Andreas Beck: "I’m delighted about all the encouragement"

Hi Andi, how are things going in your new home?

Andreas Beck: Really, really well, thank you. I feel completely at home, from both a sporting and a personal point of view.

How much have you experienced of 'authentic' Turkish life?

Beck: A fair bit, I reckon. I don't live in a bubble – I get out and about in the city in order to get to know the place and the people here better. There is one exception, in that I avoid busy places with plenty of visitors at peak times (laughs). Otherwise I wouldn't be able to move with all the fans recognising me, but I enjoy the enthusiasm a lot.

Istanbul is a large and beautiful city. How do you like life in the Turkish metropolis?

Beck: I like it a lot. I can only recommend that everyone come here to get an impression of this vibrant city. Everyone can find something that's right for them. Tradition meets modernity in wonderful surroundings.

What's the view from your flat like?

Beck: I have a wonderful view from my balcony over some parts of the city and the Bosporus. It's magnificent.

How good is your Turkish after a few months?

Beck: Türkcem henüz yeterli degil ama daha iyi olmasi icin her gün calisiyorum (laughs). That should mean: It's still not good, even now. But I'm working every day to improve.

Your girlfriend is with you and you're playing football. Is that enough for you to be happy?

Beck: It's not a bad start, but there are other factors that play a role, both on the pitch and in my private life, as being a successful footballer is obviously important to me. In my private life, along with my girlfriend, there's also my friends and the plethora of cultural opportunities here.

Before you left, did you prepare yourself for the people, the surroundings and the customs in Turkey?

Beck: Before I decided to change clubs, I informed myself the best I could on the club and the city. I already knew Istanbul from a holiday I'd been on before, and Roberto Hilbert and Tayfun Korkut had also both lived in Istanbul and played for Besiktas. They were full of praise for the club and the city.

If you follow your social media accounts, you appear to have been well integrated into the team from the very start…

Beck: Absolutely. The boys here have made everything very easy for me. At the beginning it was a huge advantage for me that there are quite a few players here who can speak German or English.

Mario Gomez, whom you already knew, also moved to Besiktas in the summer. How did that help you at the start?

Beck: Mario and I have known each other for a long time. We played together in Stuttgart at the start of our careers, and now we're playing together in Istanbul. We're both pleased about that.

Is there a big difference between the European side and the Asian side of Istanbul?

Beck: Most of the tourist attractions are on the European side, so the Asian side is not as well known. There aren't many differences between the two, and there are some great places on the Asian side, too. Both sides have a lot of traffic (laughs).

How are you enjoying your football in Turkey?

Beck: A lot. Above all, the teams have a lot of technical ability. Every team has a few very talented players.

What's Besiktas' style of play like?

Beck: Our game is based heavily on possession and dominance. It doesn't matter where we're playing or who we're facing – we always want to win. I enjoy that a lot.

You've started every game. Did you anticipate that you'd break into the side so quickly?

Beck: Naturally, my aim was to establish myself here, otherwise I wouldn't have made the switch. It's obviously great to have made such a good start in the team, so I'm delighted about that.

One German newspaper has described you as the 'poster boy' here in Istanbul. What should we make of that?

Beck: It should probably be hung with the banner we had on the building site for our new stadium. On it, you could see the manager and four players, and I was one of them. When I saw it for the first time, I was shocked, but I'm delighted about all the encouragement I've received from the fans. It shows that the way I work and play football is valued, which is a huge compliment.

You've played in the Europa League – tell us a bit about your experiences.

Beck: I haven't had that many experiences so far, but I can say that it's a lot of fun to mix it up on the international stage. It was a huge incentive for me, and I hope that we'll be able to go a step further and play in the Champions League next season.