I see a lot of people in here who support clubs who are not from their country. Just wondering why that is. Or do you but just like the bigger club too..

Well for me my best friend growing up and his family were fro. Milano. So they had mixed of Inter and Milan fans. My friend was Rossoneri and like to show of about their success. I had always liked Inter as far as I remember. It's something you can't easily explain. A combination of a lot of things. The club chose me

Derbies were always heated, it's something else watching football with a Italians. Especially family who 3/4 Milan 1/4 Inter. That's the way it is you know. There's no such thing as only Milan families or Inter. They are from the same city so families have mixed fans. But this was my best friends family not mine. I enjoyed watching football with them. So passionate. The game didn't end after 90.. It went all all week through banter and jokes.

My home team is Stuttgart Germany. Most of my family support them. But I just never really felt the calling. Local player Klinsmann played for Inter. Matthäus and Brehme. The triplete of Germans.. Haha. Milan had of course van Basten, Rijkhaard, Gullit. The triple of Dutch. There has been a rivalry in International football. When the Dutch dispair of their shortcomings. They claim. Best team to never win. Total football. But hey they chocked big time in the 70's.

88 they got some revenge and they thought they big time now. 90 for Germany silenced them pretty well. And for me club wise Inter scudetto 88/89 after 10 years.

I thought about this maybe subconscious to prefer Inter because of German influence. Milan enemy because of Dutch. I don't think it's an easy of an explanation as that. There are finer details and truth be told I just always preferred Inter and their down to Earth family club. A club that philosophy are Brothers of the World. A club that broke of from Milan because they wouldn't allow foreign players. An International team, a great philosophy. The peoples club.

So there you have it. Why do you support your club I am interested to know.

I've lived in İstanbul for 19 years. When I started to support Beşiktaş, we were not the best team in İstanbul. We were 3rd actually.
By that time, I was watching football neutrally, just for amusement. But after some time, seeing the supporters of Beşiktaş, çArşı, their ideology and passion, I've started to sympathise Beşiktaş. Started to watch every game. By the time goes by, I've begun to say people that I support Beşiktaş and in a year I was fully devoted.
Other than that, I live in İzmir for like 3 years now. Before I came here, I was watching Karşıyaka in Basketball and Football (mostly Basketball) Because I loved the fans. And now I try to attend the important basketball games of Karşıyaka. But I was an away fan this year when Karşıyaka played against Beşiktaş in FIBA Champions League Rof16 in İzmir. It's always heated. We lost though.

Oh ok, so you're not originally from Istanbul.. Where is your home city and do they have a club? Yeah I remember you always talking about basketball. I used to watch NBA in the 90's .. I'm 1.95 so people always think I play... I never played a game in my life. Tall people problems I guess.

Btw could u make an off topic thread to describe the situation with Erodan in Turkey. We here in Germany are confused whey 3rd generation Turks voted for this guy when they don't have to deal with him and enjoy Western democracy. Thanks.

The local team where I was born was one of the best teams in Saudi. Ittihad FC would've been the team that I would've supported naturally but I had left Saudi way before I got into football. I've never been to Somalia, so I never got a taste of the Somali Premier League. Syrian football and the MLS never really impacted me positively. So why Real Madrid out of all of the teams?

This guy. I remember playing Winning Eleven (PES now) back in 2003 and with my uncle and my older brother (both Barcelona fans) and I remember selecting Brazil because I knew this guy played there. I used to take him from the left-back position to striker because he was fast and cannons for legs. I wasn't interested in any other player on that team, not Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, nor Rivaldo. So then I asked my uncle who this guy played for on the club level, and the rest is just history. I supported Real Madrid passively for a while, and really picked up the pace during the 08/09-09/10 seasons.

Anyway, I always feel like my "support" for the team will not be completed until I watch them play in the Bernabeu at least once, but I hope that I get the opportunity to hold season tickets for a whole season.

@Wolfie My hometown is actually Sivas but more originally Tunceli (Dersim in Kurdish) . And I am half Kurdish. We have a team called Dersimspor but not at very best. Here: http://footyroom.com/matches/79934357/galatasaray-vs-dersimspor/review
Dersimspor plays in 4th division in Turkey and probably will be relegated this year to Amateur level unfortunately.
About Erdoğan, I can't make a thread because there are also Erdoğan supporters in the Forum. That will lead to some heavy arguments. I can explain you in your wall if you want.

Edit: @Madridista I totally get you man. Roberto Carlos has been one of my fav players in football history. He also managed Sivasspor a few years ago. Great times it was.

When I moved away from New York, I neither played nor watched soccer. It wasn't until I was living in Ontario in 2005 that I began to play. The only local team for me currently would be Toronto FC, and in 2005 they didn't exist. When I watched the 2006 World Cup, I was very enamored with the high level of skill and as I've mentioned before - thought that soccer was like the Olympics and only happened once every four years. When I found out that wasn't the case in 2007, Toronto FC had just been founded. They were also so horrible in that first season, and the main reason I was watching the game on TV was to improve myself, not to support anyone. With that in mind, watching TFC didn't make sense. So I watched the Champions League instead, which was the only other soccer available to me at the time. I fell in love with United over those ties, and admired Ronaldo very highly (he was my Portuguese youth coach's favorite player - and he'd been the one who told me to start watching the game not just play it). Another player I really looked up to at the time was Kasey Keller, because he was a really good American goalkeeper. When the Seattle Sounders became part of MLS in 2009, Keller was part of their integral side. I eventually just grew to support the Sounders because I watched them play so much. That being said, now that Keller is retired, I don't feel as close to the Sounders anymore, and I feel a lot closer to TFC. Not saying I'm flipping loyalties, but I tend to straddle the fanbases. That last MLS Cup was a bit uncomfortable for me.

@mad - "Hodgson's stay at Inter destroyed me," Roberto Carlos told planetfootball. "He played me in midfield and I had to consider that there was a chance that this would ruin my career in the national side.

"It's not that I did not have a good relationship with Hodgson. It is just that Hodgson doesn't know much about football.

"When Inter lost in the Uefa Cup final against Schalke in '96, it was purely because of Hodgson.

"Fabio Capello [who signed the player for Real from Inter] was different - so different - and when I moved to Madrid I did it because of him.

"He is the most important coach I have had in my life."

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11835/2221908/roberto-carlos-roy-forced-me-out-of-inter

────────

“He told me I would never succeed as a left-back. I told him that he doesn’t understand football,” Carlos once said – as reported by a leading Brazilian online journalist.

http://www.empireofthekop.com/2016/06/29/archive-roberto-carlos-quote-sums-up-roy-hodgsons-shocking-stupidity/

@emre- Do u still follow them? Btw I never seen any other Turkish user in the forum.. Be as neutral as possible. I wanna know what it is like from someone live in Turkey perspective.

@Sun - Interesting, so u American. Aha.. Part time ManU supporter too haha. TFC.. Defoe didn't work to well
That was TFC right... Cool story though. ;)

@Wolfe Hodgson never struck me as a good coach I don't get how this guy still gets employed. He cost you guys a gem at the back but looking at the defenders you've had since he left I'm sure you're not mad.

My local team Inter Zaprešić (in which I trained footballer during primary school) is now in first Croatian league and doing decent for their actual finances and stuff. That Palermo striker Nestorovski (doing good in Serie A) was in Inter last year, and goalkeeper Delač (who went to Chelsea like when he was 17) was best keeper in league so early in his career. Modrić, Eduardo da Silva, Ćorluka... all of them played here.

Can't say I actively watch or league because our FA is corrupted af and simply football didn't evolve right here on league level as it was supposed to (contrary to our players lol). Every other Croatian talent is sold to teams that don't play them. Murić, Halilović, Delač, Livaja... Sadly if Dinamo kept talents it would be actually decent team which could even pass to knockout stages of Champions League, and not team which can't score a single goal there.

@Sun - Interesting, so u American. Aha.. Part time ManU supporter too haha. TFC.. Defoe didn't work to well
That was TFC right... Cool story though. ;)

Part-time...hardly. Yeah Defoe was below par. Actually the Jozy Altidore swap worked out really well for both clubs, Defoe did great at Sunderland and Jozy has been excellent the past two years for TFC. He had this assist yesterday:

I live in antwerp and they just got promoted to the jupiler league! :D

@ mad- Oh I'm super pissed dude. Dumbass Hodg let arguably the best left back of all time go. I still have nightmares. Inter would not have had to wait until 2010 for eupean success again. Imagine we kept Berghamp, Carlos, a fit Fenomeno, Kept Pirlo, Seedorf captained by Zanetti. I still lose sleep over this!!!

@ Cro - Lovren used to play for Dinamo Zagreb. Dinamo Zagreb is owned by Zdravko Mamic. Mamic makes players sign unfair "slavery" contracts so that they have to pay him % of his paycheck even when they leave Dinamo. Even Luka Modric has to take something like 25-30% of his paycheck and give it to Mamic. Usually all this is hidden from the public, but some players decide to resist. Good example is Eduardo, who didn't want to give 40% of his salary to Mamic anymore and made his story pubilc. So far we know that Mamic is corrupt piece of shit. As stupid as it sounds Mamic also owns Croatian national team and gets to pick who is coach and which players will play. So Croatian coach gave a lot of chance to Dinamo Zagreb's young players. Lovren didn't like not playing and he called Cacic on his bullshit and said something like: "Those young players from Dinamo don't deserve that much playing time, and they are only playing because it will boost their value (playing in a team with Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic & co.) so that Mamic can make more money when he sells them to European teams." Cacic and Mamic didn't like that so Lovren isn't playing. Good example is Croatian Euro squad. Remember Alen Halilovic? One of best Croatian young players with amazing potential? Well he isn't going to Euros, because Mamic already sold him and can't profit with him playing. Instead Marko Rog, Ante Coric and Marko Pjaca (all 3 Dinamo players) are included in squad, because they "deserve chance and are showing potential", but the truth is they are going to Euro 2016 to increase their value, so that Mamic can sell them for more money into better club where they will get biggers salary, so that Mamic can take bigger cut.

Fack Mamic!!!

@Sun - Funny how Altidore was arguably a bigger joke at Sun than Torres at Chelsea. Spur let go Defoe who was banging in the goals, yet struggled in TFC. And Altidore flourished. Life is funny!!

@Chel- Ah, but u originally from Iran? I've been really disappointed with Belgium national side.Maybe we're all overeating them. But on paper this generation should be the best. Doing great things with the youth development!

My local team is crystal palace, but my friend made me sorry Barcelona so that's just how it happened!
Anyway I probably would have supported man united otherwise...

West Brom, and I guess Villa. I don't support them because I lived in the Netherlands for a few years and I was kinda liked dutch players like Bergkamp, Overmars, RVP, Van Bronkhorst... Eventually, I started watching Arsenal and I saw Henry ( started supporting early 2006ish). Sadly Henry left so I started both Barca and Arsenal. Although I like Barcelona, my base of build was still Arsenal (champions league final). Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to see all the legends of 2004 live, but I'm still happy.

Although Villa could have been a European force, I still probably wouldn't have supported them.

Don't watch Toronto FC because they were never able to play quality football. :(

I was first exposed to football by a Barcelona fan in 2006. He showed me games of Ronaldinho, who ended up being the reason I fell in love with football in the first place. Started following football more closely in 2008 after the EUROs though. Only became a fanatic after I saw Inter Milan's magical 2009/10 season under Mourinho. I decided to randomly pick a team and follow them throughout the entire season just so I could see how it felt like to watch a team every week, and it happened to be a complete fluke that I picked the treble-winning Inter as my team to watch.

Because of Ronaldinho, though, I've always had a soft spot for Barcelona. I get roasted by other Madrid fans for defending Barcelona on occasion, haha.

My local teams are Rapid Vienna and Austria Vienna (creative name, the latter one). Basically I don't watch Austrian football because the quality is absolutely atrocious and I'd rather not watch any football at all than having to watch the sh.ithouse called Austrian Bundesliga. Also half of their fanbases consist of primitive Neanderthals.

@Liomessi: lolwut, somehow I've always thought you were from Indonesia

^indonesia? Lol. But I am from Bangladesh originally.

@Wolfie,

So Croatian coach gave a lot of chance to Dinamo Zagreb's young players.

Not even young players. Trash like Pivaric is starting from LB (our weakest position) but doesn't matter we have decent players we didn't try yet. Only Pivaric will play LB. Same as Dinamo captain Antolic. This is reason why so many Croatians fail. It's almost apsurd how every second talent in HNL fails. That's like worse than dutch league (Bazoer, Bakkali, Boetius, Labyad, Maher etc). Can't understand people who say he is business mastermind, he never helped Dinamo.

Remember Alen Halilovic? One of best Croatian young players with amazing potential? Well he isn't going to Euros, because Mamic already sold him and can't profit with him playing. Instead Marko Rog, Ante Coric and Marko Pjaca (all 3 Dinamo players) are included in squad.

This specific case was more famous than other ones. Simply Halilovic was amazing in Gijon, their best player, and he still listed Coric who basically was shit whole 2 years. Both of them are talented but it's obvious Halilovic was better in that moment. As usually, Halilovic already failed and Coric is going to fail, Mamic is just waiting to sell him to Liverpool/City.

@wolfie you are right in belgium they produce a lot of talent and great players but the quality of the league is very average, but have progressed really well in the past 2 seasons.

As for the national and being average is because of the lack of leaders in the squad and also having wrong/bad coaches (wilmots, martinez).

I'm from iran but never interested in the iranian league because of the corruption but i watch some the iranian teams who play in the asian champions league, the iranian league will never progress as long as there is corruption and with the islamic state and mullas being in charge.

people just want to watch quality football i assume

Very eye opening responses. As long as you're all happy with your clubs that's what matters.

@ Dyna- What a journey man. Inter 09/10.. You chose a good season. Haha.

@lio - Haha, this guy..

@ Juan - Me too, I find BuLi so mind numbing boring. Always have. Grüße aus dem Süden!

@cro - I wonder how the Government allows this scumbag to exist. But a Croatian friend told me he got connection in government and some dangerous people in Serbia so he is untouchable. Crazy stuff..

@ chel - Kompany is a leader but he doesn't look like he has long. Hopefully Hazard will step up! WC is next year.

Also I didn't know they have a league in Iran.. I only saw National team..