Players you forgot played in Turkey as Dele Alli moves – Vassell to Chelsea flop
Premier League stars who move to Turkey are usually one of two things: washed up or a complete loose cannon.
Don't get us wrong, some of them have had success out there, namely Graeme Souness who almost sparked an inner-city gang-war after spiking a giant Galatasaray flag in the centre circle of the pitch of arch rivals Fenerbahce after winning the Turkish Cup.
But more of often than not it's a place where careers go to die. Enter Dele Alli, who evidently got sick of playing third fiddle to Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend and skipped town for Besiktas in a desperate, but almost certainly futile, attempt to revive his languishing reputation.
As it happens, the Turkish Super Lig is a bit goldmine for forgotten stars of yesteryear, so without further ado, here are eight of the best … or worst (depending on your view) players you probably forgot played in Turkey.
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We have to start with Darius Vassell, purely for the fact that he was given a God-like welcome at the airport after signing for Ankaragucu back in 2009.
The former Manchester City and Aston Villa striker had only reached double figures in the league once in his entire career, but that didn't stop 3,000 mad-cap Ankara natives turning up to see him grabbing his suitcase at baggage claim.
Vassell netted four goals in 25 games before heading back to England a year later. God-like, indeed.
Are there any other players we've missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
Forget about players who you forgot played in Turkey, most of us probably forgot Danny Drinkwater was still playing altogether.
The Leicester City title-winner saw his career evaporate into nothingness after joining Chelsea for a genuinely mystifying £35million in 2017 (£5million more than the Blues paid for N'Golo Kante the year before, for contrast).
He effectively sat in the stands for two years, then spent a couple of awful short-term stints at Burnley and Aston Villa before trying his luck on loan in Turkey with Kasimpasa. Needless to say, it was a pointless move. Story of the latter half of his career.
Harry Kewell spent over a decade in the Premier League, with solid stints at both Leeds United and Liverpool, before joining Galatasaray in 2008.
The move caused a bit of a stir in Leeds as two fans had been killed during violent clashes with Galatasaray supporters before a UEFA Cup tie in 2000, though Kewell managed to smooth things over after penning an open letter to disgruntled fans.
The Australian had three successful years in Turkey, all of which were spent uncharacteristically injury-free, and he left the club a fan-favourite, earning himself the nickname "Büyücü Harry" or 'Harry the wizard'.
Another whose career was blighted injury is Daniel Sturridge, who spent a reasonably prolific, but all too brief, spell in the Super Lig.
After losing his place to the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in Liverpool's team, the England forward joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer in 2019.
He scored seven goals in 16 goals, though his contract was terminated two-thirds of the way through the season when he was handed a four month ban for breaching betting rules on a possible move to Sevilla a year prior.
Kenny Miller is one of just five post-war players to have played for both Celtic and Rangers, so it's fair to say he isn't afraid to be a little daring.
He became just the third Scottish footballer to play in Turkey when he joined Bursaspor in 2011, but found it hard to settle in the country and asked the club to sell him after just half-a-season.
The Edinburgh native still netted five goals in 15 matches, mind. Not bad for a homesick lad.
After almost two decades in the Premier League across stints with Leeds, Tottenham, Everton and Burnley, Aaron Lennon tried his luck abroad for the first time a couple of years ago – and chose Turkey.
He joined Kayserispor after his contract at Turf Moor expired, instantly establishing himself as a first team regular, though he couldn't back it up with any goals.
After narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of his sole season in the Super Lig, he left to re-join Burnley.
Premier League cult hero Jay-Jay Okocha exploded onto the European stage by shining for Fenerbahce, prior to his multi-million move to PSG in 1998.
The Nigerian netted a whopping 30 league goals in two seasons (not bad for a midfield trickster), many of which came from direct free-kicks, which turned him into an instant fan favourite.
Okocha even acquired Turkish citizenship and went by the name Muhammed Yavuz during his short stint there. Classic lovable Jay-Jay!
Les Ferdinand became the first Englishman to play in Turkey after joining Besiktas on loan from QPR way back in 1988, prior to becoming one of the Premier League's hottest strikers.
He bagged 14 goals in 24 league games and helped Besiktas beat rivals Fenerbahce to win the Turkish Cup, and was so popular that the club went out and signed two more Englishmen when he returned to QPR – though the less said about them the better!
Ferdinand would later enjoy prolific stints at Newcastle and Tottenham and is currently the 11th highest scorer in Premier League. And to think, it all started in the Super Lig!
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