Merih Demiral's transfer statement! He responds to return question...

The Turkish National Team’s center-back Merih Demiral gave an interview to the Portuguese newspaper A Bola. The 27-year-old player, who shared his extraordinary career journey from Alcanenense to Sporting B and then to Juventus in just one year, did not hide his lingering bitterness over his premature departure from Sporting.

‘I MISS IT A LOT’

Do you miss Portugal, especially Alcanena, which was your entry point to your career in 2016/2017? How do you remember that period?

Of course I missed it over the past eight years. Portugal, and especially Lisbon, has always been a special place for me, full of beautiful and good memories. My time at Alcanenense was a bit challenging, but I met some very good people there who helped me a lot. That’s why I love Portugal and its people so much.

‘IT WAS INCREDIBLE’

Your career path was quite unusual. From Alcanenense to Sporting—an unexpected giant leap. What dreams did you have when you arrived at Alvalade?

Yes, it was an unexpected turn of events. But I worked very hard for my dreams at Alcanenense, and one day during training, a scout named Paolo from Lisbon discovered me and invited me for a trial at Sporting. The first day was incredible—I trained with the U19s in the morning and the B team on the same day. I must have impressed them because right after those sessions, they prepared a contract for me. From that day on, my dream became playing for Sporting’s first team.

This dream never came true; you only played one official match. Do you feel there was a lot left to show?

Yes, I only played one professional game, but I had big dreams—to play in the league, to stay there for many years, to play at Alvalade. I had set that goal for myself: to become a first-team player.

RETURN TO TURKEY

Your departure was surprising; many fans predicted a great future for you at the club. Were you hurt?

Exactly, I knew the fans believed in me. Those who watched my games always told me that. Not being able to play for the first team made me sad, but leaving in that way and following a different career path ended up being good. Returning to Turkey helped me build a more successful career. I have many great memories of Sporting—I still keep in touch with many of my friends from there, and sometimes we even play against each other. I only have happy memories.

‘JUVENTUS WAS INCREDIBLE’

In two years, from Alcanenense to Sporting, then... Juventus. An incredible rise in such a short time...

Of course, joining Juventus in one year was a huge leap. Juventus is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Suddenly, I found myself there—everything happened very quickly in just one season. From Sporting B to Juventus’ first team in one year. It was an incredible start to my career. Juventus will always have a special place in my heart. I still talk to people in Turin. Despite being a huge club, everyone there was incredibly humble. The squad was full of stars—sometimes I’d look at the bench and see names like Buffon, Mandzukic, Dybala, Khedira, Matuidi, and Pjanic. It was a truly winning team, packed with great players.

Will your heart be divided in the Juventus-Sporting match, or will it beat stronger for one side?

I won’t be rooting for either team, but I’m sure it will be a high-level, competitive match. It’s not easy to take sides when both are so special. Turin is always a difficult place to visit. Even if they are going through a tough period or not at their best! During Covid, even clubs playing in empty stadiums felt intimidated there. A full stadium and passionate fans will certainly make things even more difficult. I’m sure we’ll see a very intense match.

'I’M HAPPY, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW'

The 27-year-old center-back isn’t making future plans but doesn’t rule out a return to Portugal: “I’m very happy in Saudi Arabia. I’m pleased to be one of the first pieces of this project and satisfied with the progress of things. Everything that was said to us during the transfer phase—the plans and the vision—is gradually coming to fruition. As I said, I’m happy here, and you never know what the future holds.”