Belgian football player Thomas Meunier, who was signed by Trabzonspor during the interim transfer period, made a statement to the press.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MEUNIER’S STATEMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
I always keep my expectations high from myself and put this burden on my shoulders. I didn’t expect a direct assist contribution, but I always dreamed of performing at my best and helping my team. Of course, it makes me happy that this results in assists. When you make such contributions to your team, you are not the only one responsible or the only one successful, my teammates also have a big share in this performance. I must say that I have very good teammates and I get contributions from them. You see that my teammates know where and what they need to do and implement it. I have to give them their due. For example, when you look at all the movements of all our friends in the second goal we scored in the Pendikspor match, you can see that they made the runs and all other details consciously. If there is anything to be praised here, it is dedication and discipline. I see my own success as the success of my teammates. I actually played as an attacker until I was 24 years old. I was always a player on offense. When I was playing in Belgium when I was 24, my coach suddenly decided to use me further back. I thank them too. They thought that I could contribute better in this way, I did not want to at that time, but later, thanks to this change, I played in both PSG, Dortmund and the Belgian National Team. I am currently in Trabzonspor. After changing my position, I started to use my skills better.
“I DECIDED IN 5 MINUTES”
We had a meeting with our teacher before coming here. After that meeting, it didn’t even take me 5 minutes to make this decision. After he explained to me in a very confident manner what the team had achieved and could achieve, I didn’t have to think much. I am someone who loves ambition and ambitious people. While talking to our coach, we said that we would be third in the Super League and win the Turkish Cup. He immediately said “we will win” without using words like “we will struggle” and this impressed me a lot. Self-confidence and ambition affect me greatly. We are aware of what we can do well. We want to continue this. I can say that the Turkish League does not really get the value it deserves. I also played in the big leagues, we all see how good Turkey, Greece and Belgium are, which are outside of those leagues. You can also see how talented the players are.
“I WANT TO LEARN TURKISH”
We have many foreign friends in the team. We have friends with whom we can speak French, Dutch and German. I also want to learn Turkish and speed up my adaptation. I try to learn the language of every country I play in. Taking Turkish lessons also accelerated my adaptation process. I saw a better city than I expected. They are modern and try to help everyone. Everything is very professional.
“I WANT TO LEARN TURKISH”
We have foreign friends in the team. We can speak and understand them in French, German, English and Dutch. We can communicate with our Turkish players on every issue thanks to English. Everyone here is focused on making us feel good. I want to speed up my integration and adapt better by learning Turkish. I am a person who tries to learn the language of every country I visit and wants to feel like I am a part of it. I can say that taking Turkish lessons also accelerated this process. I can also say that after coming here, I saw a much better city and club than I expected. Like western cities. It’s modern and everyone is trying to help. Everything is in very good condition, especially the training facilities and the general facility structure. Sometimes you don’t even see such conditions in Dortmund. When I came here I saw that everything was ready. If someone asked me a question in this sense, I would say it exactly like this.
“IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE THE FANS PASSIONATE”
We have passionate fans. They made me feel this from the first day I came here. My teammates also told me how passionate our fans are and what they can do when they support us. I am not someone who likes stagnation very much, it is very important for me to be able to see our fans experiencing those moments along with us. I am also a passionate person. It makes me happy to see the fans like that. A full stadium is my biggest expectation. I hope the stadium will be full on Sunday. We will experience and win the match by feeling them. This is one of the reasons why I became a football player. I want to get that energy on the field. I watched a lot of retrospective footage and matches. I know that our fans create an incredible atmosphere in cup matches, championship times and important matches. I hope one of these happens on Sunday.