Cenk Tosun bringing Everton and Besiktas fans closer

Turkish international Cenk Tosun’s move to Everton has broken down barriers between the football fans and has impacted the football culture in a positive way.

Even before Cenk Tosun was on Everton’s radar we knew Turkish fans were as radical and hardcore as they come. And as the Blues pursuit of the striker ramped up leading into the January transfer window, we got to see first hand how much they love their football and particularly one of their own, Tosun.

The forward was given a rousing reception and an standing ovation as he left the pitch for the last time for Besiktas when the deal with Everton was all but sealed.

What followed was even more amazing. There was none of the animosity between fanbases that usually follows such transfers. Instead, hundreds if not thousands of Besiktas fans simply followed their idol to Everton and became Blues overnight.

March came around and Tosun won back is starting spot in the side, and followed it up with four goals in three games and his Toffees legend was being already written. Everton even started a Turkish-language Twitter account to keep the rabid Besiktas fans abreast of the player’s development.

During the last international break, Tosun even traveled back home to catch a Besiktas game before joining up with the Turkey national team.

This last weekend, Besiktas played against Kayserispor at home, and the fans showed Tosun that he was certainly not forgotten, prominently displaying a couple of Everton shirts with his name and number from the stands at the Vodafone Park Stadium.