Tuncay becomes India Super League’s first Turkish signing

Indian Super League (ISL) team FC Pune City signed former Turkish worldwide Tuncay Sanli for the 2015 edition of the league on Monday.

The striker, who can also play on either wings, was signed up by Fenerbahce as a 20-year-old in 2002.

“I am very eager to participate in social responsibility events even in India by sharing my opinions and experiences”, says Sanli who has constantly worked for underprivileged people wherever he played. “Those five years at Fenerbahce were special and I cherish that moment when I got a hat-trick”. The Maharashtra club continue to address their goal, scoring issues from the first season where they finished sixth scoring 12 goals in their 14 matches.

An year later, he rose to prominence with a silver ball-winning display for his national team in the Federation Internationale de Football Association Confederations Cup.

Head Coach Platt said in a statement, “I’ve known Tuncay since he played against my U-21 team more than 10 years ago”.

On playing against Brazilian legend Zico’s team, Sanli said: “He and I had a strong relationship when Zico was the coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce”. Now I will play against him.

“What I have tried to bring in my game is his style and thinking and always strove to be as effective as Zidane on the field”, Sanli adds. He, rates that moment the biggest of his career.

After eye-catching performances at Middlesborough, Tuncay’s career did not exactly live up to the expectations he created with subsequent spells at Wolfsburg in Germany and a transfer to Stoke City not producing great numbers.

FC Pune City have made exemplary strides in other departments of the squad, with the additions of Tuncay Sanli to an already star-studded line-up alongside Adrian Mutu, Didier Zokora and Yendrick Ruiz. “He has been a proven goal-scorer in every league that he has played”. “Having come from a hard background myself, there is a lot I can tell these young kids”, he said. Having said that, I also think my time in the EPL, with Stoke and Middlesbrough, shaped me into the player I am because the level of football there is the highest.

Stewart Downing, later to make a move to Liverpool, attempted to fire one in from the left, only for his shot to loop up in the air after a deflection off James Milner.