By Mucahit Huseyin Erogul
ISTANBUL (AA) – Galatasaray goalie Fernando Muslera longs for matches as he trains in a program created by the club because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a live broadcast on the club’s Instagram account, Muslera said he is missing the thrill of competition, the adrenaline and being in stadiums.
But the lockdown has afforded the Uruguayan goalkeeper a lot more time with his children.
"Playing with children is part of fatherhood. Every father needs to take care of their children also I help my wife to cook. We watch the movie with my wife after the children sleep. "
The-33-year-old thanked Galatasaray's Brazilian legend Claudio Taffarel for helping him improve his game.
"I learned amazing things from Taffarel. He had a lot of pros for me,” he said. “I love my team, my community. It is very important to see the support of the fans. The national team also motivates me. For this, you need to perform well on the club team. "
Muslera said his teammates had a lot of questions about the pandemic in Turkey but manager Fatih Terim quelled fears when he spoke to each member individually by video conference.
"Terim explained that we are very safe here, adding perhaps we are safer than in our own country. We are so relieved," said Muslera.
The virus has infected 69,392 people in Turkey and caused 1,518 deaths, while 5,674 have recovered.
It has spread to at least 185 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China in December, with the U.S. and Europe now the hardest-hit areas.
Positive cases exceed 2.08 million worldwide, with the death toll at more than 139,400 and over 528,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
