Cengiz Ünder of Beşiktaş, which continues its preparations for the second half of the season in Antalya, made statements about his future. Explaining that the preparation camp went well, the experienced player said, “We have a very positive environment. Camps are generally tiring. Our training is also very tiring. We are generally in a positive environment. We are trying to maintain our unity and solidarity. The camp is nice and enjoyable. We work hard. We spend time together. Everything is good for now.” he said.
Cengiz Ünder, who has been away from the jersey for a while due to his injury, said, “I feel good physically now. I will start training with the team anyway. I am trying to be ready as soon as possible. Very soon. I am starting to get stronger physically every day. This makes me happier and more motivated. I want to take part in field training with my teammates as soon as possible.” he said.
Explaining that they had bad luck in the first half of the season, the black-white football player continued his speech as follows:
“I have had good times since the day I arrived. There have also been some misfortunes as a team. Because we lost some points after taking the lead in each match. There were misfortunes and red cards. These affected us a lot from time to time. Sometimes being ahead and being down to 10 men due to red cards put us in a very bad situation. This puts a strain on us. Falling behind also demoralizes the team. We are ahead in every match. We take a lot of positions. We miss a lot of positions. After that, defeat or draw also affects us.”
“I AM REALLY HAPPY TO WORK WITH SERGEN”
Cengiz Ünder stated that he enjoyed working with coach Sergen Yalçın.
Stating that he talked to Sergen Yalçın before he was transferred to Beşiktaş, the winger said, “I knew before I came that coach Sergen trusted me. We talked again from the moment I first entered the facility. I love working with coach Sergen. The training of the coach is really intense. It is almost the same as the training I did in Europe. It is very intense and intense. I like doing these trainings. It also provides freedom, especially to the offensive players. ‘Don’t think too much when you are one-on-one in the third zone.’ he says. It gives me confidence as a winger. “I am really happy to work with coach Sergen.” made his assessment.
“Of course, I would like to use the option”
The experienced winger stated that he felt very happy in the black and white jersey.
Cengiz Ünder stated that he was transferred from one big community to another, and said, “This is not a situation that happens very often in football, especially in Türkiye. I feel very happy here. Of course, I would like the option to be exercised. There is a period of 3-4 months after the half-time. It is a long time for football. We do not know what will happen. I do not act only by thinking about this. I act by thinking about the league match as soon as possible. I feel more motivated this way. All I want is to wear the jersey, that is the most important thing. I am really very happy here.” “I am happy. I love all my siblings very much.” he said.
“WE SHOULD DEVOTE OURSELVES TO FOOTBALL IN A GOOD WAY”
Experienced football player: “To what extent did the sudden decisions and separations within the team affect you?” He answered the question as follows:
“This is a situation that happens everywhere. It is in the nature of football. Of course, there are those who are affected, and there are those who are not. After all, we are professional footballers. There are those who leave and those who stay. We must devote ourselves well to football. These are situations that occur in every club in the world. We must focus on our own business.”
Cengiz stated that they started to take off towards the end of the first half of the league and said, “We are doing well. We played very well in the last matches. We are in good physical shape as a team. I think we will do very well.” he said.
“I CAME TO BEŞİKTAŞ AT THE RIGHT TIME”
Cengiz Ünder made evaluations about the process of coming to Beşiktaş.
Emphasizing that he had a “sweet” excitement when he played his first match with the black and white jersey, the national football player said:
“There are some right moments. From my perspective, I think I came at the right time. I feel really happy here since the day I arrived. Of course, there was pressure on me, but after I entered the game, I scored the goal and it broke a little. It increased my self-confidence. I started to feel good. The first match is always very important for football players. How you start is how it continues. This was very good for me. I started playing with more self-confidence. When the coach called him to his room before the match, we talked about what I should do. After all, what I had to do was score a goal. “It was already enough for me that my coach trusted me and got the game in my first match.”
“A FOOTBALL PLAYER SHOULD NOT TAKE MESSI AS AN EXAMPLE”
Cengiz Ünder explained his admiration for Lionel Messi with the following words:
“There is a football player that everyone has admired since childhood. Of course, it was always Messi. I think a football player should not take him as an example. Because he is in a very different position. We also played against each other when we were in Rome. We eliminated them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We met again in France. He is a very incredible player. You want to take the ball from his feet, but you cannot. We were paired with them when we were playing in Los Angeles FC. You say you got the ball, you believe in it, but you can’t. It’s really a different game.” “Even playing on the same field with him and watching him is a completely different experience.”
“MY BIGGEST DREAM IS TO PLAY IN THE WORLD CUP”
Cengiz Ünder stated that his biggest dream in his career is to play in the World Cup.
Underlining that his performance is very high every time he plays for the national team, the 28-year-old winger continued his words as follows:
“My biggest dream is to play in the World Cup. Every player has a dream to play in the World Cup. In our country, this is everyone’s dream. We have the chance to go again after many years. This is very important. I haven’t been to the national team for 1.5-2 years anyway. I liked the team very much when I watched them. There are very young players. I really enjoy watching them. I follow all the matches in Europe. I am proud of all of them. As someone who has played there for years, I really want to be in the national team squad again. The important thing for me is this. “Of course, I would like to go to the camp in March. My priority is to perform well here and join the national team. I knew the atmosphere there very well. I was showing my best performance and contributing in terms of goals and assists. I hope it will be good for us.”
The experienced football player stated that he talked to the Italian coach once or twice when Vincenzo Montella, the coach of the National Team, visited the clubs.
Cengiz Ünder stated that football is developing day by day in the USA, where he played for a while.
Explaining that he believes that the 2026 World Cup, which will be held between June 11 and July 19, hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, will be good, the experienced winger said, “I had a different thought when I went to the USA, Los Angeles FC. The World Cup will be different there. The fields are beautiful there, everything is good. I stayed in Los Angeles for 6 months. I hope we will participate in the World Cup. This is our biggest goal. As someone who wants to be there too, whether I go or not, my heart is always with the national team.” “It’s with the team.” he said.
Arguing that the National Team is stronger than the teams in the play-off round, Cengiz Ünder said, “We have different players in terms of quality. I say from my heart, I think we will pass these matches.” he said.
“NO ONE CAN BE OBSERVED WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM”
The experienced football player emphasized that he was saddened by not being in the candidate squad for the 2024 European Championship.
“Not being able to go to the European Championship was very difficult for me emotionally.” Cengiz Ünder made the following assessment:
“Because I was expecting to go. Frankly, I was saddened by not being able to go to the championship, but I have no resentment towards anyone. No one can be angry with the national team. I just have to work harder. I have to throw myself there again. After I was not selected for the national team, I never spoke anywhere. I just watched it on TV, supported my brothers. I supported their success. This is also in my character. There is no situation in which I would be angry with my country or my national team. I would like to be in the championship, I would like to achieve that success with the team. “The more I saw it, the happier I became. After all, my brothers are playing there.”
“I DO NOT REGRET COMING TO Türkiye”
Cengiz Ünder stated that he did not make mistakes in his career planning, contrary to criticism.
Recalling the times when he was injured in the past, the 28-year-old football player said, “There were times when I was injured. I had short-term injuries in Rome. This affects all of our careers, but I don’t think my career went bad after that. I always played in the big teams of the country I played in. When I went to England, we had a very good time in Leicester. Even if I played less, it is one of the best clubs there. It was a different feeling for me to step into England. Then I went to France. Marseille is one of the most established clubs there. It is very successful. “I spent 2 seasons and then I came to Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş. I don’t think I made any mistakes in my career.” he said.
Explaining the reason for returning to Türkiye as a desire to be closer to his family, Cengiz Ünder said, “I returned because I wanted to return to Türkiye. I wanted to be closer to my loved ones. After all, it is the mortal world because they cannot come very often. I wanted to be close to them. My family did not like to come abroad very much. They came during my first season in Rome. Other than that, they did not come much. When I got older, I realized that I wanted to return. I never regret it.” he said.
The experienced player stated that playing in front of the black-and-white fans made him feel special and said, “I felt it very well, especially after scoring a goal in my first match. They should only believe in us. They always come and fill our stadium. They should support us. We have a really good team. We will be much better in the second half. Let them believe that. Let’s go as far as we can together in the best way possible. We want to fight and show them our best football, beautiful football.” He commented: