Goodbye, great left-footer

November 9, 1988, is an important date for Galatasaray. In the season they reached the semi-finals of the European Champion Clubs' Cup (the tournament that was not yet called the Champions League and was only open to league champions) for the first time, they managed to defeat Switzerland's Neuchatel Xamax 5-0 at Ali Sami Yen in the return leg after a 3-0 loss, advancing to the quarter-finals.

One of the most important players of that squad was Cevad Prekazi.

Prekazi passed away on November 8, 2026. I am writing this in memory of Prekazi on the anniversary of that match, which I listened to on the radio nearly 40 years ago.

For Galatasaray fans and football lovers like me who were born in the early 1980s, he held a special place.

Prekazi, who was part of the team that won two consecutive Turkish league titles after a 13-season drought, stood out not only for his superior footballing skills but also for his personality and style.

He distinguished himself from his contemporary peers with his socks worn just above the ankles, the tights he wore under the short football shorts of the era, his earring, and accessories like the headband he wore.

Had he been born in England 20 years later, he could have been the world's pop-star style football icon instead of David Beckham. When I give this example, I am referring only to his fashion sense.

Prekazi was a much better footballer than the aforementioned English player, and more importantly, due to his character and intellectual capacity, he was a personality who should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Cockney Englishman.

When remembering and commemorating Prekazi, I do not find it appropriate to highlight only his free-kick goal from nearly 40 meters and others. This is just for me, of course; for others, those goals might be the first thing that comes to mind.

Yes, the goal he scored in Cologne was magnificent, but when you dig a little deeper, there is much more to love him for. I think about the beautiful goals and the trophies won by the great players I watched after him. There are those who have contributed much more on the pitch according to statistics, in terms of goals scored. However, perhaps because he was the star player of my formative years, or due to a longing for one's childhood, I loved Prekazi differently.

Over the years, I began to discover that there were other reasons for my growing admiration and affection.

The book "Prekazi Vurdu, Gol Oldu!" (Prekazi Shot, It Was a Goal!), published by Mylos Kitap in 2019, contains a long-form interview with him. Prekazi recounts his life starting from his childhood. He shares his story about the Yugoslavia where he was born, his athletic career, his family, and the years he spent in Turkey with a fluid style. You begin to know and understand Prekazi not just through this book, but when you read his various interviews.

You see that Prekazi, who said "My heart is always on the left," was an intellectual with ideological clarity.

You respect his justified longing for Tito's Yugoslavia, his admiration for Atatürk, and his consistent and clear stance on current political events. Music, history, politics, sports... He was someone who was well-equipped in every field he spoke about and expressed his ideas openly without hesitation. I wish I had had the chance to meet and talk with him.

When one sees the "football demons" who pass the ball to each other to suck up to those in power with their "Are you in too?" videos, those who defraud their clubs by working as agents, those who gamble, and those who raid venues, one understands Prekazi's value even better.n.

We will always remember you with admiration for reminding us that being a good athlete is not just about talent and success, and for bravely expressing your enlightened ideas.

Goodbye, great left-footer.

Goodbye, Prekazi.