🇹🇷🇦🇿🇩🇪 Uğur Pamuk 🗣️ “I am Turkish. If anyone wants proof of my roots, I can provide it. My grandfather came from Ganja in Azerbaijan and moved to Iğdır in Türkiye, where my father was born. My family later moved from Türkiye to Germany, where I was born.”

🇹🇷🇩🇪🇦🇿 Tuğrul Erat 🗣️ “I was born in Nettetal, Germany and I am Turkish through and through. As a child, I mainly followed the Turkish Süper Lig. Of course, I also watched the Bundesliga, but my focus was always on Turkish football.” 🇹🇷🇦🇿 Tuğrul Erat on representing Azerbaijan 🗣️ “I don’t really see a big difference between Azerbaijan and Türkiye. On paper, they are two different countries, but they are one people. The two countries are like brother nations. The people understand and speak Turkish. In 2013, I received an invitation to Azerbaijan’s U21 national team. I thought about the decision for a few days because, deep down, I had been hoping for an invitation to the Turkish national team. But the opportunity to play international football was very tempting and everything happened very quickly with Azerbaijan.” 🇹🇷 Tuğrul Erat on his international opportunities 🗣️ “I didn’t have a chance to establish myself as a national-team player for Türkiye. I chose Azerbaijan because it gave me the opportunity to gain international experience.”

🇹🇷🇦🇿🇩🇪 Cihan Özkara 🗣️ “I don’t have three nationalities. I only have: Turkish (Türkiye and Azerbaijan). I was actually a candidate for the youth national teams of both Germany and Türkiye. However, my club at the time, Rot Weiss Ahlen, refused to release me. We were fighting against relegation from Germany’s second division and the club didn’t want to let me go. Choosing Azerbaijan wasn’t an easy decision. My family and I made that decision together. Azerbaijan’s head coach Berti Vogts introduced me to the Azerbaijani Football Federation. Then Azerbaijan U21 head coach Bernhard Lippert called me ahead of the European Championship qualifiers. After that, I decided to represent Azerbaijan.”

Tedesco’yu yolladılar, mumla arıyorlar…

🇹🇷🇦🇿 Mert Çelik 🗣️ “I played for Türkiye’s U19 and U20 national teams. Then I received an invitation from Azerbaijan’s U21 national team. I thought choosing Azerbaijan would be the better decision for my career. I represent Azerbaijan as a Turkish player. When I came to Azerbaijan, there were Turkish and Azerbaijani flags hanging in windows everywhere. Seeing that made me genuinely happy. I already knew how close Türkiye and Azerbaijan were, but experiencing it myself made me incredibly proud. Living in Baku feels just like living in Istanbul.” 🇹🇷 Mert Çelik on Türkiye playing at Euro 2020 in Baku 🗣️ “I’m very excited because I was fortunate enough to represent Türkiye at youth level. Now the senior national team has come to Baku. I hope we win today. Baku is home to the Turkish National Team. We are one nation, two states. The entire stadium will be supporting Türkiye. I believe Türkiye can win their matches in Baku and qualify from the group.”

🇹🇷🇫🇮 Kaan Kairinen 🗣️ “Yes, I have Turkish roots. My father passed away when I was five years old. At one point, there were discussions about me representing Türkiye. I’m proud of my Turkish ancestry.”

🇹🇷🇸🇪 Erkan Zengin 🗣️ “There aren’t many things I regret. But perhaps I could have served the Turkish National Team instead of Sweden. That’s the one thing. That’s all. I played for Türkiye at U15, U16 and U17 level. But I also had school and with so many matches and all the travelling, the national team camps became exhausting. So after discussing it with my family, I decided to represent Sweden at U21 level. When it came to the senior national team, Sweden invited me several times, but I didn’t accept. At that point, I hadn’t received an offer from Türkiye. Only after I had chosen Sweden did Türkiye’s senior national team contact me. But by then, it was too late.” 🇹🇷 Abdullah Avcı, Türkiye’s former national team manager 🗣️ “I personally spoke to Erkan. He was very happy and told me he would gladly play for Türkiye. We arranged his Turkish passport and submitted the necessary documents to FIFA. But shortly afterwards, he informed us that his father wanted him to represent Sweden instead. We respected his decision and withdrew the documents. Otherwise, his move to the Swedish national team would have become complicated.”

Eren Derdiyok 🗣️ “I would’ve wanted to play for Türkiye.”

Eray Cömert 🗣️ “I played at the World Cup, as a Turk.”

Ianis Hagi 🗣️ “Türkiye never made an offer.”

Salı 🗣️ “We are Turks.”

Malik Fathi “Türkiye was always my dream”

🇹🇷🇸🇪 Erkan Zengin 🗣️ “I am Turkish. I come from a Turkish family, but I chose to represent Sweden. My grandfather was among the first Turks to immigrate to Sweden. I was born in Kulu, Konya, and my family returned to Sweden when I was just one week old. I played for Türkiye’s youth national teams. I received 12 call-ups and played eight matches. When I was younger, travelling alone to Türkiye for national team camps was difficult. I was afraid of flying, and spending two weeks away from my family was hard. Later, when Sweden’s U21 national team invited me, I accepted. But if Türkiye and Sweden both offered me the chance to play for their senior national teams, I would of course choose Türkiye. I’ve said that before.” 🇸🇪 Erkan Zengin criticising Sweden’s national team scouting while playing for Eskişehirspor 🗣️ “The Swedish national team doesn’t follow the Turkish league. Apparently, you need to score 40 goals and provide 40 assists to get called up! Seriously, it’s crazy. What am I supposed to do to get into the national team? Nobody has come to watch me. I’m disappointed about that. Is it because I play in Türkiye? If only they knew how good this league is. I’m 100% certain I could start for Sweden in my position.” 🇹🇷 Erkan Zengin on why he eventually chose Sweden 🗣️ “Sweden followed me for three years. They kept inviting me to the national team, but I didn’t go. They even travelled to Eskişehir to watch my matches. I was called up when I was 20, but I turned down that invitation too. I kept waiting for an invitation from the Turkish National Team, but it never came… Then I played that important match against Galatasaray, and suddenly Abdullah Avcı invited me. Honestly, that invitation upset me. I had been performing at a very high level in the Turkish league for three years, yet Türkiye hadn’t called me. Did I really have to play well against Galatasaray to deserve a national team call-up? Couldn’t they have invited me earlier? That’s why I wasn’t happy with how that invitation came about. If I had chosen Türkiye, I believe I would have earned my place in the national team and played regularly.” 🇹🇷🇸🇪 Erkan Zengin responding to criticism of his decision 🗣️ “Nobody opened doors for me. I didn’t play at Beşiktaş. I found myself at Eskişehirspor. I’ve been performing well here for three years. I’m already Turkish.” 🇹🇷 Erkan Zengin on potentially facing Türkiye in the Euro 2016 play-offs 🗣️ “I don’t want to face Türkiye. I want Türkiye to qualify for the European Championship too. It’s not just because Türkiye would be difficult opponents. I genuinely want Türkiye to be there.” 🇸🇪 Erkan Zengin criticising Swedish football journalism 🗣️ “I haven’t seen a single journalist in Türkiye criticise a national team player. Not one. They support the players, even when they haven’t performed well. Here in Sweden, it’s the opposite. This is the first country I’ve seen where the media bring players down. I don’t think there should be that kind of criticism when someone is representing Sweden. With clubs, it’s different. But when you play for the national team, you’re working for your country.” 🇹🇷 Erkan Zengin on the Turkish National Team 🗣️ “I was incredibly proud during the matches against France and Albania. The Turkish National Team has become an incredible team. We have young players, experienced players and a completely new energy. Türkiye have shown us what it means to fight with your heart for the national team. It’s something that makes me unbelievably proud. The way Şenol Güneş has brought everyone together is incredible. I don’t think anyone will be able to stop this team if they continue like this. I hope Türkiye achieve great things at Euro 2020.” 🇹🇷 Erkan Zengin on the Turkish National Teams’ military-salute celebration 🗣️ “Of course we’re proud. I would simply do anything for my homeland.”

I was off by 2 goals, but I said Fenerbahçe will lose and Kartal leave 😅.

🇹🇷🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz 🗣️ “Türkiye is very close to my heart. I loved playing football there and I would absolutely love to return. My dream has always been to play for one of the big Turkish clubs. Playing for Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe or Beşiktaş is as big as playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid. Fenerbahçe was my dream, but if one of the other big clubs came for me, I would go there just as quickly. The Turkish league has developed enormously. Transfers like Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba have made the league even bigger.” 🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz on the racism he experienced in Sweden 🗣️ “Ever since I started playing for the Swedish national team, racism and hatred have always been there. Always. From my very first call-up, people were writing to me on Instagram and Twitter, telling me I didn’t deserve to represent their country. I hadn’t even played a match yet! And it never stopped. It didn’t matter whether I played well or badly. Just before the World Cup, I was named Man of the Match against Denmark, and I still received messages saying I shouldn’t be wearing the Swedish national team jersey. 🇹🇷 The same thing happened to Zlatan Ibrahimović and Erkan Zengin. Zlatan has suffered a million times more than I have. Now the whole country has seen what it’s like for someone with an immigrant background to represent Sweden. It’s good that people finally understand what we experience every day. It doesn’t matter how we play. Look at Zlatan. He’s by far the greatest footballer in Swedish history, yet people still sit there and speak negatively about him. Sweden is going through a difficult period. There is an enormous amount of hidden racism and xenophobia that has now come to the surface. This is the first time an election has actually frightened me.” 🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz on discrimination during his youth 🗣️ “When I was 14 or 15, one of my youth coaches went to the club chairman and said: ‘Either you get rid of Jimmy or you get rid of me.’ He said I would never become anything, that I was undisciplined, that I dribbled too much and that I couldn’t be taught because I was an immigrant. He thought I didn’t fit in. Later, I found out that other immigrant players had experienced similar things with him. When I was younger, I didn’t even know what racism was. Looking back, I understand why certain people used to shout at me and my friends when we were simply playing football outside.” 🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz after Sweden’s 2–1 defeat against Germany at the 2018 World Cup 🗣️ “I play football at the highest level, and I know that criticism of my performances is part of the job. I’m always prepared to accept that. But there is a line, and that line was crossed. When people threaten me and call me a ‘foreigner’, an ‘Arab b*st*rd’, a ‘t*rr*rist’ or a ‘T*lib*n’, they’ve gone far beyond that line. And even worse, when they target my family and threaten my children… Who the hell does something like that? It’s completely unacceptable.” 🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz criticising senior officials of Swedish Professional Football Leagues (SEF) after their comments about him and Isaac Kiese Thelin 🗣️ “There are many people in high positions who have done wrong and shouldn’t be in those positions. Fine, criticise me. But what does Isaac have to do with anything? He had absolutely nothing to do with it. Have I received an apology? No. Nothing. Not a single word. It’s been very quiet. And that’s what hurts me the most inside right now.” 🇹🇷🇸🇪 Jimmy Durmaz on AIK blocking a transfer to Türkiye 🗣️ “I had an offer from a Turkish club that was attractive for me and my future career, but unfortunately AIK rejected it. I have a strong name in Türkiye. We’ll see what opportunities come up.”

🇹🇷🇦🇺 Aziz Behich 🗣️ “I do have the Turkish blood in me. I grew up watching the Turkish Süper Lig with my father. I knew everything about that league and when Bursaspor made me an offer, I didn’t have to think twice. Playing in Türkiye was something I had always wanted to experience. I never imagined that a club as big as Bursaspor would be interested in a young player from Melbourne. Bursa is a beautiful city. The people welcomed me and Bursaspor supported me, especially during difficult times. I spent so many years there that I started feeling like I was from Bursa myself. That’s actually why I chose to wear number 16 for the Australian national team. It represents Bursa. Bursaspor and the city will always have a special place in my life. Before I moved to Türkiye, I hadn’t received an offer from the Turkish National Team. Spending so many years in Türkiye also brought me closer to my Turkish roots, my family’s culture and my religion. I’m proud of my Turkish heritage. I spent more than half of my football career in Türkiye. The country means a great deal to me. Playing against Türkiye at the 2026 World Cup was an especially emotional experience because of my background, my family and the friends I still have in the Turkish National Team. I knew it would feel different when the national anthems started and I saw one side in red and the other in yellow. I also want to thank the Turkish supporters. I have Turkish roots, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. Even now, I still receive messages on social media from Turkish fans living abroad. Türkiye will always have a special place in my heart.”

🇹🇷🇨🇭Gökhan İnler 🗣️ “Seeing Turkish players such as Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Zeki Çelik succeed at major European clubs makes me proud. I also want Türkiye’s national team to succeed. If the players give everything for that glorious jersey, Türkiye can achieve great things. This generation deserves to reach the World Cup. Seeing Türkiye compete there again after so many years would make me proud. Türkiye’s football will always have a special place in my heart. Türkiye is my country. Nothing would make me happier than seeing our clubs become stronger, our football improve and our young players receive the opportunities they deserve.”

🇹🇷🇨🇭 Gökhan İnler 🗣️ “Türkiye is my country. My family comes from Türkiye. My father was from Tekirdağ, and my mother’s family is from Samsun. I was born and raised in Switzerland because my father moved there for work, but my father, my uncles, my friends and I all grew up with a love for Türkiye. I wanted to play for Türkiye so badly. When I was a child, I once travelled two and a half hours to Sion just to watch Türkiye’s U21 national team. I was so proud to see them. My dream was to wear that jersey myself one day. I even told the Swiss media that I wanted to represent Türkiye. Then Reha Kapsal called me up for Türkiye’s U21 team. I was incredibly proud. I played the second half against Scotland and thought I had performed well. I expected another opportunity. But they never called me again. There were important qualification matches coming up, and I wasn’t included. When I arrived at the Turkish U21 camp, certain things happened that I don’t want to go into too much detail about. I felt I was treated differently by the players and coaches. I had mixed feelings about the experience. I returned to Zürich, and that was it. Nobody contacted me again. I was deeply disappointed because I wanted to play for my homeland. I had waited for Türkiye. Then Switzerland’s head coach, Köbi Kuhn, personally came to my training session and spoke to me. He told me: ‘I know Türkiye hasn’t called you up. But I want to give you an opportunity. I want you in the senior national team.’ Of course I would have preferred to play for Türkiye. Even today, I would have loved to have represented Türkiye. But back then, I wasn’t given the recognition I hoped for. When people later told me, ‘If only things had been different,’ I thought: You should have done something about it back then. I wanted to wear Türkiye’s senior national team jersey, but it wasn’t meant to be. If I had played for Türkiye, it would have been wonderful. Unfortunately, we can’t change the past. At Euro 2008, I had to play against Türkiye while representing Switzerland. It was incredibly emotional. Even from my hotel room, I could hear the Turkish supporters chanting ‘Türkiye’. It gave me goosebumps. I was so nervous in the tunnel before the match. Years later, I was still sad thinking about it. Perhaps I could have been on the other side, wearing Türkiye’s jersey. My childhood dream was also to play for Beşiktaş. I used to watch their matches with my father at a café near our home in Switzerland. I loved those moments. They gave me goosebumps. Coming to Türkiye and finally playing for Beşiktaş was something very special for me. Whenever I visited Türkiye, one of the first things I did was visit my father’s grave in Tekirdağ. I’ve admired Turkish football supporters since I was a child. Their passion is incredible. Even when Trabzonspor were losing heavily against Napoli, their fans continued supporting the team. These are opportunities to show the world what Türkiye is like and Turkish supporters represent their country wonderfully. I was very proud of the reception I received in Türkiye. Having a Turkish family makes me feel special. Turkish football has enormous potential, but we have to give our young players opportunities. In Switzerland, talented youngsters are supported and developed. In Türkiye, a young player can lose his place after a single defeat. We have millions of people and so many talented children. Why aren’t we developing more footballers who can represent our country in Europe? That’s why I established the İnler Soccer Academy in Türkiye. I want to help talented children who don’t have the necessary opportunities and open doors for them in European football. There are incredibly talented young players in Türkiye. If an opportunity arises at Udinese, I would absolutely like to convince the president to bring a Turkish footballer to the club.”