Those who watched football at the beginning of the century are likely to remember Hakan Sukur as the captain of the Turkey national side that won the bronze medals at the 2002 World Cup.
However, his status as one of the best players and the best goalscorer in the national team's history did not help Sukur after a rift with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He was a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party until 2016 when he was accused of being linked with an attempted coup. Sukur fled Turkey then, but he is still wanted for arrest there, with all his assets seized.
"I moved to the United States, initially running a cafe in California, but strange people kept coming into the bar," the 48-year-old told German news outlet Welt am Sonntag back in 2020. "Now I drive for Uber and I sell books.
"Nobody seems able to explain what my role in this coup was supposed to be. I never did anything illegal, I am not a traitor or a terrorist.
'I have nothing left, Erdogan took everything: my right to liberty, freedom of expression and right to work," he added.
