"Erdogan Took Everything Away" - Legendary Footballer Becomes Taxi Driver

One of the greatest figures in Turkish football history, Hakan Şükür, entered politics after ending his sports career. He subsequently began to face political persecution in Turkey, ultimately forcing him to leave his homeland and move to the United States. Şükür now resides in Washington and works as a taxi driver. Eurosport conducted an interview with Şükür in Washington to understand how life has unfolded for one of Turkey's football stars, according to ermenihaber.

Notably, after his football career, the Turkish player ventured into politics and became a member of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). However, disagreements arose between him and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leading the former footballer to leave the party. Following this, a campaign against him began, and under orders from the authorities, his bank accounts were frozen. In these circumstances, Şükür decided to leave Turkey and establish himself in the U.S. After the failed military coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, Turkish authorities accused Şükür of having ties to the Gülen community, which is considered terrorist.

"I started working as a taxi driver because I have nothing in this world," Şükür told Eurosport. "Erdogan took everything from me, including my right to freedom of speech. They threw stones at my wife's shops in Turkey, and my children were attacked in the streets. When I left the country, my father was imprisoned. Everything I had was seized. My loved ones also fell into financial difficulties."

Many will remember the legendary Turkish footballer, especially for his shining performance at the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. Thanks to the brilliant game of Hakan Şükür and another Turkish player, Hasan Şaş, the Turkish national team won the bronze medal at the World Cup, defeating the host country, South Korea, in the third-place match.

It’s worth mentioning that Şükür is the record holder for the fastest goal in World Cup history, scoring just 11 seconds into the match against South Korea for third place in 2002.