Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü (Besiktas JK) is a professional football club that competes in the Turkish Super League; with a fine reputation of having never been relegated from the top division. But besides that, Besiktas also has a reputation for having an excellent football academy and their U-17 team just won the national league title. So it was only fitting that a club with such exquisite youth development background participate in one of Asia’s best youth football tournaments, the Frenz International Cup.
A key part of this Besiktas squad is none other than Devrim Taşkaya, and FourthOfficial.com caught up with him for an exclusive chat on everything related to football!
How do you find Malaysia so far?
I really love the country, I love everything here but the only difficult thing is the food, it’s too spicy!
How do you look at the Frenz international cup this year compared to the previous years?
The organization is very good. The teams participating here, are good as well. At first we were quite afraid as we were not well prepared due to the change in environment. But in our first game, we managed to control the match well. Also, this was my first experience of being escorted to the match by police!
You mentioned that you were afraid of the change in environment, how did you adapt to It?
In our first match, it was too hot and humid, but we slowly developed and adapted to it. What was most important is that we really tried our best and succeeded.
How did you progress into a player for Besiktas Youth Team?
I started in school. The school was obviously selecting good players and after that, I moved to a local club in Instabul. I was their main player and made it to the first team. From there, I got scouted and they brought me to Besiktas FC and I’m so honoured to be here.
Your best experience in football thus far?
My best experience? When I won the “best player” in a tournament in Germany!
Your thoughts on Nihat Kahveci?
When he came to the club, he was my age but he got promoted to the A team really fast without having to spend a lot of time in the youth team like most of us do. He is such an inspiration and he undoubtedly made the country very proud.
Where do you see yourself in the near future?
I want to be in the A team of Besiktas. That is certainly the dream. And it’ll be amazing if I get to play for bigger teams across Europe. But right now, I just want to improve and be more hardworking. I have to improve my confidence on the field and to do that I have to work hard and have a big heart.
Frenz International Cup is one of the major tournaments organized by Frenz United FC and primarily promotes the continued development of young athletes as it relates to the fundamentals of football, sportsmanship, and athletic competition.
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