Is Wesley Sneijder Wasting His Talent in Turkish Football with Galatasaray?
Dutch international Wesley Sneijder, a former Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan player, is playing for Turkish Super Lig club Galatasaray. But is he wasting his talent?
Sneijder will face former manager Jose Mourinho in the UEFA Champions League when Galatasaray take on Chelsea.
"Mourinho knows us well and that is an advantage but the same applies for us," Sneijder said, per Simon Johnson at the London Evening Standard. "We know Mourinho very well, perhaps better than the Chelsea players know us."
Wesley Sneijder Is Not Finished
Who scored the one and only goal in Galatasaray's 1-0 UEFA Champions League win over Serie A champions Juventus?
Wesley Sneijder.
He scored a hat-trick against Bursaspor and has netted eight times in the Super Lig for Galatasaray.
Sneijder is two-footed, a set-piece specialist, a goal threat from long range, and he is still good enough to be playing for a club in the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga or Serie A.
Statistics via WhoScored
Wesley Sneijder Needs to Be Playing at a Higher Level
Netherlands national team manager Louis van Gaal did not want Wesley Sneijder to stay at Galatasaray, per ESPN. Van Gaal said, "In my opinion, if possible Sneijder should leave Galatasaray and join Chelsea. Playing under Mourinho again would improve his performances and help him regain his form for the national team."
What is so bad about Galatasaray?
Well, 34 clubs in Europe, including Basel, Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos, have a higher UEFA coefficient ranking than Galatasaray, per UEFA.com.
The Turkish Super Lig has the 11th highest UEFA coefficient ranking, with leagues in Belgium, Ukraine and the Netherlands all outranking Turkey, per UEFA.com.
Sneijder is a world-class player who should be playing in a stronger competition.
Conclusion
If Wesley Sneijder's body had not broken down, coupled with an acrimonious and nasty split from former club Inter Milan, perhaps his reputation would not be as tainted.
"The Nerazzurri tried to destroy me several times—if I had not been strong mentally, I would have hung up my boots," according to Sneijder, per De Telegraaf (h/t Football Italia). "I experienced difficult times there. Many people at that club do not deserve my respect."
Perhaps Galatasaray is a stop-plug option for Sneijder to regain his confidence.
He was a legitimate transfer target for Manchester United several years ago, per Galatasaray Dergisi (h/t Sky Sports).
Should he want a move to the Premier League, he is good enough to succeed, provided that he keeps fully fit.