‘Living in Turkey was difficult. Clubs paid foreign players in cash and I got addicted to sleeping tablets’ Jonjo Shelvey on the challenges he faced during his 18-month spell in Turkey
For Jonjo Shelvey, his 2023 move to Turkey was supposed to mark a new chapter and fresh adventure in a career that began 15 years earlier when he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old for Charlton.
The midfielder swapped Nottingham Forest for Caykur Rizespor, a club where he was able to focus on his football, but a move to Eyupspor the following season did not work out as he hoped.
A myriad of financial, social and health issues would follow, as Shelvey found himself increasingly isolated and struggling to cope with being away from his family.
Shelvey on his Turkey experience
“I first went to Caykur Rizespor, who were brilliant for me because I could just concentrate on football,” Shelvey tells FourFourTwo. But while the club provided a straightforward routine, adapting to life in Turkey did not come without challenges.
“It was a very Muslim place, there wasn’t much more to do, you couldn’t go out, there was no alcohol, you lived at the training ground and played your games.
“It was difficult with the language, and not making friends and being away from my family, but I enjoyed my first year there and should have signed another deal, but I moved to Eyupspor and that didn’t work out. I tried something, I went out of my comfort zone.”
For Shelvey, this move exposed him to a tougher side of living and playing abroad, despite their being aspects of playing in Turkey that he enjoyed.
“One thing I’ll say is the fans in Turkey are so passionate and fun to play in front of.
“But one problem out there can be getting paid, because some clubs pay you on time, but some don’t pay the foreign players when they should and instead give you cash, which you can’t take out of the country.
“If a former team-mate asked for advice about going there, it would all depend on the club.”
Away from football, Shelvey had become increasingly isolated.
“I was really bored and lonely out there living without my family,” he continues. “At the second club, I felt like I had the choice of going to a bar and having five or six pints, or going home and taking sleeping tablets to fall asleep. I’d take one tablet and that would knock me out, but then the next day just one wouldn’t do it, as I’d built up my tolerance.
“At one point I was taking six or seven tablets at a time to knock myself out for the evening. I got addicted. Fortunately, when I left Turkey and went to Burnley, I was able to get the help I needed there and get myself off them.”
