As Miguel Crespo prepares for his second season with Istanbul outfit Başakşehir, the Portuguese midfielder is taking a considerate look again on the journey that introduced him right here, from yard video games in Viana do Castelo to lighting up the Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray derby with a objective that modified all the pieces.
Speaking from the membership’s pre-season camp in Austria’s Seefeld village, the 28-year-old was candid about his most defining profession moments.
At the highest of that record: the unforgettable objective he scored for Fenerbahçe towards archrival Galatasaray.
“After that goal, people stopped seeing me as just another player,” Crespo mentioned. “They started seeing me as a real footballer. That goal gave me respect I hadn’t felt before.”
Crespo, who joined Fenerbahçe from Estoril in 2021, calls the transfer the proudest second of his profession. But he pinpoints three main turning factors: his skilled debut, his breakout season below Bruno Pinheiro at Estoril, and that thunderous derby objective in Istanbul.
Reflecting on his progress, Crespo emphasised how every step, from Portugal to Türkiye, was rooted in perseverance.
Though he by no means earned a call-up to Portugal’s nationwide crew, Crespo harbors no resentment. “It’s the one dream I didn’t achieve,” he mentioned. “But I understand why. We have incredible talent in my country. Maybe I needed to work harder. I don’t know.”
One of Crespo’s idols, Luka Modric, not too long ago handed the long-lasting No. 10 jersey to rising Turkish star Arda Güler at Real Madrid. For Crespo, who as soon as confronted Modric throughout his mortgage spell with Spain’s Rayo Vallecano, the gesture was deeply symbolic.
“That was a beautiful message,” he mentioned. “It tells Arda: ‘Now it’s your turn.’ Arda always worked hard, was humble, and eager to learn. I hope he becomes one of the best.”
He chuckled, recalling the day he performed towards Modric – and by accident kicked him. “In the moment, your idol becomes your opponent. You want to win. Still, it was an honor to face him. If I had to choose one poster to hang as a kid, it would’ve been Modric or Zidane.”
Crespo’s personal soccer story began not with goals of stardom, however with pure love for the sport. Born in Lyon, raised in northern Portugal, he by no means envisioned knowledgeable profession till coaches and mentors steered him onto that path. “At first, I played just for fun. But the right people helped me see what I could do.”
Even as soccer took over, household was by no means far. He remembers weekends juggling back-to-back matches and struggling to make it to high school on Monday mornings. “When I missed school, my mom would go crazy,” he mentioned, laughing. “She always pushed me. But once she saw how passionate I was about football, she understood. Mothers just want what’s best for you.”
Now at Başakşehir, Crespo is concentrated on the street forward. Last season was stable, he says, however there’s extra to present. With the crew coming into the UEFA Conference League within the second qualifying spherical, he has his sights set on reaching the knockout phases.
“We’re building a family atmosphere here,” he mentioned. “We have to improve defensively and be smarter when we lose the ball. But if we work on that, we can surprise people in Europe.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com