Hakan Sukur: He was once the apple of the eyes of the people of the country. Hakan Sukur, from the Turkish national team Galatasaray—has been loved by fans everywhere for his prodigious ability to score goals. He is known as one of the best strikers in the history of Turkish football. But after retiring from football, his life changed completely by joining politics. The former footballer is now living in exile in America due to conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration. The pig who once made the history of the World Cup, now has to drive Uber for a living.
At the peak of success at Galatasaray
Sukur caught the eye while playing in Turkey's second division for Sakaryaspor and Bursaspor. He was recruited by Galatasaray in 1992. He played an important role in winning the league and cup by scoring 19 goals in 30 matches in the first season itself. In the next two seasons, his goals were 16 and 19 respectively. In 1995, Sukur became the second Turkish footballer to play in Serie A by joining Torino in Italy. However, unable to adapt there, he returned to Galatasaray the following winter. He then scored 38 goals in the 1996–97 season, sharing the record for second most goals in a season with Turkish legend Metin Oktay. He also finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting that year.
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European victories and World Cup history
One of the best chapters of Sukur's success for Galatasaray was the 1999–2000 season. In addition to winning the domestic league and cup for the second time in a row, the Turkish club also won the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray became the first Turkish team to win the European trophy by beating Arsenal in a tiebreaker in the final. Shukur later played for Inter Milan, Parma and Blackburn Rovers. But that success did not come back. In the 2002 World Cup against South Korea, he scored a goal in just 11 seconds to set the record for the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup. Türkiye finished third in that World Cup. Shukur is still the top scorer of the national team with 51 goals in 112 matches for the country. He scored 288 goals in 539 matches for Galatasaray.
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From football to politics, then debate
After retiring from football in 2008, Shukur gradually entered the world of politics. He was elected Member of Parliament in 2011. However, he resigned from his party in just two years. The political situation became complicated after his closeness with the movement of Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gulen came to light. He claimed that he faced problems in working in various professions in the country after his term as a Member of Parliament ended in 2015. Finally decided to move to America.
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Arrest warrant for coup
Sukur's situation became more difficult after the failed military coup in Turkey in 2016. A case was opened against him for allegedly attacking President Erdoğan on social media. He was also accused of being a member of an armed terrorist organization for his links with the Gulen movement. More than 300 people died in that coup. Later, about 120,000 people lost their jobs and 50,000 people were arrested, according to the report. Being in America, Shukur was able to avoid the fear of being arrested back in Turkey. Denying the allegations leveled against him, he said that no one could explain his role in the coup. He is not even willing to call himself a traitor or a terrorist.
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From driving Uber to training youth footballers
The one who once had many international football successes to his name, now his life is very different. Shukur told the New York Times in an interview in 2018 that he first ran a cafe in California in America. But he gave up that work as the traffic of strangers increased there. Later he told about earning a living by driving Uber and selling books. In an interview with The Athletic in 2024, he trained youth footballers in California and kept in touch with people in Turkey through YouTube. Although he wants to reunite with the people of his country, he does not want to return until the rule of law is established. Once the pride of Turkey on the football field, this dramatic change in life is truly surprising.