Ferdi Kadıoğlu spoke to the Dutch press: “I never gave up.”

Ferdi Kadıoğlu, who plays for Fenerbahçe, continues to attract attention with his performances. The national footballer, who has caught the interest of major teams with his performance, made statements to Voetbal International in the Netherlands. Here are the words of the young player:

“A special experience”

“Not only in Turkey but also when we play with Fenerbahçe abroad, you feel the great support. In the Turkish National Team, this support is even more intense. We recently played a friendly match against Germany in Berlin. Of the 75,000 people in the stadium, 60,000 were Turkish. It was not normal; it felt like we were playing at home, so many of our compatriots were supporting us. A special experience.”

Transfer remarks

“It’s nice that the transfer news about me is so positive, but I am primarily focused on Fenerbahçe and this season, not on the transfer. We want to be champions in the league, win the cup, and perform well in Europe; that’s what matters. After that, the European Championship is coming. These are concrete things I work on every day; we’ll see about the future.”

“My choice was for football”

“Sports have been in me since childhood. My mother is still active in the dance world; she used to be a professional ballet dancer. She performed at the highest level with a lot of competition in a challenging world. I got the discipline to live for sports from her and the love of football from my father. When I was a child, I also had great talent for tennis, and I played it at a high level. I participated in tournaments all over the country. I was a little kid going to the sports center with one of those big tennis bags on my shoulder. Eventually, I had to choose between football and tennis because a combination was no longer possible, and my choice was for football.”

Transfer process to Fenerbahçe

“When Fenerbahçe made the transfer offer, I realized immediately: ‘This is a unique opportunity; I should take advantage of it.’ Phillip Cocu was the head coach at Fenerbahçe at that time, and naturally, it was very appealing to me. Unfortunately, this situation didn’t last long because a few months later, the club said goodbye to him. Of course, it was a significant step. I was still in my adolescence, and suddenly you find yourself in one of Turkey’s biggest clubs, in a metropolis like Istanbul. In my first season, I played only one game, and it was in the cup. Just one match. That says enough about my introduction to football.

“I never gave up”

“I just needed time. But at the same time, I knew very well that I could only change the course myself. I had to start investing in myself; I had to be much stronger. My technical and tactical foundation was good; I saw that on the training field every day, but I still had a child’s body. I needed to get stronger, and I started working for it. I did a lot of training in the gym, and I felt myself getting stronger. I was convinced that my time would come, and then I returned to the mindset I got from my family. If you want to achieve something, you have to live for it and not give up. I did that, and in the end, I managed to seize the opportunity at Fenerbahçe.”

Words of Vitor Pereira

“We had a Portuguese head coach, Vitor Pereira, who started playing with three defenders and two wing-backs. He tried me in the wing-back position, and things actually went quite well all of a sudden. Of course, I had to change a button in my mind and get used to it, but I felt that I was getting better. In this role, you need to be defensive but can also move forward to attack when you have the ball. I liked this combination right away.”

“A big change”

“After Pereira, the subsequent coaches saw that I could be important for the team as a wing-back in the 4-3-3 system. It was indeed a big change because a few years ago, I didn’t think this was possible, but it just shows how things can get weird in football. Also, seeing if I could be useful in attack right after getting the ball excites me a lot.”

Words of Dusan Tadic

“Dusan Tadic plays in front of me as a left-wing player. Playing football this season is great; we’ve achieved good harmony together. We often speak Dutch to each other, especially on the field, you need to be able to understand each other quickly, so it’s nice to communicate this way. Dusan is an incredible player, very strong and good, a real leader, and good at holding the ball in terms of football, which means we can often connect to be dangerous together.”

Decision about Turkiye

“At one point, I could choose between three countries: Turkiye, Canada, and, of course, the Netherlands. As a young person, I played in five different youth national teams of the Netherlands before playing as a forward in the Dutch Under-21 National Team under Erwin van de Looi. I thought a lot about which national team to choose and talked to people around me about this issue. Both countries are very valuable to me. I supported both Turkiyeand the Netherlands in final tournaments. Whoever had to play would play, and usually, one of them wouldn’t be there, which made it easier for me. But now I had to make a choice, and in the end, I chose Turkiye. I have never regretted it for a moment. It feels good, and I have already experienced many great moments with the Turkish national team. The European Championship to be held in Germany next summer will be one of the most important moments. I am looking forward to it.”

“I play at the top, I cannot fail”

“I play at the top, and therefore I cannot fail. But don’t get me wrong; I am very pleased with how everything is going. I did not choose the easiest path by leaving everything behind at a young age for the adventure in Turkey. At that time, you need to be mentally strong and fight for your place. It worked, and that’s why I see it as an ideal route for myself.”

Goal statements

“And sometimes I realize this: What I’m experiencing is not normal. Here, playing in such a big club like Fenerbahçe and in front of so many fans, I feel privileged. But at the same time, I feel the urge to get even better and experience more beauty. My goal in 2024 is this.”