In the late nineties and early zero years in the football world, of course, French football players dominated. Victories at the 1998 World Cup, the 2002 European Championship and two Confederations Cups (2001 and 2003) did not give anyone reason to doubt the strength and power of the French team. There were not so many teams that could give the battle to the French. These are Brazil, Germany, England and ... Turkey. Yes, yes, this is not a mistake. If the first three teams were unlikely to surprise the reader with being on this list, the Turkish team, it seems, was an unexpected guest among such recognized giants of world football. Meanwhile, it was the Turkish team that became the main opening at the World Cup in 2002, reaching the bronze medals (we will not take into account the Korean team, this is a topic for a separate article). Among the creators of the sensation in Japan and South Korea was none other than Hakan Shukyur, whose biography contains many points that reflect the whole atmosphere of European football of that turbulent time.
The beginning of the way
The story about the identity of Hakan should start with an interesting story about the football player’s birthday. The fact is that in his passport a Turkish citizen in the field with the date of birth is September 1, 1971. But the football player himself in an interview admitted that he celebrates his real birthday on July 29. He explains this inconsistency by the fact that at first the parents did not have the right to submit documents on registering the child. Hakan’s mother Nermin moved to Adapazarı (the town where the footballer was born) from Macedonia, and Sermet’s father - from Kosovo, as a result of which the family had certain problems. As a child, Hakan Shukur did not immediately begin to engage in his future professional craft: at first the boy played for his school's basketball team. However, at the age of 10, Sermet gave him to the youth team of the local club “Sakaryaspor”, where Hakan began his professional career. After playing for a couple of years at a decent level, he moved to Bursaspor, where he was spotted by scouts of Galatasaray, a legend which the player later became. With breaks at Torino, Inter, Parma and Blackburn, Hakan Shukur spent more than 10 seasons for Galatasaray, with whom he won everything except the Champions League and became the top scorer in club history (over 280 goals).
Trying to play in Europe
European teams, of course, could not ignore the outstanding game that Hakan Shukur demonstrated. The Turkish football striker interested a couple of clubs from the English Premier League and Serie A, but the choice of the scorer fell on Inter Milan, where he moved in 2002. By the way, before that, Hakan tried himself in Italian football (back in 1995 as part of Torino), but 5 matches and one goal can hardly be called a full-fledged game. Although the football player was not able to open at Inter: 5 goals in 24 matches - this is clearly not the level that the club’s management was counting on, acquiring the Turkish striker. Then followed by Parma and Blackburn Rovers and 5 goals in 2 seasons. Realizing that Europe was not his, Hakan Shukur moved back to Galatasaray, where he spent another 5 seasons and accumulated 55 goals. For all fans of the turn of the XX-XXI century, the words "Hakan Shukyur", "Galatasaray" are synonyms.
Shukur and the Turkish national team
As a player in the Turkish national team, Hakan Shukur set more than one record. Firstly, he still counts the fastest goal of the world championships. Hakan spent 9.8 seconds on a goal against the mistress of that mundial, the South Korean national team, in the match for third place. At the same time, the football player himself notes that then he was not in the most optimal form. In addition, until recently, he was the top scorer of the European Championships with 22 goals. Now this record is broken by Cristiano Ronaldo, who hit the opponent’s goal one more time. Although Hakan could not win medals at the European level, such an achievement occupies a very honorable place in the collection of the Turkish striker.
Hakan Shukur at the 2002 World Cup
You can’t help but talk about the game of Hakan and the Turkish national team at that historic world championship held in 2002 in Japan and South Korea. The Turkish super forward did not approach the mundial in the best shape, as you can see above, the footballer himself noted. The thing is that in 2000, Hakan Shukur went from his native Galatasaray on a tour of Europe, where in the end he could not play. Inter Milan invited the Turk as a full replacement for the injured Ronaldo, who, unlike Hakan, was forced to make his way through serious competition to the Brazil national team for the 2002 World Cup. But despite the decline in his career, despite the fact that he did not play all the matches completely, the Turkish scorer was able to write his name in the history of not only this, but of all the world championships combined. Having scored in the match for the “bronze" owners, South Korea, in just under 10 seconds. Although he could not get into the symbolic team, but he clearly helped his team to become one of the best in the world.
The most popular person in Turkey
Hakan Shukur is a football player whose popularity is more difficult to find in Turkey. The world's top scorer, according to the 1997 FIFA, the best striker of the world, according to the 1997 FIFA, the top scorer of the Turkish championships, the top scorer in the history of the Turkish national team ... This list goes on, it seems, to infinity. If you try to find a person in Turkey who would be more popular than Hakan Shukur, the photo below will convince you to stop searching. Perhaps, even Erdogan is unlikely to be able to compete with him.
Shukur - politician
Speaking of Erdogan. After completing his career, the football player, like many of his contemporaries, went into politics. In 2011, he received a parliamentary mandate from the Turkish Justice and Development Party. Although in politics, Hakan was all mixed. Being a member of the party of the current president of the country (for those who are not aware of modern politics - Recep Tayyip Erdogan), the newly-made politician did not agree with the actions of his "boss" and eventually left the party and went to live in California. But even here the tensions between the two most popular people of Turkey did not end. In his Twitter account, Hakan Shukyur posted several posts containing insults to his opponent, as a result of which the Istanbul court threatens to sentence the legendary Turkish striker to 4 years in prison. How this story ends, one can only guess.
Legend
An excellent choice of position, excellent heading, a phenomenal reaction, strong body play - all this distinguished Hakan, who received the nickname “Bosphorus Bull” in world football (for reference, the Bosphorus - the strait between the peninsula of Asia Minor and the European part of Turkey, where Istanbul is located) from other football players of his time. It can hardly be said that the Turks were worse than the same Rivaldo, Zidane and Ronaldo, but FIFA still did not reach the Golden Ball. And what is the most offensive, was not even nominated in the top three. However, for the entire Turkish people, he was and will remain a legend, to the level of which only the elect can reach.