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Samed Yesil: From playing for Liverpool at Anfield to working in a factory Samed Yesil should be entering his prime. He was one of the biggest talents of his generation in Germany. He made his Bundesliga debut for Bayer Leverkusen when he was just 17. His prolific goalscoring at youth level for club and country earned him the nickname ‘Gerd’, after legendary striker Gerd Muller. Liverpool paid Leverkusen £1 million to sign him at age 18 in the summer of 2012 and he was soon rubbing shoulders with Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez at Melwood. He had the world at his feet. Now 27, Yesil’s life is far removed from the bright lights of the Premier League. Living in the city of Krefeld, north west of Dusseldorf, with wife Gonca and their young son Ilyas, he plays for DJK Teutonia St Tonis in the Oberliga Niederrhein, a regional league in the fifth tier of German football who train three times a week. From 7am until 3:30pm Monday to Friday, he works in a factory, building air filters. “It’s an amateur league, but it’s still a good league to improve yourself and get fit,” Yesil tells The Athletic. “We’ve taken four points out of six so far this season and I’ve got a few assists, so I want to build on that. It depends who we are facing but usually we get crowds of around 200 to 300. I’m sure if I can play 30 games this season and score 15 to 20 goals then I will move back up the leagues again. “The president of the club gave me a job in his company. I need to try ways into life post-football, in case I don’t get back into a professional league.” To say that Yesil has been dealt a bad hand would be an understatement. Devastating injury setbacks wrecked his time at Liverpool and since his contract there expired in 2016 he’s led a nomadic existence. However, despite all the adversity he’s been faced with, his spirit hasn’t been broken. He is engaging company as he relives a journey that cruelly veered off track after such a promising start. “Growing up, it was always my dream to become a footballer,” says Yesil, as he perches on the edge of his sofa. “I played for a small team in Dusseldorf before Leverkusen spotted me when I was 11 or 12. I signed my first professional contract with them when I was 16. That was the age when I first started playing for Germany. “Emre Can, a good friend of mine, was in my age group. So too was Kaan Ayhan, who now plays for (Serie A side) Sassuolo and (has over 40 caps for) the Turkey national team, and Odysseas Vlachodimos, who now plays for Benfica and Greece.” Yesil scored an impressive 20 goals in 22 appearances for Germany Under-17s. He was joint top-scorer at the Under-17 European Championship in 2011 as Germany lost the final to a Netherlands team including Memphis Depay, now starring for the Dutch senior side and Barcelona, and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake. He was second-leading goalscorer in the Under-17 World Cup later that same summer after finding the net on six occasions. He scored twice in a quarter-final win over an England side featuring Raheem Sterling and Jordan Pickford before Germany succumbed to hosts Mexico in the last four. “When people started calling me ‘Gerd’, I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t even know who Gerd Muller was. He played before I was born,” he says. “But I started to Google him and I watched all his goals. I realised then what a big honour it was. I could see that we were similar strikers in that all his goals were scored from inside the box — in my career, I think I’ve only ever scored one goal from outside the box. “I never felt pressure because of that comparison. I only took it as a compliment when they said I was like him.” Former Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia was the manager who gave Yesil his senior bow for Leverkusen against Hertha Berlin in April 2012. He had forced his way into the first-team squad by scoring 58 goals in 74 games for the club’s under-17 and under-19 teams. “There was a lot of attention on me but I was just really happy to be involved at such a young age,” he says. “I’d been on the bench a few times before I got on. When I heard my name called out, I was so pleased. Sami was a good coach. In every training game, he played as a centre-back. Even though he was quite old (Hyypia was 39!) you could still see what a great defender he was.” That summer, Liverpool came calling. Brendan Rodgers had just taken over as manager. Yesil had recently turned 18. “I’d always wanted to play in England one day, but I didn’t think it would happen to me when I was so young,” he admits. “I was thinking more like when I was 25 or 26 but I was also happy that it happened. At the time, I didn’t know Liverpool were watching me and I was thinking of a transfer to maybe another club in the Bundesliga. “I only found out I was signing for Liverpool when I went to the airport and my agent showed me the flight tickets. It was a big surprise that they wanted me. “I never thought about clubs watching me when I did well at those international tournaments with Germany. Sometimes I’d read in the newspapers, ‘Arsene Wenger is trying to sign Samed Yesil for Arsenal’. But I never asked my agent if it was true. I just continued to play. “As soon as my agent told me that Liverpool wanted me, I just wasn’t interested in any other clubs. It was an easy decision to make. It was Liverpool. My mind was made up. “I moved over with my cousin. His English was much better than mine, so he helped me a lot with all the paperwork for things. At first, I lived in the Sefton Park area and then I moved to an apartment in the city. Everyone was so friendly. Liverpool was a nice place to live.” Yesil was initially based with the under-21s squad at the Kirkby academy but during the September international break he returned home and played in an under-19s friendly against an England team featuring Pickford, Sterling, Eric Dier, John Stones and James Ward-Prowse. He scored two goals and created the other in a 3-1 win. “Adam Morgan and Raheem, who were both already part of the first-team squad at Liverpool, played in that game,” he recalls. “When I flew back to Liverpool, I got a message from one of the coaching staff to say that, from the following day onwards, I would be training with the first team at Melwood rather than going to Kirkby. “It was like a dream. I only knew these players from the PlayStation and from watching games on TV. Now I was sharing a dressing room with Suarez, Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. I needed a few weeks to realise that it was really happening. “Brendan was so good. He always wanted to play football. Never long balls, always to play it short from the goalkeeper forwards and build attacks. I liked that. “I remember he said to me that when I’d learned good enough English he would give me a chance in the first team. So I got myself an English teacher who came to my apartment three times a week. After about four weeks, my English was good. I went to Brendan and said, ‘Coach, my English is much better now.’ He said, ‘OK, you will start in the League Cup against West Brom.’” On September 26, Yesil led the line for a team including Carragher and Jordan Henderson in front of 21,000 at The Hawthorns. Nuri Sahin scored twice and holders Liverpool advanced with a 2-1 win. “It was my first game in a full stadium and we were up against Romelu Lukaku, who is now one of the best strikers in the world,” he says. “It was a really good moment for me and one I will never forget. The shirt from that game is on the wall in my parents’ house.” A month later, he started the next round as Swansea City, the eventual winners, beat Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield. It proved to be his second and final senior appearance for the club. “I know we lost but that night was something really special for me. It was amazing to play in front of the Kop. It’s difficult to find the right words for what it was like. You have to be on that pitch to feel it like that. “As the coach started to trust me more, I felt more comfortable. I started to know my team-mates better and I spoke to more of them. I felt like I had become part of the squad. “I knew I still had a lot to improve but I wanted to learn and get more minutes. In Suarez, I was learning from one of the best strikers in the world. How he trained, how he finished, it was incredible.” Yesil’s problems began the following February. He was playing for Germany Under-19s in a friendly away to their Italy counterparts when he tore the ACL in his right knee. “The game wasn’t played on grass. It was on an artificial pitch and as I went to change direction, my leg stopped and my knee turned,” he says. “There was some pain but I didn’t think it was serious. I actually played on. After the game, I went to see the doctor. He did all the tests and said it was probably just a bit painful because of the pitch. “When I got back to Liverpool I went out to train but, after about 20 minutes, I had to stop because the pain was so bad. They sent me for an MRI scan and that showed my ACL was badly damaged. I went to London for an operation.” After eight months out, Yesil made his comeback for Liverpool Under-21s against Tottenham in the October. He was desperate to make up for lost time and force his way back into Rodgers’ plans. However, just three months later, his world came crashing down once again. “During a training session at Liverpool, I went to run back and my knee twisted. I heard a big ‘boom’ noise,” he says. “I knew it was the same injury. Same ACL, same knee. It swelled up so much. “Everyone has a different opinion about why it happened again. Some say it happened because my rehab wasn’t so good and maybe I started back too early. Others say maybe the operation didn’t go so well. “The second time, I decided to have the surgery done in Germany by the specialist who operates on all the national-team players. I have to say a big thank you to Liverpool for respecting my wishes on that. They also let me do my rehab in Germany, which was fantastic of them.” Yesil was sidelined for another 10 months. Mentally, that second rehab stint was much tougher. “Before the first ACL injury, I’d never even suffered a twisted ankle,” he says. “I went from never getting injured to doing my ACL twice. “The first time I thought, ‘OK, I can use this time to work on my body and get stronger.’ But the second time I really thought about quitting playing football completely. I knew I’d be out for so long. I was lucky I had great friends and family who stayed always behind me. They kept pushing me and gave me the strength to come back again.” Yesil returned to action for Liverpool Under-21s against Sunderland in August 2014. By then, fellow striker Suarez had left for Barcelona, with Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli being signed to compete with Fabio Borini and Daniel Sturridge for places up front. Rodgers wasn’t exactly blessed with firepower but Yesil struggled to regain both form and fitness. He made 11 appearances under Michael Beale — now Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers — in Premier League 2 that season, scoring three times. “When I’d been in Germany for the rehab I’d started to eat not so healthy things and I put on some kilos, so I needed to lose some weight. Plus, in my head, when I went into a tackle, I just wasn’t 100 per cent. I was thinking, ‘What if it happens again?’ I was scared. I knew if my ACL went for a third time, I’d never be able to play again.” In the summer of 2015, as he began the final year of his contract, Yesil jumped at the chance to join Luzern on a season-long loan. The Swiss club were managed by former Liverpool full-back Markus Babbel. “At first, I was thinking I could do well there and still have a future at Liverpool. I knew the coach at Luzern from my national team. He knew what kind of footballer I was. The first game I started for them, we won 1-0 (against FC Zurich) and I scored the goal. I was thinking, ‘I’m back’. “But then there were some issues between the coach and the president. Two new strikers came in and I became number three or four. It was really difficult. Long balls, strikers who are two metres tall winning headers, I’m not the striker to play that kind of football.” Having scored just that one goal in 14 Swiss Super League games, Yesil faced an uncertain future after being released by Liverpool at the end of his contract the following summer. He was without a club for six months before joining Panionios in Greece in January 2017. His first full season with the Athens side was promising, as he scored eight goals in 31 appearances in all competitions in 2017-18. The problems he encountered came off the field rather than on it. “The only reason I left was because payments were either late or they ‘forgot’ to pay me completely,” Yesil says. “They would pay you in January and then there would be nothing until October or November. It was not easy to live with no money. I had to change clubs again.” Panionios’s failure to settle their debts with the Greek government as well as with players and staff led to the club being demoted from the professional leagues to the amateur ranks. Now they are back in the second tier under new ownership, Yesil is on the verge of reaching a financial settlement with them. After a spell with third-tier Uerdingen in his home city of Krefeld, Yesil headed to Turkey to sign for second division Ankara Demir in January of last year. But he played just 141 minutes of football for them in seven appearances either side of the pandemic shutdown before joining Homberg, a fourth-tier side in Duisburg, just a few miles north of Krefeld, last October. “It’s not easy when you are having to move all the time,” he admits. “I’m someone who likes to travel but I was married by then and for my wife it was difficult. You bring your stuff and then a few months later you have to pack everything up and go somewhere else. You reach a point where you just want to be settled.” This summer, after 22 games and two goals for Homberg, Yesil dropped down a division to sign for Teutonia St Tonis. When he’s not on a shift at the KSI Filtertechnik factory or training, he’s spending time with six-month-old son Ilyas. Becoming a father has provided perspective to the anguish he has faced professionally. His faith has also helped during some tough times. Does his mind ever wander back to those days at Liverpool? Does he think about what might have been? “I used to, but I’m a Muslim and I believe now that everything happens for a reason. I’m not angry or upset,” he says. “I just wanted to be a footballer. I didn’t dream of being the next Messi or Ronaldo. I wasn’t in it to earn many millions. I just wanted to get good money to help my family. I have a house with my wife and child. And my parents have a house, so I’ve been able to achieve that. “The first three months with our son were really hard because he had some problems with his stomach and cried a lot but now everything is going well. Everyone is healthy and happy, and that’s the most important thing to me. “Krefeld is a small city but it’s a nice, quiet place to live. I’m still a big Liverpool supporter and I watch all the games. I love Jurgen Klopp. He’s the perfect manager for Liverpool. I can’t wait to come back to Anfield as a fan one day. “But I’m not finished with football myself yet. I haven’t given up. I’m still only 27. My target is to get back up there again. If I can stay fit, I know I will do it.”

Hi All, Our flowers and card arrived to the crematorium before the service this morning, I’ve just watched her service as I couldn’t attend in person earlier. I’ve since transferred the rest of your kind donations to the families chosen charity fund. https://localgiving.org/fundraising/AmyPurcell/ Thank you to everyone for your generosity. RIP Amy, YNWA

Engaging in tactical perving. You're now at an age where looking at women under 30/35 would be largely regarded as inappropriate/horrifying, so measures have to be taken. The other day there was some bird up the ladder rearranging some clobber in JD Sports, I clocked her instantly on the way in and had to think on my feet, so I gradually circumnavigated some of the displays of trainers and what not so I could get a good view of her buttocks up the ladder on my way back out. It was like when they used to plot slingshot courses for the voyager probe, it took years, but it got there.

Tinned chicken? Absolutely fucking outrageous.

Never too soon to check the small print this could save FSG millions

i'm pretty sure he won't be involved in any fighting.

I have just discovered today that Amy lived in the same town as me and that we have friends in common, although we did not know each other. It makes the world feel very small to discover the young woman called Amy that tragically passed recently that mutual friends spoke about is the same lady spoken of in equally glowing terms here. I have a vague memory of Gazelle's posts on here from my very early days. There is an online book of condolence from the undertakers: Amy's book of condolence The gent handling matters on Monday is top class. After my Mum passed last year, the same chap organised everything for us, so she is in great hands. I will see if I can square it for Monday to attend, as it would be nice I guess for the forum to be represented with someone there. RIP Amy

Tony wrote the book on this subject. A man among men.

I've just dropped to this thread and for the 1st time read the 1st page (although maybe I've done it twatted before and don't remember)! How things have changed! I was just walking past Exmouth market in London and popped into the mikkeller brew pub there ( © @Bruce Spanner ) . It seems they have a 2/3 for a pint on a Monday, so just sinking their current top line beer at a genuine bargain 10 quid a pint. An absolute fucking belter.

Fucking marge? Dirty pro-beaning, marge wielding cunt? And to choose beans over cheese is an act of the deranged. I do like you Belarus, but I worry, I really do.

That's terrible It's "fewer" parking spaces

A jacket potato, with broccoli atop. By choice? As a full meal? It’s no wonder the US lost the war of independence to Blighty if that’s what they were serving up.

Beans with toast, yeah whatever. Get some lovely cheese and #binthebeans. Fish fingers and chips - somethings missing. Yes, an adult. Beans are not even in the top 10 for a jacket. What you do in your home is your business. It would appear to be non consensual however. So, worrisome at the least.

The better weather can also inspire us romantic poets: The sunny weather, reminds me of Heather, we had sex by her bin, cos her boyfriend was in.

Let’s not be too hasty. We can contact the Guinean military and ask them how much they’re willing to pay us to take him back.

Goodison Park.

Went to watch the start of the Tour of Britain cycle race in Penzance yesterday. The Mrs loves it , we got there a couple of hours before the start and she was chatting with Mark Cavendish and a few others. It means nothing to me but its her thing and I was happy to go along with it. The thing I don't get is all the middle aged turning up to watch with their bikes in all the lycra gear. I was looking at them stood there by the side of the road thinking how fucking strange it all was. Its like an overweight bloke going to the match with a full kit on, including boots whilst bouncing a ball. Weirdos.

I was expecting this to have a real Boozy taste. Wasn’t bad actually but not as good as the OG Stay Puft.

Been drinking Ukrainian beer the past week and they have really started to diversify over the past couple of years. Normally it'd be 80% lager options with a dark and blonde option making up the rest. Actually I've missed out fresh beers which have a 2 week shelf life, they are usually really good. Anyway now they have got loads going on, dark wheat beers, distilled 11% stuff, Belgian cherry ales, local versions of blondes. Really fun to discover.

It’s Cruyff, no question. The correct order is: 1. Cruyff 2. Finney Everyone else can fuck off to the tournament’s for the position they actually played. Sorry ZZ but them’s the breaks. Ronaldinho is lucky to have got this far. Great player, but we’re deciding the very greatest of the great here. He’s not that.

Hahaha. I was only padding out the list. Although I don’t mind marge. A decent one like bertolli and I’m happy as Larry. Blue band I used to like for the small period I remember it before it got fucked off or banned? Beans over cheese on a spud, yes. Beans over cheese in general is a tough one. If it was a case of I could only have one or the other, forever, beans would probably get the nod for being one of your 5 a day and keeping me regular. But if it was a straight up “which is tastier” there would be cheeses above beans, but also cheeses below beans. Kidney beans can fuck off though. Ruin a good chilli those cunts.

Harvey Elliott was eligible for 42 Blackburn matchday squads last season and was available and included in every single one. Back to us this season and he is injured already.....

Keita has that sewn up

Bad gimp if you used the straw and didn’t bite a hole in the bottom corner of it instead

#polpotpie

Might belong in the condiments thread. Chimichurri - did steaks on the grill with although I could almost spoon the stuff directly into my face. Best part of a churrasco.

My missus had one of her work colleagues fall out with her a few weeks back for not wishing her happy birthday on Facebook, bear in mind the the wife seen this girl in person that very day, wished her happy birthday to her face and cake her a card and small gift. Cranks and loons.

I’m dubious of the mental health card at times but in fairness he has the family history to back it up.

I genuinely can't wait for winter.

People who only seem to like hot weather. A crisp November morning? The wind swept moors that inspired poets? The crunch of icy grass underfoot? All wasted on soulless sun worshippers.

What a day I've had. I'm still working from home due to this Long Covid shite, so my employer had insisted that my GP refers me to some Long Covid clinic. I phoned my GP last Monday so he could arrange this but he's on holiday so I ended up speaking to the other doctor in the practice. He arranged for me to undergo a plethora of tests before any such referral. 9:20 I had to shuffle down to the local health center for some blood samples to be taken and for my BP to be taken. Straight after that I had to walk to a local clinic for a chest x-ray. After that I had to limp to the local hospital for an ECG at 1:00 Chatting on with the nurse who performed my ECG she asked me why my GP hadn't simply just asked the hospital to carry out all 3 functions because they do them all all the fucking time! Fucking fuming, a limping sweaty mess, I've even got blisters now to add to this Long Covid shite. My GP is a great fella but his partner in the practice is an absolute prick. It's the first time I've spoken to him in about 30 years, the last time was when he stuck his finger up my arse and I told him I wouldn't be shaking his hand.

The missing P out of Thompson is a shocker here.

Bob hates animals

Taking my pup out for a leisurely stroll on a sunny morning* *and perving at the women bending over to say hello to him

Be careful if you get in after him. You might slip in it and break your hip.

When cycling, I like to cover every inch of my body in lycra except for a flap which I flop my pigs out of.

I was out on my road bike on Saturday, no hint of lycra, just t-shirt and shorts. I took great pleasure in catching and overtaking four of the full kit mob on the road up and over the Runcorn bridge. Not that I'm competitive. Much.

It's all about the taste. Why eat stuff that tastes crap when there are unlimited delicious alternatives, vegie, vegan or omnivore. Eating is one of lifes great pleasures.

He's probably done his achilles watching the telly.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your dad Dan.

Think Paul is spot on in this!

Like a new signing.

I love seeing Arsenal be shite. Their support were so fucking smug when they were boss and they used to do that 'hoof' shout to us and sing 'hoof the ball, win fuck all' at us. Giving it the big one about their league and cup wins was fair do's - but when they were doing it for their top 4 finishes i just found that pathetic. I remember going Highbury in the late 80's/early 90's and ok we were close rivals then fighting for leagues but their support were just horrible twats...full repertoire of 'sign on' 'in your liverpool slums' etc. Seeing them be shite is delightful - long may it continue. Oh and this says it all...

Nah I'm on Tsitsipas' side here. Shitclocking and subsequent shitshaming is the snide behaviour of a shithouse. Poop on Stefanos, may your colon be empty and pristine.