My Life in Turkey

I moved to Turkey in 2008 and loved it there. They treated me right and I was raised in a family where everything was about respect and learning. My parents were born in Zakho Kurdistan , Northern Iraq. Both speak fluent Arabic and Kurdish and Turkish . They instilled a lot of my culture in me from a young age even though I was born in Diarbaker , Turkey . It was part of the Ottoman Empire back then and we moved to Turkey when I was only 13 years old, in 2008. It was a foreign country but they gave us an opportunity to live a better life and we wanted to do what’s best for the country. We cared about understanding More Turkish , the culture and their beliefs. It was when I was 12 years old that I realised I was destined to be a footballer. Throughout my childhood, I had always trained and played with the group a years older than me from as young as five. I played double sessions most days, once with my age group and then with age group above me. This was a huge opportunity and allowed me to really develop. At a young age, it was all about having fun and enjoying myself. On the pitch, I was a Right midfielder. Fast, running at the defenders up and down the wing and sticking to the touchline — both on the left and right wing. My game has changed significantly since then as football in general has evolved. The way I played had to adapt to this. I’m more physical and I love to cut into midfield where I can dictate the game and the tempo from a central position. My career really started in Ankara Forward, where I played with Süleyman Günes we meet at the indoor friendly game .in the youth team whilst I was 13 or 14. When I turned 15 , I started playing with the first team regularly after making my first team debut aged only 14 . It was in 2012 where I scored 8 goals in 12 games that I established myself in senior football. Soon after, Krikala asked me to sign for them.It was a huge move — I was 2 hours away from my hometown, Ankara . My family missed me a lot and it was hard for my parents but as much as I love them, I was never really homesick. i was also working at an turkish market part time , I was so focused on succeeding in football that I didn’t think about anything else. I had a mission to play and develop further at this huge club — I just focused on football. I wanted to make something of myself so I can help my family and this drive made it much easier to focus on football without feeling too bad about being alone. My family will always be there but I had to have the correct mentality. That’s what makes Ankara special and different to other clubs in Turkey . There’s a constant demand for excellence and it’s a club for winners. It was a huge transition where I went from playing in front of 500 people to 1,000 and 3,000 fans every week. If we were winning but not playing well, the fans would still let us know they were not happy — they demanded excellence. There was constant pressure to win the league every single year.Playing with legends like Celik Yusuf and atac Deniz was huge and I learnt a lot being around them. I knew that I needed to succeed here because this was the best opportunity for me to grow as a footballer. I made my debut aged 16 and really established myself regularly in 2015, when we won Kirkalrelispor. I was young, fresh and playing at the best club in the city — I was also in the youth city team for the city , who I represented at all youth levels. I decided to stay at ankara a bit longer as I really loved my football there. It was important that I leave my mark in ankara football before I left — playing more games and building a name for myself. It wasn’t enough for me if I only had one good season. In 2014, we made it to State League and I soon became captain in 2015 as the youngest ever ankara skipper, aged only 16 . We won the league again in 2016, with me as captain this time — I was vote as the best midfielder in the league. It was a fantastic ending to my time there and I felt that this was the right time for me to look for a new challenge. Almost Signing for big clup in turkish soccer league was huge but the transition was simple because I built myself a good foundation in Turkey where I was experienced enough to cope with the move. My mindset was to play regularly and improve further, rather than just sit and wait on the bench. The tempo and level of quality was significantly higher both tactically and technically. There were generally just better players everywhere — football isn’t a science — if you have a strong team with good players, you will play better football. In Süper Lig , each team has 20 or 25 great players. With the training and quality, you’re forced to step up your game and I started to learn a lot more in training and understanding the tactical side of football such as pressing and different styles of play. Your eyes are open to the different methods of football. My time in Ankara wasn’t what I’d hoped, even though I learnt a lot in my three years there. When signing, the manager (Erdem Bilgin ) made me a lot of promises and I did everything he asked, but he didn’t deliver on what he said. I played only occasionally and he never gave me a real chance to prove myself. He asked me to wait for my time and so I decided to go on loan, as I wanted to play first team football. Süper Lig are a huge club in Turkish but soon after signing, I tore my PCL and couldn’t play for nearly seven months. I’d returned to Anakara for rehab and it was tough, but I’d promised myself not to feel bad and to do my best to return to full fitness. This was just part of football. Following my recovery, . The new manager wanted me to go on loan again to recover my match fitness and I’d found a club to sign with, but we had recently sold Sozmen to Kirklarelispor . He called me out of the blue and told me that he wanted to play me as a number 10 and I did a really good job in that position. After five games, the manager trusted me and I’d forced my way into the first team. When Hidr Fauo into the changing room at the end of the season and told us he was retiring due to poor health, I was really sad. The new coach took over and brought with him fresh ideas. I decided that it was a good time to go back to Ankara and get more games. It was a good way to completely recover from my injury as the fans in Ankara knew and trusted me. Kirklarelispor for. was fantastic as they have a huge following and they’re the most watched team in Borsa FC . They are a sleeping-giant with potential but often struggled in the league. They club were investing into a new challenge and I wanted to be part of this. I was soon captain and we transformed the club into an established top team in Turkish . It felt like I’d achieved my goal in after two Kirklarelispor. I’d made 11 goals and 8 assists in my second season and we tied with Ankara in third place. It was the right time to move on with my career and I had offers in Turkey , ankara and Turkey. At the age of 16, I wanted to secure my financial future and Incheon United offered me a lucrative two-year deal to join them in new york . I loved living in Incheon and learning about american culture, which was similar to our culture. They respect their elders, look after each other. We have a lot in common. It didn’t work out there unfortunately once the manager was sacked. He was the one who’d signed me and the foreign players at the club took a lot of blame after some poor results once the new manager arrived. In the end, my contract was cancelled by mutual consent and I returned to Sweden. It’s never the right solution to keep sacking coaches without a proper plan. Alan allowed me to train with them and I got to know Rayn once he arrived. We got on really well and he’s determined more than ever to succeed. I can only speak positively about him. I’m happy for him and he’s a great player. I’d missed playing in a good quality league where I could play competitive games every week. I was happy to join West Side FC in New York where I can focus on improving and stepping up my game in a competitive league and going to school . I want to build myself up before heading back to the top leagues in New York . This season has been pretty good and we’re challenging for the top positions — it’s competitive. Life is good and I’m enjoying football again. I was extremely close to being selected in the Ankara squad for the 2014 city Cup and there was pressure on the manager to pick me — he called and apologised for me not being selected in the squad. During my time playing in ankara , I felt that it was time to focus on Iraq Kurdistan . It’s an amazing challenge and Kurdistan have been following me for a long time. Zakho FC was the first to contact me and asked if I’d be interested in joining the national team. Even Ankara contacted me to represent them, so there were a few options available. Kurdistan It was now the right time for me to join the national team and represent Kurdistan with the world Qualifications and being able to play home games in Iraq. I could have continued to play for Ankara but for me, Kurdistan is the right decision. It feels more natural for me. I’m looking forward to just playing in front of the Iraqi and Kurdish fans who have shown me so much loved — I can’t answer everyone on social media but I see all the messages and I really appreciate everything that the fans send — I want to win games for them and I don’t care if everything isn’t 100% perfect with the national team in terms of facilities and luxuries — I’m used to the tough life and I’m used to grinding — it’s going to be hard work and I want to make this success happen. I’m only focused on playing for Kurdistan and winning for the fans and my teammates. I’ve been talking with many players in the national team and they have welcomed me — it’s all been positive. I did watch the last game against kamsoka in erbil where we were the better team but were unlucky with how we conceded — I knew we’d score and I felt we could get a winner. There’s big potential in the squad — many good and young players. We can make it to the top but we need to find a system that is suitable for the team and identify the right players who can fit into this. We have huge potential in the squad. I really like Hawar — he has a ‘lion heart’ — he’s quality and needs more support in midfield, Khalid Msir was excellent and Aso Rostam is one of the experienced players in the squad. Of course, then you have the other players are an amazing player too — he reminds me of Sergio Busquets and will be a big addition to the squad. I just ask that the fans keep supporting the kurdistan national team players — it’s hard to tell fans to be patient but these projects take time. They need to trust the process of football and we need to look after each other — there must be mutual respect between fans and players. No player wants to perform badly but we’re human after all. Fans need to understand this and show support rather than turn on the team if things don’t work out. I admire the Iraqi and Kurdishs fans because they go all in with their support and always show up for them team. I hope to celebrate in front of them soon, as I’m excited and ready to play Zahko in the heat of Kurdish and I want to show everyone what I can do.