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One to watch: Berke Özer - after the storm, the calm

Lille's penalty-stopping hero in midweek, Berke Özer, has taken a meandering route to redemption, coming back from what was a difficult spell in his native Turkey.
L. ENTWISTLE
Published on 10/06/2025 at 13:30
3-minute read
Berke Özer was imperious during Lille's midweek win over AS Roma and has excelled since joining Lille in the summer.

Lille's penalty-stopping hero in midweek, Berke Özer, has taken a meandering route to redemption, coming back from what was a difficult spell in his native Turkey.

High hopes fade

Özer was a precocious talent. Having broken through at Altinordu, described as something of a "goalkeeper factory", he got his big-money move to Fenerbahce at the tender age of 18. 

However, it isn't a move that worked out. Özer struggled with the pressure and the expectations of moving to the club. It is there that he learned to "enjoy playing under pressure", but there wasn't much enjoyment during his time at the club. 

"My confidence had disappeared. I asked myself if I was still myself, and thinking about it, maybe I wasn't at that moment [...] you can be crushed there. I closed all my social media. It was hellish. I cut off everything," said Özer earlier this year. 

The Turkish goalkeeper only played 20 matches for Fenerbache, spending time out on loan on at Westerlo in Belgium, before leaving to join Portuguese side Portimonense in 2022 on a permanent deal. 

He then returned to Turkey in 2023, joining Eyüpspor. He did so as a more developed goalkeeper but also a different person, more serene, a result of what was a difficult but ultimately formative pressure-cooker experience at Fenerbahce. The revenant, Özer then remoulded public perception upon his return to his native country, showcasing a newfound calmness between the sticks, such a necessity for the role. 

A heroic display in the Eternal City

His return to form saw him deliver on his potential, so evident when he burst through age 17. Consequently, prior to his move to LOSC, Özer made his debut for the Turkey national team.

He will be looking to build on the two caps that he already has to his name and performances such as the one against AS Roma last week certainly won't hinder his case. 

It was a spectacular series of events in which the goalkeeper saved three penalties in three minutes. Despite the disappointment in seeing the spotkick retaken - twice - he edged the mental battle with the Roma attackers to deny them on all three occasions, helping Les Dogues secure a crucial 1-0 win in the Europa League.

"If there was a fourth penalty, I would have saved it, too," joked Özer post-match. It is a performance that has quickly seen him establish himself as a fan-favourite at LOSC. That is no easy task either. 

The man he is replacing is Lucas Chevalier, who joined Ligue 1 McDonald's rivals PSG earlier this year. Those are some big gloves to fill, not only given the Frenchman's quality, but also given the adulation that he received from the Lille fans, given that he came through the club's academy; Chevalier's warm reception from the LOSC fans on Sunday told its own story. 

But in Özer, Lille have a new hero. The stoic Turk is the embodiment of the calm after the storm.

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