Burak Yılmaz: "I win when I play games with my daughter, she cries her eyes out. I still win"

Former Trabzonspor footballer Burak Yılmaz attended the Sports Talks conference in Trabzon. He made statements there regarding football and life:

· "I was watching Şenol Hoca on television. I was playing for Eskişehirspor at the time when my phone rang; it was a number with the 61 area code. I answered, it was Şenol Hoca. He said, 'Which one are we getting you from? Eskişehirspor? Or Fenerbahçe?' I said I didn't know, both wanted to send me away. I asked, 'Coach, what are you going to do with me?' Both Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe had sent me away. He said, 'Don't you worry, I will take you.' May God bless him, that was the start, and I have come this far. Trabzonspor gifted me back to Turkish football. I am glad I was here; I experienced everything there is to experience over 4.5 years."

· "I must say this, I see many young brothers and sisters in front of me, and I want to tell them this: No matter what platform you are on, if you say 'I have achieved great success,' you are mistaken. And if you do a very bad job, I don't want you to think 'it's not for me.' Life is a marathon; I thought about quitting football many times. I never had an older brother or a mentor. I did everything on my own. That is why I became such a strong character and was able to retire at the very top. I was able to be successful through reactions. I thought about quitting football many times, but I didn't give up, I never gave up."

· Regarding the question about the 2010-2011 Süper Lig season, Yılmaz said, "We shouldn't talk about this subject too much. Because this issue has pushed Trabzonspor, Fenerbahçe, and Turkish football back by 10 years. The reputation of Turkish football has been damaged at UEFA and FIFA. Our hearts know what is what. Let's not drag this subject out any further, let's not harm the country's football."

· "In my social life, I am a calm person who chats with you, but when I step onto that pitch, I become a completely different person. I win when I play games with my daughter, she cries her eyes out. I still win, and her mother gets mad at me, saying 'let her win.' I don't like to lose. I will not be a different man on the pitch from now on. I don't want to lose any match or any training session."

· "I don't find it right to return to being an assistant coach. For the last two years before I retired from football, I was granted a license by UEFA. Because I received training for these, I see myself as a head coach. Şenol Hoca has a special place in my heart, but I am no longer thinking about being an assistant. Will I ever be the head coach of Trabzonspor one day? With God's permission, I think I definitely will."