Galatasaray footballer Dries Mertens spoke to Sabah during their training camp in Austria.
“The most valuable was Barish Alper.”
“You were the assist king last season and are considered the most valuable player. What is the secret to this performance at 37 years old?”
“In my opinion, the most valuable player was Barış Alper Yılmaz because I think he took a big step. I hope he takes another step. For me and for Galatasaray, I hope he stays in the team. I think he does.” At 23-24 years old, he should stay for another season to give his best. He took another step in the team and found his position. He played as a left winger, left back and right winger. I like talking to young players and supporting them. As for me… I had a good season, we did good things, when you reach a certain age you become happy. Win.
Comment from Okan Buruk
Okan Hodja is now a legend, having won two championships in two years at Galatasaray. Same with Fatih Terim. He was at Fiorentina first and then Milan. Maybe Okan Hodja can leave after spending some more time at Galatasaray. He can go wherever he wants to go. I think he is very happy now and I think the club is happy with him.
CIRO IMOBILE Lyrics
Answering a question about Ciro Immobile’s move to Besiktas, Mertens said: “Besiktas made an effort for him to come. He felt this love and decided to come. This was the case for me and I think it was the same for Icardi. Sometimes the club loves you. “You feel what you want and it’s the best decision for you,” he said.
“It was lucky for Turkiye.”
Evaluating Turkey’s performance at EURO 2024, the star player commented: “Right after the Netherlands scored the first goal, a cross came and we scored the second goal. This moment was unlucky for Turkiye. Perhaps without this goal, Turkiye would have continued in the tournament. The Turkish national team players played with passion. Montella also put up his own identity. It was very fun to watch. Like the people of Naples, you can meet Turks everywhere. They love to work, they seek adventure, they are passionately loyal to their team… I met Montella before EURO 2024. We talked a lot about football. He is a very good person. I also spoke to the Turkish national team players, they love Montella very much.
“The difference between Galatasaray and Napoli…”
What does Galatasaray have that Napoli doesn’t?
We have a very nice stadium. The atmosphere at Galatasaray is great. I invite all my friends who come to visit me to stay and watch our games. No matter which team we play, the stadium is always full. I think everything else is the same. In both cities, people live with football and love football. Everyone considers themselves a coach and talks about the good things that can happen to the team.
Batshuayi’s comments on the event: I couldn’t
Have you spoken to your friend, the Belgian international Batshuayi, during the transfer process? What do you make of his move from Fenerbahçe to Galatasaray?
No, we haven’t spoken, I just saw the news. Then I sent him a message. “Are you coming?” I asked. I’m very happy to come. He did a good job last season, scored a lot of goals. He felt that Galatasaray needed him and he took the chance. It’s his decision to come to Galatasaray, but maybe I can’t make the decision. Batshuayi is a very good person and he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He likes to play football. He’s a player who is always hungry to score goals. That’s why he can score so many goals.
