Decaf Hološko full of beans at Beşiktaş

[TurkishTank]

Slovakian forward Filip Hološko has foregone the pleasures of "drinking coffee" after training to become a success in Turkey with Istanbul giants Beşiktaş JK.

Giant leap
The Piestany-born 24-year-old, who has scored four goals in 26 international games for Slovakia, has come a long way since starting his career with AS Trencín. After making his name in the Czech Republic with FC Slovan Liberec, a €2.3m move to Vestel Manisaspor in the winter of 2006 represented a step up, but a €5m winter move to Beşiktaş was another giant leap for the striker.

Harder task
"In Manisa, I felt like I was part of a family," said Hološko, who attracted the attention of Serie A giants Juventus last season. "There were no problems when I went there. Istanbul is completely different. Firstly, it's three times bigger than Manisa. Secondly, at Beşiktaş we need to fight much harder for a place in the squad, but for me it is a dream to play for such a big club."

Coffee and dinner
Hološko has found Turkish football much more serious than in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. "After training at Liberec, we usually went out drinking coffee or to a restaurant for dinner." he remembered. "You couldn't do that here. I have got used to that and the team relationships here are fantastic. We enjoy every training session and Turkish fans are kind people who love football."

Prolific season
The environment clearly suits Hološko, who is enjoying his most prolific season yet as a striker, having scored eight league goals for Manisaspor and five more for Beşiktaş, including two in last weekend's crucial 2-1 win against Sivasspor. That result left his side three points behind second-placed Galatasaray AS, but Hološko is not thinking about a 2008/09 UEFA Champions League place just yet.

Extra motivation
"I don't think we will be able to clinch second place and reach the Champions League," he said. "I suppose we need to concentrate on third place and the UEFA Cup." However, since he is two goals adrift of Fenerbahçe SK's Semih Şenturk in the race to be the Süper Lig's top scorer, Hološko has more than one reason to keep playing at his best for the remainder of the season.

Magic number
"In the first half of the season, I scored eight times for Manisaspor," he said. "My goal is to reach the same number in the second half of the competition with Beşiktaş. Then I will be happy." If a few more Hološko goals can help Beşiktaş secure a top-two finish in the final five rounds of the Turkish season, his €5m transfer fee will look like a bargain for the Istanbul side.

www.uefa.com

[Adriano]

The Pride Of Slovakia !

[gürol]

slokavian form suit on him..look good.