Arda Turan has revealed his Atletico Madrid exploits won him instant respect in the Barcelona dressing room.
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The Turkish international midfielder, 28, last night made a belated debut for the Blaugrana in their 3-1 Copa del Rey victory over Espanyol. He has spent the last six months in limbo after securing a €35 million (Dh138m) move from the Vicente Calderon in the summer but being unable to register for his new club because of a transfer ban imposed on the Catalan giants by FIFA.
That hasn’t stopped him integrating with his new team-mates, however, as they knew him well from their frequent high stakes battles with his former club.
Turan was a key player in the Rojiblancos side who knocked Barca out of the 2012-13 Copa del Rey on their way to lifting the trophy, and a year later claimed a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp to pip them to the La Liga title on the final day of the season.
Turan said: “My friends (at Barcelona) treat me well because I came to the team, among my (new) team-mates, after gaining a deserved respect for my accomplishments in Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray.
“So they treat me like I am one of them. Frankly, I feel so, too. It is really nice. They made me one of them, everything is going pretty well. They welcomed me very well when I first came here. With applause, songs. It was very special for me.”
Now having finally got his Barca debut out of the way, Turan is setting big targets for the remainder of the campaign, including a regular starting spot in their star-studded midfield and by helping the Catalans become the first team to retain the Champions League.
“I am excited. But I would like to enjoy it rather than being excited,” added Turan. “I am going to have the chance of playing in the best team in the world with the most special players and maybe with the best player in history (Lionel Messi). I hope I will enjoy this. I hope I will have great successes and a Champions League win.
“I hope I will be one of the most precious players of this team. This is incredible.”
