Hamit Altıntop finds his feet at Galatasaray
Monday, December 3, 2012
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"Even though I am Turkish and I know the city, living here is quite different," said Hamit Altıntop, who has found Istanbul life more of a challenge than playing for Galatasaray AŞ.
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Born and raised in Germany, midfielder Hamit Altıntop says that his summer move to Istanbul, and Galatasaray AŞ, has not marked a seamless transition, explaining: "Even though I am Turkish and even though I know the city, living here is quite different."
The 29-year-old Turkey player represented FC Schalke 04, FC Bayern München and Real Madrid CF before electing to join his one-time international coach Fatih Terim at Galatasaray. The pair reached the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2008 together, and Hamit says: "I already knew Fatih Terim's working style – I know his system and the way he manages a team, so I really don't think I had any trouble adapting. But sure, outside of football, you have to adapt to a different atmosphere. Additionally, I am in a new country."
On the field, Galatasaray can still reach the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after back-to-back wins in Group H, with much depending on their performance at SC Braga this week. "Although we played good football in the first three matches, we just didn't get the points we needed," Hamit said. "But in the last two games, we not only continued to play good football, we got the points we needed as well. We now go to Braga with this advantage in hand. Hopefully, with a good result there, we'll advance to the next round."
Click above to watch the full interview.
