Greeted like a prodigal son, that is.
But, having already made a triumphant return, then going on to leave the club where you made your name for their bitter rivals is one sure-fire way to turn yourself from a hero into a villain.
Cenk Tosun may have expected a rather odd reaction when returning to the Vodafone Arena as a Fenerbahce player this weekend.
What he did not envisage, however, was that his return to Besiktas would be greeted with a chorus of boos from a fanbase who have clearly not got over his controversial switch to Fenerbahce over the summer.
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Greeted like a prodigal son, that is.
But, having already made a triumphant return, then going on to leave the club where you made your name for their bitter rivals is one sure-fire way to turn yourself from a hero into a villain.
Cenk Tosun may have expected a rather odd reaction when returning to the Vodafone Arena as a Fenerbahce player this weekend.
What he did not envisage, however, was that his return to Besiktas would be greeted with a chorus of boos from a fanbase who have clearly not got over his controversial switch to Fenerbahce over the summer.
Cenk Tosun of Fenerbahce reacts during the Turkish Super League match between Besiktas and Fenerbahce at Besiktas Park on December 7, 2024 in Istan…
Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
Everton flop Cenk Tosun booed by Besiktas fans
“I was upset,” Tosun admits, via NTV. “I did not expect such a reaction. I earned nearly 30 million euros for this club [via my move to Everton in January 2018]. I never talked about money with this club.
“Sometimes, I played with one leg and injured! This should not have been the response.
“Still, I have no grudges against the fans, thank God. Besiktas fans will understand me in the future. When they understand, maybe those who reacted to me will regret it.”
Now, Cenk Tosun has a reason to feel a little aggrieved. It was Besiktas who took the decision to let his contract run down, after all.
And, with Fenerbahce offering him the chance to not only stay in his Istanbul home but join one of the Super Lig challengers and play under Jose Mourinho, it feels a little harsh to subject Tosun to the sort of brutal criticism he endured back at a club for whom he scored one shy of 100 goals during three spells.
Just to pour salt into Tosun’s wounds, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would score the only goal of the game for Besiktas with 73 minutes on the clock.
Tosun’s Besiktas return, then, ended without a point, without a goal, and with the jeers of the fans who used to adore him still ringing in his ears.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce suffer big blow in Turkish Super Lig race
The result, meanwhile, leaves Mourinho’s Fenerbahce six points adrift of Galatasaray at the top of the table.
One of the most decorated coaches in football history was hired at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium with the intention of Fener once step further. They missed out on the title last term in heartbreaking fashion, after all, with a staggering 99 points to their name.
Instead, this is shaping up to be a campaign of much frustration, for both Mourinho and Cenk Tosun.
“It was decisive for us. They had one good chance. They scored a goal from a half chance,” Mourinho sighed following what was only his second loss in 14 Super Lig matches, spinning a familiar post-match yarn of undeserved defeat.
“There was one [Edin] Dzeko chance, which they cleared off the line. There were some [attempts] that hit the post. If we had scored the goal first, it would have been different. The match was in our hands. We deserved to draw at least.
“[But] they had great players on the counterattack. They created dangers. I cannot criticise my players. We tried our best to win the match.
“Ultimately, this match is three points. Every three points is very important. The side that did more to win and was better lost.”
