Goalkeeper | Fenerbahce | Turkey

Skinny
The life of a goalkeeper can be a difficult one but for Berke Ozer, there will be no such worries at such an early stage in his career.

For an 18-year-old, Ozer has a promising career ahead of him. The goalkeeper they call the Turkish Donnarumma earned a transfer to Fenerbahce in July after just seven first team appearances for Altinordu.

The hype around the shot stopper is justified, too. With a tall frame and imposing presence between the sticks, Ozer has the ability to make it to the very top and is already laying the ground work in order to get there.

2018 has been…

…a real success. Having made a huge impression in such a short space of time playing for Altinordu, it was no surprise to see a number of European giants queuing up for his signature ahead of the summer. Chelsea, Man City and Barcelona were all named in reports regarding Ozer’s future but it was Fenerbahce who secured the goalkeeper’s signature in July.

That may have surprised a few given his comparisons with Donnarumma and the hype surrounding the latest Turkish youngster to emerge under the ‘wonderkid’ label.

His switch to Fenerbahce didn’t automatically mean he was going to be a first team regular straight away and he had to wait until to December to make his first team debut, but his patience paid off. Ozer started in a Turkish Cup clash with Giresunspor and he did his prospects the world of good, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.

He was back on the bench for the return leg in that tie but there was a lot of buzz in the Turkish press immediately after his debut.

At his age and with the hype surrounding him, it’s natural for international football to be high on the agenda and while he is yet to make his debut for Turkey, he has been on Faith Terim’s radar for a while and it’s just a matter of time before he is made a full Turkey international.

What’s next?

Patience is key for Ozer and so far he’s doing all the right things. His decision to stay in Turkey and move to Fenerbahce was a mature one and he’ll certainly need to do a lot more before he can truly say he deserves a switch to a bigger club.

In 2019 he should have his sights on forcing his way into the Fenerbahce first team earning a first cap for Turkey but we cannot hammer home the importance of patience here.

Ozer will make it but he needs time and space to learn, improve and grow.

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