25-year-old Turkish striker Enes Ünal is enjoying a breakout season at La Liga’s Getafe since joining the Madrid-based side back in August 2020.
Despite his side’s modest standings, Ünal has made his mark with lethality in front of the goal, scoring 15 goals in 35 La Liga matches.
His goal tally puts him third in the La Liga top scorers list behind Real Madrid veteran Karim Benzema with 26 goals and Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas with 17.
Things, however, were not so rosy at the start of the season and the striker credited new coach Quique Sanchez Flores behind the club’s and his recovery.
“My performance went in direct proportion to the team’s and I had a difficult start to the season. But then our coach changed. He has lifted the energy at the club and for me as a player. He has contributed a lot (to the club) and I am enjoying this.”
“Unless you are Messi, it is very difficult to score a goal on your own, especially as a striker. That's why the team has to make a huge contribution,” he said.
Ünal’s superlative form in the Spanish league has driven up interest from major European clubs. The young striker, a product of former Turkish Süper Lig side Bursaspor, said he’s happy with life in Getafe.
"Of course, there are interests, but the season is not over yet and it is too early to say anything. The most important task at hand for me and my team is to survive in the league this season,” the 25-year-old said.
Getafe is currently 15th in La Liga, with 38 points from 36 outings and has two key matches left in the season. It currently holds a five-point lead over relegation-threatened Mallorca.
“After reaching our goal, we can sit down and talk about what the club wants since I have a contract for 3 more years,” he added.
The young striker was snapped up by Getafe from Villarreal for 9 million euros ($9.36 million). However, his value has since skyrocketed to a career-high of 18 million euros, making him the fifth-most valuable Turkish footballer, according to transfermarkt.com.
Ünal credited the uptick to the continuous improvement he has shown every season and the current season in particular.
“I feel I’ve been more mature on the field. There is less stress and pressure that I must score goals right away. I think this is something you experience with time.”
“A striker needs time to build up his repertoire and I think I’ve finally sorted out mine. At youth level, I struggled to score headers but this season I’ve scored four of them,” he said.
About his Turkish national team career, Ünal was fast to clear out confusion over the infamous missed penalty that saw Turkey crash out of the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and ended the career of senior teammate Burak Yılmaz.
In the crucial tie, Ünal was fouled inside the penalty box, winning Turkey a penalty that would send the match to extra time, but Turkey’s regular penalty takes Yılmaz was unable to convert from the spot.
Asked whether he wanted to take the shot, Ünal said, “I only went up to him (Yılmaz) to give him my support. So that he would be comfortable. He was the penalty shooter and the team captain. It was his responsibility. He had to shoot and he did. I could've missed as well.”
He was, however, upbeat about his responsibilities as Turkey’s No. 1 striker.
"This will be a first for me. I am full of confidence now that I have a greater chance to play. I have waited for this for a long time ... I will do my best.”
After the World Cup heartbreak, Ünal is hopeful of Turkey’s chances of qualifying for the Euro 2024 under new coach Stefan Kuntz.
"We have a good team, no one can doubt that. We also have a good pool of players. Now we need to perform as a team. We need to adapt to modern football, be in a good state physically and play as a team,” said Ünal.
