The end of a beautiful relationship

"Ah, Hakan Sukur," he sighed, dreamily tilting his head sideways and looking heavenwards, as if it was up there, with the Gods, that Sukur resided. Which he did, really, according to Ismail, a Turkish barman living and working in Germany but wishing he was back home.

Returning home, though, wasn't an option, partly because he was the father of two children who regarded themselves as German and wanted to stay in Germany, as did his Cologne-born wife, and partly because he would not be able to make a good enough living back in Turkey to support his family anyway, he said. But he pined for the place and pined for his club Galatasaray and his family - in that order, he confessed - and missed watching his hero Hakan Sukur, star of both Galatasaray and the Turkish national side. That was August 1999, a full 10 months since Sukur had scored the goal that beat Germany in a Euro 2000 qualifying game in Bursa, Turkey's first victory over the Germans since 1951, but for Ismail the memories of that night were so vivid he could describe passages of the game like they were playing on a video tape in front of him.

"A bit like Ireland beating England, maybe," he suggested. "Ah no," I nodded, before taking him through, in forensic detail, Ray Houghton's 1988 Stuttgart goal.

Ismail adored Sukur anyway before that night. After? Another glance heavenwards and another sigh. Funnily enough, when I looked up I spotted Houghton sitting on a cloud beside the man from Galatasaray.

Sukur has been a prolific goalscorer all his career, but that's the goal he'll be remembered for till his dying day in Turkey.

Beating Germany was special, so special that after the game the crowd chanted "Turkey, we will die for you," for a full quarter of an hour. "But then we lost to Finland in Istanbul four days later," he said, shaking his head in disbelief, but laughing. He forgave them, conceding that it would take a long time for the brownie points gained by the team four days earlier to run out.

That victory meant a lot to a Turk living in Germany, he said, because "we don't get much respect". Germans, it would appear, haven't too much respect for their ailing national side either, but still, beating them was a source of huge national pride for the Turkish community in Germany. His dream? Long-term for Galatasaray to win the European Cup, short-term for Turkey to qualify for Euro 2000 - the first he thought improbable, the second a possibility. Turkey had three games to go, away to Northern Ireland, Moldova and Germany - two wins and then a draw in Germany would be enough, he reckoned, and then he'd plan his holidays for Belgium and Holland the following summer.

A hopeful, bordering-on-the-semi-confident, Irish trio said they might see him there. Only the day before Croatia had drawn 0-0 with Yugoslavia in Ireland's group, so things were looking reasonably good. When we bid farewell to Ismail at the end of our fortnight in Cologne, we wished Turkey and Hakan Sukur good luck in the qualifiers and sportingly said we hoped they'd make it to the finals. He returned the compliment and promised to buy us a pint in Rotterdam, or wherever our Euro 2000 travels took us.

When we saw that Turkey had beaten Northern Ireland in Belfast we worried for Lawrie McMenemy's international future, but raised a cheer for Ismail. But when we saw that Turkey had screwed up by only drawing with Moldova in their penultimate qualifying game we despaired for him, and despaired again when we saw that they failed to get the win they needed against Germany in Munich in their final game (they drew 0-0). Result - a place in the play-offs. And we're certain that when he saw that Ireland had beaten Yugoslavia in Dublin he raised a glass to our good health, but worried for our health when he saw that they lost to a poxy late goal away to Croatia.

But news of Ireland beating Malta, just about, would have made him happy for us, until he sat open-mouthed as he watched them concede a last-minute equaliser to Macedonia in their final qualifying game. Result - a place in the play-offs. And then the draw was made. Well, so much for all that football-bonding lark. Ismail? If you're out there, we take it all back. May Hakan Sukur be consigned to spectator status at Euro 2000 next summer and may we have the pleasure of sending you a postcard from Rotterdam.