing out that the generation serving in the national team is strong and talented in terms of infrastructure, Mert Günok said they want to participate in the World Cup after EURO 2024. The experienced goalkeeper continued his remarks as follows:

"Last year, signals of this were given. A good game was displayed. There is a young team that can adapt to different systems. Our coach Montella also changed the system for the matches. We didn't have a specific system. We can say that we succeeded with constantly changing games. The European Championship went well. I have been going to the national team for many years. I have played with different generations. This generation is strong and talented both individually and in terms of infrastructure. There are also players coming up from below. We can say it is a very valuable generation individually. Of course, what we need to do is to show ourselves in big matches. After the success achieved in the European Championship last year, it is important to participate in the World Cup and show success there as well. If this is achieved, we can say that this generation is truly the best generation. There are very good talents at the age of 18-19, like Arda and Kenan. That's why this generation has a long way to go. But we can say whether it is the best generation by showing ourselves in major tournaments and achieving success," he stated.

'I WON'T LET MY CLUB OR MYSELF BE WRONGED'

Mert Günok responded to the question, 'You have a calm demeanor, but there has been chaos in the league for the last few years. What is your and Beşiktaş's place in this chaos?' as follows:

"As Beşiktaş Club, our stance is clear. After all, we are a club that is synonymous with the word 'Gentleman.' I have been playing in the Super League for a long time in terms of my career."Elbette, metni İngilizceye çevirebilirim. İşte çeviri:



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I didn't always choose to be this way. My character is like this. I want to continue this way in my football life until the end. I want to progress in a more constructive manner by staying away from chaos. But I will do everything I can for the interests of our club. After all, there is always a chaotic environment in Turkey. But I will never let anyone take away the rights of my club or my own rights. If I need to get involved in something, I will. Since our stance as a club is clear, we are progressing on a more constructive path. If I see an injustice, I will not hold back.

'I WANT TO BE A GOALKEEPER UNTIL I TURN 40'

Mert Günok, who stated that he wants to continue until the age of 40, said, "I want to play until I am 40 years old. My goal is to retire exactly at 40. Of course, we never know what life will bring us. I might say 40 and retire at 41. I might say 41 and it could be 42. Ultimately, it depends on how well you take care of yourself and your discipline. I have always been a disciplined player. I have always been a hardworking player. I have remained a player who stays away from chaos and focuses on his own work individually. I have the desire to play until I am 40," he said.