Hakan Sukur, once a celebrated football legend in Turkey, now lives in exile in California and works as an Uber driver. Revered for his goalscoring, Sukur scored 295 times for Galatasaray and 51 times for the national team. However, his reputation took a dramatic turn after a failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016.
Sukur faced charges of being a member of an armed terrorist group and was forced to flee the country to avoid arrest. In 2011, he was elected as an Istanbul MP for the Justice Development Party and aligned himself with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, a 2013 government corruption scandal led to a break in ties between Erdogan and Sukur, who resigned from the governing party.
Sukur’s comments about his Albanian heritage, made during a university speech, further strained his relationship with the Turkish government. In 2016, he was charged with insulting President Erdogan on Twitter, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He managed to escape to America, where he built a new life for himself. Despite having everything taken from him in Turkey, including his businesses, houses, bank accounts, and nationality, Sukur remains hopeful for a return to his country. He believes that the controlled media in Turkey has distorted the public’s perception of him.
