The European top scorer with 39 goals, who scored the most goals in a season in Türkiye, the owner of gold, silver and bronze shoes, and the only Turkish player to be among the 48 legends of the world as determined recently by a Swiss statistics institute… Yes, as you may have guessed, we are talking about Tanju Colak. Tanju Colak’s football career, started with a local neighborhood team, ended with Istanbulspor. We had a sincere conversation about football with Tanju Colak, who has written his name in golden letters in the history of Turkish football.
How did you first get acquainted with football?
I was a well-known football candidate in my neighborhood in Samsun. I was playing for our local neighborhood team. Of course, our opportunities were also very limited. When our ball burst, we would continue playing by putting newspapers inside it. There was a Ciftlikspor club that I loved very much at that time. One day, the president of Ciftlikspor came to me and said, “We’re going to play a match with Samsunspor, will you play too?” – I was going to play for the first time in the stadium with the U12 team. I immediately accepted the offer. They had blue and white jerseys. That jersey was very valuable to me as we didn’t have the financial means to buy a jersey. We went to the stadium 3-4 days later and lost the match 6-1. I scored the only goal. Cumhur Dilek, the coach of the rival team, came to our dressing room and said that he wanted to see me in his team. I started playing in Samsunspor’s youth setup when I was 12 years old. When our coach Cumhur signed for Yolspor, I started playing in Yolspor at the age of 15. I started getting transfer offers from both Besiktas and Trabzonspor before I turned 17, but I signed for Samsunspor. I played my first professional match against Giresunspor and scored a goal in this match as well.
How did Tanju Colak prepare for the matches?
I was a player between the 80s and 95s. Technological advances in football like today were not even close then. The 450 gr ball weighed 2 kilograms during rainy days. The pitches, on the other hand, were far away from those today, and the training conditions were very bad. I played football in such a period. We used to consider football professionally and make our preparations accordingly.
What would you like to say about today’s players?
I think today’s footballers need to change their point of view. Professional footballers such as Ronaldo and Messi are already showing the difference. Ronaldo has designed a section of his house as a private training ground. However, the perspective of Turkish football players is like, “If I sign a 3-year deal for 3 million Euros each, my life is guaranteed.” After they start making huge money, they all start thinking about other things than football. “What business should I invest in? Where should I buy a plot of land?” etc. They also need to improve themselves in a cultural sense. For instance, the number of players who graduated from university is very low. “Why is Turkish football not developing?” I think the answer to this question is very obvious!
You have gold, silver and bronze shoes, and at the same time you have become the European goalscorer. What would you like to say about this?
I became top scorer 4 times in a row at Samsunspor, twice in the 1st League and twice in the Super League. After these successes, I signed for Galatasaray in 1987-88 season. I received offers from many clubs, but I signed for this club as I was a Galatasaray fan. I scored 39 goals in my first season for Galatasaray. I had the privilege to break the record of scoring the most goals in a season that was held by the late Metin Oktay. I have been the top scorer for 5 consecutive years. I also won the title of the player who scored the most goals in European leagues that year with 39 goals. As a Turkish football player, it is a great pride to be the owner of gold, silver and bronze shoes. Recently, I was the only Turkish player among the 48 legends of the world, as determined by a Swiss statistics institute.
When we say Tanju Colak, Galatasaray comes to mind first. What does Galatasaray mean to you?
Galatasaray means “love” for me, but some people have interrupted our love. I still have resentment for them. After playing football for 5 years, I couldn’t sign with Galatasaray in 1991 and signed for Fenerbahce. After Fenerbahce, I played for Istanbulspor for 4 months. I wanted to celebrate my jubilee by playing a match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, however Galatasaray did not accept.
What would you like to say about that legendary Neuchâtel Xamax match?
It was an unprecedented challenge in Turkish football history. We were beaten 3-0 in the first leg. We won the second leg 5-0. I scored 3 goals. One of the points I was sorry about that match was that the “main shareholder” of the victory against Neuchâtel Xamax was shown to be Mustafa Denizli. In football, the 50% of the result is determined by the player’s quality, 25% by the coach and 25% by the management. The combination of these brings a championship or success. However, even today when the Neuchâtel Xamax victory is broadcast Mustafa Denizli is displayed, talking on the victory. Why don’t they host the real owners of this success as guests? I believe that they should also take the person who scored 3 goals in that match as a guest.
“In football, the 50% of the result is determined by the player’s quality, 25% by the coach and 25% by the management.”
Which match were you the happiest and the saddest for?
I was very upset when we were leading 3-0 while playing at Galatasaray against Fenerbahce, but lost 4-3. I scored all the 3 goals. The match that I was the happiest with was of course the one we played against Neuchâtel Xamax. Matches like this come around once every 100 years.
Which goal have you never forgotten in your career?
The 4th goal I scored against Neuchâtel Xamax. In fact, I had just signed for Galatasaray. I also can’t forget the goal I scored with a reverse shot against Sakaryaspor.
After leaving football, you worked as the Coach of Siirtspor, Goztepe and the A2 National Team. Why didn’t you continue?
I still get angry with myself about it. I made a mistake in my planning. Actually I should never have left football. If I had the opportunity to go back to those years, I would definitely continue my career as a coach.
Who would you consider to be the ”Star” player of Turkish football right now?
Names such as Cengiz Under, Yusuf Yazici, Caglar Soyuncu etc. are special players for Turkish football. However, the number of such names should increase. After Burak Yilmaz and Cenk Tosun quit football, our national team will have no strikers left.
What are your thoughts about the Istanbulspor community?
Istanbulspor is one of the biggest clubs in Turkish football. It is a club with a deep-rooted history and very strong ties. Their recent rise makes me happy as well. I hope this continues and their success will last a long time.
