MILAN – The date was 7 December 2002. It was a freezing night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where the scoreboard made for tough reading for the Nerazzurri: Lazio 3-0 Inter after 37 minutes.
Needless to say, it had been a tough start to the game for Inter, who scarcely looked like turning the match around. They needed a miracle – and one was to be provided by Emre Belozoglu.
Blessed with plenty of fighting spirit and enviable natural skill, the Istanbul-born Emre spent four seasons at Inter. He grew up in the chaotic Mecidiyekoy district of the Turkish city, and it was here – on the streets – that Emre learned the basics of the game that would define his life.
Emre quickly worked his way up through the youth ranks to the Galatasaray first team, where he would go on to participate in the greatest feat ever managed by a Turkish club: the UEFA Cup win masterminded by Fatih Terim, Emre’s first mentor, in 2000.
It was this group of players – a blend of genius and braggadocio – which became the spine of the Turkey side that Senol Gunes led to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002, by which time Emre was already an Inter player.
In truth, Emre’s time with the Nerazzurri was marked by ups and downs, but 7 December 2002 will surely be remembered as one of his greatest moments in the black and blue of Inter.
It was Hernan Crespo – playing against his former club – who restored some semblance of hope for the Nerazzurri at the Olimpico. But it would be Emre whose name would dominate the headlines in the morning papers.
Twenty-three minutes into the second half, the Turk received the ball just inside the Inter half. He swivelled, using that low centre of gravity to perfection, and drove at the Lazio backline, the ball seemingly stuck fast to the tip of his boot. Arriving at the edge of the box, Emre lifted his head to spy Angelo Peruzzi well off his line: seconds later, the ball was sailing over the keeper’s head as Emre executed the most delicious of chips.
Eight minutes later and Inter were level. And Emre was once again the man celebrating, having dispatched a powerful, right-footed effort into the bottom corner of the net from some distance. The travelling Inter fans toasted a vintage performance by one of the greatest talents to come out of Turkey in years.
Emre had quality in bucket loads, so much so that the great Pele named him as one of the best 125 players in activity in 2004. Nicknamed the Mosquito in Italy, Emre’s biggest strength was his steely character, which would eventually lead him to cross the Bosphorus to play against Galatasaray. It was perhaps destiny that Emre – a player who always loved the fiery atmospheres – would become an icon at rivals Fenerbahce. On more than one occasion, he lined up against current Nerazzurri midfielder Felipe Melo in a duel of passion, pride and charisma.
While his compatriot and former Inter team-mate Okan Buruk tries his hand at coaching with Goztepe, Emre is still playing the game, that No.5 jersey still on his back. Fenerbahce has become Basaksehir, a club in the west of Istanbul, with Emre captaining the team to first place in the Super Lig. Even at the age of 36, his left boot is still every bit as classy as it was during his time at Inter: on Saturday, it was his sumptuous assist that undid the Trabzonspor defence for team-mate Edin Visca to score the winner.
And while his talents will undoubtedly dim, no Nerazzurri fan will ever forget that heady night at the Olimpico. That magical lob. The stunning equaliser. The Inter faithful have always known pure talent when they see it – and Emra certainly fit the bill.
