Los Turcos
It was an innocuous conversation with a waiter at Istanbul Grill Cheadle that led to me wanting to discover the origins of a story. He gave in trying to guess which team I follow in Turkey – that is my second team, Kocaelispor. He then started to show me pictures of his beloved Deportivo de La Coruña.
So what was the fascination of a Turk with a Spanish team (especially one competing with one of my clients!).
In Spain they are known as ‘Los Turcos’ – which translates as “The Turks”.
And……. apparently in Ottoman times, a sea-captain, Barboros Hayrettin Pasa, sailed to Spain and generated curiosity and interest in Turkish life. To this very day the locals still appreciate that affinity with Turkey and are seen to express this love both visually and vocally.
The nickname “Turcos” was originally used as an insult for Deportivo de La Coruña by rival Celta Vigo fans.
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