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jenny_jenkinsEverything you wanted to know about Hamit Altintop but were afraid to ask!
He has a twin! More on that below...
Hamit Altintop won an award this year named for a Madrid legend - the Puskas Award for Best Goal of 2010.
Here's the jaw-dropper of a goal that won him that award - against Kazakhstan in the European Qualification Match of last Autumn -
This is no accident. Altintop has a habit of scoring powerful volleys from rather absurd distances - as he did here, against St Pauli - a ridiculously beautiful goal -
And here - against Werder Bremen - another screamer -
And here - against Anderlecht - perfectly splendid!
These goals are no coincidence - and they are uniquely beautiful even for the Bundesliga, a league that produces more than its fair share of truly spectacular volleys. Frank Rost (Hamburg's keeper) remembers young Altintop (age 20) asking him to stay late after practice to work on long-range shots. That was 8 years ago, when he played for Schalke.
The award is special too, because millions of football fans get to vote on which goal they liked best. Also, it is named for a former Madrid legend. Also, he beat out, among others Lionel Messi - how very prescient of him! That's one trophy down, several to go!
Here are some of the goals he beat out - and the award ceremony. I think we can agree that his was the most beautiful by quite a long-shot (no pun intended) -
Altintop grew up without his father, who died when he was three. His mother, Mereyem, worked in a factory to bring up 5 children on her own. Altintop is very admiring of his mother, and has noted that as children they lacked for nothing because she looked after them so well. He talks a great deal about her in interviews and plainly adores her. She's the centre of the family, according to him, and all the children defer to her. She dislikes noisy stadiums, but she makes sure to watch all his games at home on her television!
At Schalke (Raul's new club), Altintop played with our very own Mesut Oezil.
Altintop and Oezil with the Royal Blues - Raul's new club
They grew up in the same working-class neighbourhood in Gelsenkirchen and learned their football in the same enclosed space "the monkey cage" - so called because it is surrounded by a wire fence. As a result, Altintop has many of the traits of a street-footballer: good at manouvering in little space, no hesitation entering contests and a peculiar elegance on the ball. He and Oezil are so close that when the Turkish Federation asked Oezil to join them instead of Germany, they sent Hamit Altintop to try and persuade him - unsuccessfully as it turned out. Along with our new player Nuri Sahin, he and Oezil spend every single Christmas Eve together because they can all be sure to be in their hometown and have the day off!
Oezil with Werder Bremen, Altintop with Bayern Muenchen
They have remained close friends even though Altintop was involved in a minor (or major, if you follow German football) war of words over Oezil's decision to play for Germany - labeling it a career move rather than a move from the heart. It made the headlines of every single sports daily in Germany after being published in an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on the eve of a rather emotionally charged match for the European Championship Qualification in Berlin between Germany and Turkey. Altintop apologized personally, and said he lost sleep over the terrible fuss the words caused - a fuss he didn't expect - and over a single statement in a much longer interview. Oezil has said he has no hard-feelings, and this year's Christmas Eve gathering went ahead as planned.
Looking fierce in his Turkish kit.
And, as one might suspect from the above, he does play for Turkey. It is worth remembering however that he wouldn't have been allowed to receive German citizenship until he was nearly 18, since Germany's embarrassingly archaic citizenship laws weren't changed until 1999. So for the record, this makes the generational split between younger Turkish Germans who are beginning to choose to play for Germany, and older ones who play for Turkey rather more comprehensible to someone who isn't German.
Altintop with Madrid's other Turkish Delight - made in Germany for exclusive export to Spain - Nuri Sahin
He has a twin-brother, named Halil, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt. Madrid should consider signing both because it will confuse the hell out of defenders on rival teams!
His name means "Golden Ball" in Turkish.
He also has a minor disability - a stammer - which is particularly strong during and immediately after games. He suspects this is because of the adrenaline. He worked with a speech therapist to get rid of it for years, and still reads out-loud to himself to try and overcome it.
He is a little injury-prone. He had a plate inserted into his right foot which wouldn't immediately take. He has also had knee problems. This hampered his ability to get a regular starting place at FC Bayern Muenchen. He is extremely versatile however, can play left, right, centre, defensively or in the forward of a midfield and has - as the videos above will show - a talent for scoring outrageously beautiful goals.
Black leather jacket - lock up Higuain!
He has a twin! More on that below...
Hamit Altintop won an award this year named for a Madrid legend - the Puskas Award for Best Goal of 2010.
Here's the jaw-dropper of a goal that won him that award - against Kazakhstan in the European Qualification Match of last Autumn -
This is no accident. Altintop has a habit of scoring powerful volleys from rather absurd distances - as he did here, against St Pauli - a ridiculously beautiful goal -
And here - against Werder Bremen - another screamer -
And here - against Anderlecht - perfectly splendid!
These goals are no coincidence - and they are uniquely beautiful even for the Bundesliga, a league that produces more than its fair share of truly spectacular volleys. Frank Rost (Hamburg's keeper) remembers young Altintop (age 20) asking him to stay late after practice to work on long-range shots. That was 8 years ago, when he played for Schalke.
The award is special too, because millions of football fans get to vote on which goal they liked best. Also, it is named for a former Madrid legend. Also, he beat out, among others Lionel Messi - how very prescient of him! That's one trophy down, several to go!
Here are some of the goals he beat out - and the award ceremony. I think we can agree that his was the most beautiful by quite a long-shot (no pun intended) -
Altintop grew up without his father, who died when he was three. His mother, Mereyem, worked in a factory to bring up 5 children on her own. Altintop is very admiring of his mother, and has noted that as children they lacked for nothing because she looked after them so well. He talks a great deal about her in interviews and plainly adores her. She's the centre of the family, according to him, and all the children defer to her. She dislikes noisy stadiums, but she makes sure to watch all his games at home on her television!
At Schalke (Raul's new club), Altintop played with our very own Mesut Oezil.
Altintop and Oezil with the Royal Blues - Raul's new club
They grew up in the same working-class neighbourhood in Gelsenkirchen and learned their football in the same enclosed space "the monkey cage" - so called because it is surrounded by a wire fence. As a result, Altintop has many of the traits of a street-footballer: good at manouvering in little space, no hesitation entering contests and a peculiar elegance on the ball. He and Oezil are so close that when the Turkish Federation asked Oezil to join them instead of Germany, they sent Hamit Altintop to try and persuade him - unsuccessfully as it turned out. Along with our new player Nuri Sahin, he and Oezil spend every single Christmas Eve together because they can all be sure to be in their hometown and have the day off!
Oezil with Werder Bremen, Altintop with Bayern Muenchen
They have remained close friends even though Altintop was involved in a minor (or major, if you follow German football) war of words over Oezil's decision to play for Germany - labeling it a career move rather than a move from the heart. It made the headlines of every single sports daily in Germany after being published in an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on the eve of a rather emotionally charged match for the European Championship Qualification in Berlin between Germany and Turkey. Altintop apologized personally, and said he lost sleep over the terrible fuss the words caused - a fuss he didn't expect - and over a single statement in a much longer interview. Oezil has said he has no hard-feelings, and this year's Christmas Eve gathering went ahead as planned.
Looking fierce in his Turkish kit.
And, as one might suspect from the above, he does play for Turkey. It is worth remembering however that he wouldn't have been allowed to receive German citizenship until he was nearly 18, since Germany's embarrassingly archaic citizenship laws weren't changed until 1999. So for the record, this makes the generational split between younger Turkish Germans who are beginning to choose to play for Germany, and older ones who play for Turkey rather more comprehensible to someone who isn't German.
Altintop with Madrid's other Turkish Delight - made in Germany for exclusive export to Spain - Nuri Sahin
He has a twin-brother, named Halil, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt. Madrid should consider signing both because it will confuse the hell out of defenders on rival teams!
His name means "Golden Ball" in Turkish.
He also has a minor disability - a stammer - which is particularly strong during and immediately after games. He suspects this is because of the adrenaline. He worked with a speech therapist to get rid of it for years, and still reads out-loud to himself to try and overcome it.
He is a little injury-prone. He had a plate inserted into his right foot which wouldn't immediately take. He has also had knee problems. This hampered his ability to get a regular starting place at FC Bayern Muenchen. He is extremely versatile however, can play left, right, centre, defensively or in the forward of a midfield and has - as the videos above will show - a talent for scoring outrageously beautiful goals.
Black leather jacket - lock up Higuain!
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