ISTANBUL
Sporting Lisbon B manager Filipe Celikkaya, who is the son of a Turkish father and a Portuguese mother, told Anadolu that Türkiye can unlock its potential in football with good planning.
“I watch both Super Lig and Lig 1. There are many young players with potential. Turkish football needs to improve to maximize the potential it has,” said Celikkaya. “If Turkish football makes good use of its potential, I think that in 20 years’ time, there may be Turkish teams that will be competing at the top level of Europe.”
The 39-year-old commended Real Madrid’s young Turkish player Arda Guler’s talent.
“Turkish football has product and potential. Because there are young players. There are talents playing soccer on the streets. Many countries do not have this. Arda Guler is an example of this. An 18-year-old Turkish footballer can go to Real Madrid,” he said. “It is all about planning, training and time.”
‘I would like to work in Türkiye’
Stating that he is proud of his Turkish roots, Celikkaya said, “I am proud to have both Turkish and Portuguese roots. My father is from Eskisehir and I often visit Türkiye. My father came to Portugal to work in the electronics industry and my mother was working in a hospital. They met in Portugal.”
“I am completely focused on Sporting Lisbon as a career goal. My life experience tells me that living in the moment and enjoying the moment is the most important thing. My current goal is to succeed at Sporting, but every day is a new experience. We never know the next step,” said the Portuguese coach about his career.
As for coaching in Türkiye, the Sporting B coach replied: “I definitely feel that one day I will work in Türkiye and I would like to. I don’t know when that will happen, but I feel from the bottom of my heart that one day I will work in Türkiye.”
