Former Barcelona star flees to Turkey
Moroccan-born footballer Munir El Haddadi, who plays for the Iranian team Esteghlal FC, has taken refuge in Turkey due to the escalating war environment in the country.
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Munir El Haddadi, who played for a long time at Barcelona, one of the deep-rooted teams of Spain's La Liga, announced that he crossed into Turkey following the wave of violence in Iran, where he had transferred to continue his football career. Stating that he experienced days filled with fear due to the increasing attacks and clashes in the country, the star player reached out to his fans via social media.
'I AM SAFE IN TURKEY'
In a statement made from his personal account, Munir El Haddadi expressed that his attempt to leave Iran by air was unsuccessful, and that they were evacuated from the plane before it could take off. He used the following expressions:
"I would like to thank you for all the messages you sent and the interest you showed regarding my situation in Iran. Our goal yesterday was to leave the country by air, but in the end, they evacuated us from the plane and we could not take off.
The club provided me with a vehicle to leave the country by land, and thanks to this, I was able to cross the border without any problems. I am currently safe in Turkey and will reach Spain in the coming hours."
According to claims reported by Marca, El Haddadi crossed into Turkey after a land journey of approximately 16 hours, together with Ivan Sanchez, with whom he played at Esteghlal. Sources close to the player stated that the Moroccan footballer does not want to return to Iran and will go directly to Spain.