Vincenzo Montella, appointed to the senior national team after German manager Stefan Kuntz, took over. Turkey, which finished second in the group on goal difference behind Croatia with 10 points, won two of its matches against Croatia and Latvia, securing 6 points to lead the group. Following this, they drew and advanced to the top of the group with 17 points.
With victories against Croatia and Latvia and a draw against Wales, the Turkish national team qualified directly for the group stage of the European Championship for the first time in its history. Turkey also experienced many firsts under the Italian manager. First and foremost, he became the first foreign manager to lead the senior national team to the European Championship.
Other Firsts During the Montella Era
Defeating Croatia away, the Turkish national team inflicted their first home defeat in the European Championship qualifiers. Having drawn all three of their previous away matches against Croatia, the Turkish national team also managed to defeat their formidable opponent away for the first time. The Turkish National Team also defeated Latvia for the first time in Turkey during Montella’s tenure. The Crescent-Star team, which had previously faced Latvia three times in Turkey, drew both matches.
Samet Akaydın and Yusuf Sarı, both Trabzon natives, made their official debuts, while Kenan Yıldız made his national team debut under Vincenzo Montella. Samet played the full 90 minutes in both matches, while Kenan came on in the second half of the Croatia match and Yusuf came on in the Latvia match.
Under Italian manager Montella, the Turkish National Team has scored 6 goals in its last three matches, keeping a clean sheet in both the Croatia and Latvia matches, and conceding only one goal against Wales.
Nine Turkish National Players of Trabzon Origin
The fact that nine players on our Turkish National Football Team, which has achieved historic success thanks to strong coaching, are from Trabzon caught my attention. Let me share with you which players are from Trabzon (names are in alphabetical order): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz1QqzTM7xm/
Abdulkadir Ömür – Çarşıbaşı
Berat Ayberk Özdemir – Maçka (Mother’s side)
Ferdi Kadıoğlu – Yomra
İsmail Yüksek – Tonya
Kaan Ayhan – Maçka (Mother’s side)
Rıdvan Yılmaz – Maçka
Samet Akaydın – Arsin
Uğurcan Çakır – Yomra
Yusuf Yazıcı – Çaykara
Incidentally, Trabzon doesn’t just provide athletes for the national team in football or men’s sports. It also serves the national team with numerous athletes in women’s and other sports. Let me share with you the first few that come to mind from national athletes (see: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategori:Trabzon_do%C4%9Fumlu_sporcular ):
Successful female athletes from Trabzon
Busenaz Sürmeneli (25 June 1998): She is a world and Olympic champion Turkish boxer. A native of Trabzon, she is also an athlete for Trabzonspor Club. She won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, by defeating her Chinese opponent Gu Hong 3-0 in the cruiserweight final. She then defeated Poland’s Karolina Koszewska 5-0 in the round of 16, Ukraine’s Anna Lysenko 5-0 in the quarterfinals, and India’s Lovlina Borgohain 5-0 in the semifinals to advance to the final and win the gold medal. This medal is Turkey’s first gold medal in boxing at the Olympics.
Buse Naz Çakıroğlu (b. 26 May 1996, Trabzon): She became the European champion in 2019. She secured a quota for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She is Turkey’s first female boxer to earn an Olympic quota. She won the silver medal in the flyweight division at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Aybüke Arslan (b. 1 January 1994): A Turkish female footballer. Öztürk, who plays midfield, currently plays for Trabzon İdmanocağı in the First League. She has played for the Turkish U-17 and Turkish U-19 teams.
Mehtap Gültekin (b. 1 April 2000): A Turkish female wrestler. Gültekin, a freestyle wrestler, competes for Trabzon B.Ş.B. and the national team.
Sabriye Şengül (b. 12 November 1988, Şalpazarı, Trabzon): A Turkish kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She began her sports career playing handball. Later, on the advice of her handball coach, she turned to boxing in 2006. She won Turkish championships, an international boxing championship, and a K1 World Mixed Championship.
Yeliz Kurt (born 15 January 1984, Trabzon): Turkish athlete. She runs middle distances. Kurt currently holds the Turkish record for the 1000 meters with a time of 2:39.92. She also holds another national record (along with Özge Gürler, Meliz Redif, and Pınar Saka) with the Turkish 4×400 m relay team’s indoor time of 3:37.37 at the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Factors that make Trabzon stand out in sports
Now, let’s talk about why Trabzon produces so many national athletes. Here are some that come to mind:
1) The people of Trabzon, and the people of the Black Sea region in general, are genetically strong and fast, and have a strong aptitude for sports due to generations of challenging physical activities far above sea level, thanks to the mountainous terrain of the Black Sea. Furthermore, the people of the Black Sea region are more fortunate than those from other regions with their air, water, and natural habitat. Don’t get me wrong, every part of our country is paradise. However, the greenery and nature of the Black Sea region, for example, are on another level; it’s like the Switzerland of Turkey; in fact, some of its highland plateaus are even more dazzling in their natural beauty than Switzerland.
2) Because the people of Trabzon grew up in challenging conditions and earn their living the hard way, they put in extra effort in their activities, especially physical ones. They are ambitious.
3) Trabzon is truly the cradle of sports. For example, football is their lifeblood. They are also very passionate about other sports like basketball. They fill the stadiums, arenas, and venues where sports competitions are held. This intense interest in the city provides extra motivation for the city’s athletes.
4) Trabzon’s sports infrastructure is more organized and better than other cities. This is because parents who want their children to participate in sports are eager to do so. Even if parents aren’t as involved with their children, they play football and other games on the streets with other neighborhood children.
5) Trabzonspor is the only team in Turkey that can compete with Istanbul teams Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş, which have imposed an embargo on championships in men’s football, Turkey’s most popular sport. They have won eight championships. In fact, for this very reason, Trabzonspor, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş, who have won all but two championships, are often referred to as the “Big Four.”
6) The people of Trabzon are very fond of one another, and wherever they are in Turkey and even the world, they always stand in solidarity and support each other. This is why the motto “Everywhere is Trabzon for us” emerged. This culture of solidarity has become an extra motivation for Trabzon’s athletes. This is why their performances in official competitions improve, and they strive to go the extra mile.
For all these reasons, I call Trabzon the capital of sports. Compare the number of athletes and national athletes produced by each city to its total population, and you’ll see what I mean.
My mother is from Trabzon, so I’m certainly proud of Trabzon in this respect. However, my true desire is to further develop Trabzon’s sports infrastructure, maximize its potential, and establish a system like Trabzon’s throughout the country. The goal is to produce many more Olympic, world, and European champions from the country and to ensure the best possible support for the national athlete pool. I hope other cities follow suit.
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