CLASSIC CLIPS | The BIZARRE Transfer Story Involving Les Ferdinand, Turkey & Margaret Thatcher?!
5/18/20268 min
FROM THE VAULT: In this classic clip, Les Ferdinand looks back on the surprise move to Turkey that completely transformed his career.
After struggling with injuries and self-doubt following his move from non-league football to QPR, Les explains how a loan spell at Besiktas changed his mentality forever.
The former England striker opens up on dealing with imposter syndrome, adapting to life in Turkey, and the pressure of suddenly playing in front of packed stadiums after coming from reserve football.
Les also reveals the incredible story behind scoring over 20 goals in Turkey, how the experience gave him the confidence to believe he belonged at the top level, and the bizarre moment the Turkish Prime Minister reportedly tried to help keep him at the club permanently by writing a letter to Margaret Thatcher!
If you enjoyed this clip, you can catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/AZzBk2lPovg?si=9XtpMNguwcQC3-GA
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsPeter Crouch· Host0:00
So Les, obviously I, I wanna, I'd love to, to stay more on QPR, but you go to Turkey. Talk us through that- Scored I didn't even know this. Yeah.
Les Ferdinand· Guest0:06
Yeah, didn't you?
Peter Crouch· Host0:07
I didn't even know you went to Turkey. Yeah, yeah. But you're prolific out there as well.
Les Ferdinand· Guest0:10
It's funny. On my way here- Mm ... just had a call. They, they've just invited me back in, in, in March. Um, they play Galatasaray.
Peter Crouch· Host0:16
Mm.
Les Ferdinand· Guest0:17
So they've just invited me back for a, uh, for a game. Um, but yeah, I was, uh... How that came about, I would, I'd, I'd sort of like... I'd came, I came into, uh, QPR the back end of a season, which was 1987. I came in round about the end of March, so there was two months to go. So I, I managed to make my debut in, in that time. And then the following season, it was my first pre-season ever, that I'd ever done, and found it tough, and kinda had a few niggles. So I didn't have a, a, a particularly good year in terms of like... I, I picked up some injuries and stuff like that. And I'll just put that down to my body changing from sort of like non-league football, working- Mm ... and, and, and so on and so forth. And so, um, the following... At the end of that season, so that, this would be '88, '89 season. Uh, Gordon Milne, who's the, the manager in, in, in, at Beşiktaş in Turkey, he, he was good friends with Jim Smith, the late Jim Smith, who was, uh, who was the manager- Mm ... at QPR at the time, and he needed a center forward. Jim Smith said, "Look, we got this kid here. We think he could be anything, or he could be nothing." He said, "Taking him away and him going out to Turkey might be a, a, a great-" Mm ... "opportunity for him."