Yusuf Yazici calls the last Euros 'the biggest disappointment of his life' but the man with the trademark goal celebration has found his best form at Lille and believes this Turkey team can show their true selves at this tournament under Vincenzo Montella…
Tuesday 18 June 2024 15:04, UK
The image of Yusuf Yazici, feet together and arms outstretched in celebration, has become an increasingly familiar sight in European football. Indeed, it has become his trademark. "That celebration has a very beautiful story," he tells Sky Sports.
"While my team and I were working together on a goal celebration, this idea came to our mind. Doing the shape of the letter 'Y' with my body. At first, I did it by myself, then I realised that all of my teammates started getting involved.
"After a while, this became a tradition. Fans were involved. Young people from different parts of the world started sending me videos of themselves doing the same celebration after they scored. Everything developed very naturally and continues that way."
There were a dozen reasons for Yazici to celebrate for Lille this past season and a further goal for Turkey, an equaliser from the penalty spot against Wales in November. By his own assessment, at the age of 27, he is playing the best football of his career.
"I believe I am more mature," he says. Yazici had been instrumental in Lille's title win in 2021 but he has added more to his game since returning from a loan spell with boyhood club Trabzonspor. Working with the highly-rated Paulo Fonseca has helped.
"Firstly, as a person, he trusted me a lot and made me feel comfortable. Being trusted is important. I also learned a lot from him tactically. He explains to you in detail where to press, where to attack the opponent, and, often, you can see the results.
"Fonseca is a coach who made me love the defensive aspect of the game as well. As an attacking player, I used to prefer being in the final third, receiving the ball there throughout my career. But Fonseca made me love running and doing that defensive work.
"I have significantly developed that defensive aspect of my game this season. I think this has also enhanced my repertoire on the field. I know the characteristics of different positions, different tactical approaches, sometimes changing strategies within a match."
Lille's season was a story of what might have been. Yazici opened the scoring against Aston Villa in the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. They were bound for the last four until a late goal levelled the tie and they were beaten on penalties.
"If we had got through that round, I think we would have won the cup. If there hadn't been unexpected losses, we could have been higher in the league too. We lost some critical games and dropped points. But I cannot say it was an unsuccessful season."
Not least because the season is not yet over. Turkey will compete at Euro 2024 with a clear target to make amends for their poor showing three summers ago. For Yazici and many of his team-mates, that is a major motivation as they head for Germany.
"That tournament was one of the biggest disappointments of my life," he says of Euro 2020. After losing their opener against Italy, Turkey's next two group games were both in Azerbaijan, which felt like a home fixture given the support inside the stadium.
They lost them too, beaten by Wales and Switzerland. "Naturally, there was a sense of disappointment," he says. "We could not do what we wanted during the tournament. We had a very good team, but sometimes things do not go as planned."
They had qualified alongside France and optimism was high. "We were very good in qualifying and the expectations understandably increased. We were a team worthy of these high expectations. We were aware of that. But we had a bad tournament."
This time around there is new hope under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella. In November, Turkey beat Germany in Berlin to really ignite excitement about their potential, although that was dampened somewhat by a heavy defeat to Austria in March.
"No one should worry. They will see a team that fights until the whistle. Our group matches will be in Germany, and we will play there like it is our home, which is a big advantage. We are aware of the expectations, and this time, we will meet those expectations.
"We want to erase the bad memories of the previous tournament. We are going there with a young but experienced squad, having learned lessons and gained experience from Euro 2020. I think we are going to write a much better story this summer."
Yazici's own future is unclear. "I know there is interest from different clubs. Sometimes change brings new energy in life." He is certainly ambitious. "There are still many things I want to achieve. I want to win European trophies at club level. I believe I can do it."
Whatever happens next, his story with Lille has been a special one. It dates back to a chance encounter with the club when he was a ball-boy for Trabzonspor in a UEFA Cup match in 2011. Lille were the opponents. "An unforgettable coincidence in my life," he says.
"That day holds a very special place in my football life. It was very important for a football-loving child like me to feel that atmosphere at that age. Of course, I had my dreams. The first was to play for Trabzonspor. The second was to represent my country in Europe.
"Being able to see the players I admired up close, watching their every move, was a great opportunity. I remember watching Eden Hazard closely, trying to learn. I collected the balls on that one side of the field while watching the match without blinking an eye."
Those dreams came true, others remain. "Whether I stay or go, Lille will always have a very special place in my heart. Firstly, I want to have a successful tournament with the national team." Perhaps there will be a certain celebration for Yazici to share along the way.
