Heavy burden

Turkey still counting on Hakan for goals

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- For Turks, Hakan Sukur is simply "the King" -- but could his reign be nearing its end?

The Parma striker has a phenomenal scoring record for his country -- 35 goals, a national record, in 72 games. But he will be 31 this summer, and has spent most of the past year on the substitutes bench. Some Turks worry that their hero is no longer the force of old.

"He's not as effective as before, or as energetic," wrote the daily newspaper Milliyet in March.

But that was after a meaningless friendly against South Korea, when the whole Turkish team looked lethargic and uninterested. In matches that matter, history shows Hakan tends to perform. Turkey's coach Senol Gunes, not exactly spoiled for attacking options, needs Hakan to keep this record up.

After joining Galatasaray in 1992, Hakan's goalscoring prowess soon made him Turkey's most famous footballer. The word spread beyond Turkey, and he was transferred to Torino in 1995. The move didn't work out, and a homesick Hakan was back on the Bosporus after just five matches in Italy.

His second spell at Galatasaray proved even more fruitful. A fast-improving side won four straight championships and began to make inroads in European competitions where Turkish sides had traditionally struggled.

After winning the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray in 2000, Hakan decided to try again in Italy, this time at Inter Milan. He was moderately successful in his first season there, but then fell out of favor and moved to Parma in January.

"I'm a player used to playing 40-50 games a year, and it took some getting used to," Hakan admitted of his spells of inaction. "But I'm a good athlete and a good professional, I train well."

At his best, Hakan is a formidable leader of the attack. He is a potent threat in the air and works hard to tackle back when his team loses possession, while his ability to hold up the ball suits Turkey's fast, counterattacking style.

That doesn't stop some Turks from criticizing coach Gunes for over-reliance on a center-forward who may be past his peak. Even Gunes's most vocal critics, though, acknowledge that there are few alternatives to relying on Hakan.

The main debate concerns whether he should play alone up front -- as Gunes appears to favor -- or with a partner like Ilhan Mansiz of Besiktas, or Hakan's old Galatasaray foil Arif Erdem.

Either way Hakan carries an enormous burden of expectations.

"Of course Hakan Sukur will score goals," said Murat Uzun, 25, a truck driver. But he added, less confidently: "If he doesn't, then who will?"

 

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