Retired Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo has publicly praised his former Fenerbahçe rival Volkan Demirel, calling him a “great rival” and thanking him for his humanitarian efforts after Turkey’s 2023 earthquake.
In a recent excerpt from his book A Brazilian’s Memories of Turkey in His Second Homeland, Melo admitted that while the two fought fiercely on the pitch, he now holds deep respect for the former goalkeeper.
Melo, 42, who played for Galatasaray during his time in Turkey, recalled how tensions often ran high during derbies. “We fought hard to beat each other, got tense, and our blood pressure rose,” he wrote. Yet, he emphasized that off the field, “we’re just human beings,” and credited Demirel for showing compassion to those affected in Hatay, where the goalkeeper lived at the time.
Demirel, 44, a longtime Fenerbahçe legend and current head coach at Gençlerbirliği, has not publicly responded. Melo concluded that if they ever meet again, he will shake his hand, hug him, and thank him both for maintaining the rivalry at its highest level and for his service to Turkey during a national crisis.