Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has recalled his career at Bayer Leverkusen ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League fixture.
Speaking to Inter TV ahead of the game via FCInterNews, the 30-year-old star admitted he fondly remembers his time at the BayArena.
Hakan Calhanoglu spent three seasons at Leverkusen between 2014 and 2017 before joining AC Milan in a €24 million deal.
During his three-year stint at Die Werkself, he collected 115 appearances for the club, tallying 28 goals and 29 assists.
Calhanoglu’s meteoric rise at Leverkusen had put him on the map before the Rossoneri lured him away from Germany.
Inter would later convince the Turkish set-piece specialist to swap allegiances at Stadio San Siro.
That’s proved a resounding success, with Calhanoglu fulfilling his potential under Simone Inzaghi’s stewardship.
Seven years after leaving Leverkusen, he’ll return to the BayArena as a foe.
Inter Milan Ace Hakan Calhanoglu Recalls His Bayer Leverkusen Career
“After seven years, I’m returning here for the first time,” Calhanoglu said before the game.
“I’m happy to see my former teammates and everyone who worked here with me.
“I missed them, and I can’t wait to see them. Being here is nice; there are a lot of emotions, but I can’t wait to play.”
Asked whether fans could make a difference, Calhanoglu stated: “I don’t know.
“I can’t say that now. We’ll see tomorrow. I have good memories from my time here, but the match is the only important thing.
“We want to play well like we’ve done so far; we want to keep going like this.”
Meanwhile, Calhanoglu insists securing automatic knockout qualification could be decisive in the long run.
“Certainly, yes,” he replied when asked whether he and his Inter clubmates had discussed this matter.
“We want to finish in the top eight to recover a bit more.
“We’re close; there are still two games after this one, and tomorrow we want to give everything.”
