PALO ALTO − Since his retirement from the game, Galatasaray and Turkey legend Hakan Sukur, who is well known for his achievements on the football pitch, has been making a living in the United States as an Uber driver since he was exiled, according to a report by givemesport.com.
The former striker for Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers, who hung up his boots and moved into politics, was forced to flee to the US after a falling out with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Things started to go wrong for Sukur, who joined Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011 only to quit two years later to run as an independent, after being accused of participating in a failed coup.
In an interview with German publication Welt am Sonntag in 2020, Sukur explained how he lost everything as a result of his disagreement with Erdogan and fled to the US.
“I have nothing left, Erdogan took everything: my right to liberty, freedom of expression and right to work,” Sukur said per the Daily Mail.
“Nobody seems to be able to explain to me what my role in this coup was supposed to be. I never did anything illegal − I am not a traitor or a terrorist.
“I might be an enemy [of] this government but not the state or the Turkish nation − I love my country.
“After the split with Erdogan, I started to receive threats. My wife’s shop was attacked, my children were harassed, my father put in prison and all my assets confiscated.
“So, I moved to the United States, initially running a cafe in California but strange people kept coming into the bar. Now, I drive for Uber and I sell books.”
According to an update by The Sun in December 2021, Sukur still works as an Uber driver.
Sukur is still fondly remembered by Turkish football fans after scoring 51 goals in 112 appearances for his country.
He guided Turkey to a third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup in both the Japan and South Korea tournaments.
Sukur also scored the fastest ever goal in a World Cup final at the tournament − netting after just 11 seconds in the third-place play-off win against South Korea. – Agencies, January 25, 2022
