As Miguel Crespo prepares for his second season with Istanbul outfit Başakşehir, the Portuguese midfielder is taking a thoughtful look back at the journey that brought him here, from backyard games in Viana do Castelo to lighting up the Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray derby with a goal that changed everything.
Speaking from the club’s pre-season camp in Austria’s Seefeld village, the 28-year-old was candid about his most defining career moments.
At the top of that list: the unforgettable goal he scored for Fenerbahçe against archrival Galatasaray.
“After that goal, people stopped seeing me as just another player,” Crespo said. “They started seeing me as a real footballer. That goal gave me respect I hadn’t felt before.”
Crespo, who joined Fenerbahçe from Estoril in 2021, calls the move the proudest moment of his career. But he pinpoints three major turning points: his professional debut, his breakout season under Bruno Pinheiro at Estoril, and that thunderous derby goal in Istanbul.
Reflecting on his growth, Crespo emphasized how each step, from Portugal to Türkiye, was rooted in perseverance.
Though he never earned a call-up to Portugal’s national team, Crespo harbors no resentment. “It’s the one dream I didn’t achieve,” he said. “But I understand why. We have incredible talent in my country. Maybe I needed to work harder. I don’t know.”
One of Crespo’s idols, Luka Modric, recently passed the iconic No. 10 jersey to rising Turkish star Arda Güler at Real Madrid. For Crespo, who once faced Modric during his loan spell with Spain’s Rayo Vallecano, the gesture was deeply symbolic.
“That was a beautiful message,” he said. “It tells Arda: ‘Now it’s your turn.’ Arda always worked hard, was humble, and eager to learn. I hope he becomes one of the best.”
He chuckled, recalling the day he played against Modric – and accidentally kicked him. “In the moment, your idol becomes your opponent. You want to win. Still, it was an honor to face him. If I had to choose one poster to hang as a kid, it would’ve been Modric or Zidane.”
Crespo’s own football story started not with dreams of stardom, but with pure love for the game. Born in Lyon, raised in northern Portugal, he never envisioned a professional career until coaches and mentors steered him onto that path. “At first, I played just for fun. But the right people helped me see what I could do.”
Even as football took over, family was never far. He remembers weekends juggling back-to-back matches and struggling to make it to school on Monday mornings. “When I missed school, my mom would go crazy,” he said, laughing. “She always pushed me. But once she saw how passionate I was about football, she understood. Mothers just want what’s best for you.”
Now at Başakşehir, Crespo is focused on the road ahead. Last season was solid, he says, but there’s more to give. With the team entering the UEFA Conference League in the second qualifying round, he has his sights set on reaching the knockout stages.
“We’re building a family atmosphere here,” he said. “We have to improve defensively and be smarter when we lose the ball. But if we work on that, we can surprise people in Europe.”
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