Rüştü still relishes the big occasion

Injury may have kept Beşiktaş JK goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber out of the 3-0 loss to VfL Wolfsburg that ended their hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League knockout phase, but the 36-year-old has been delighted to be back in a competition he first graced with Fenerbahçe SK 13 years ago. Capped more than 100 times by Turkey, Rüştü spent most of his career with Fenerbahçe before switching to Beşiktaş in 2007 and helping them to the 2008/09 title. He spoke to uefa.com about his UEFA Champions League memories and admits that even now stepping on to the Inönü stadium turf makes him nervous.

uefa.com: How do you feel playing in the UEFA Champions League again?

Rüştü Reçber: It has been a very long time. It is a great feeling to be back and have a chance to be part of a great tournament. I also feel that for my age I am still able to play at a high level, that is also another great achievement for me.

uefa.com: What are your memories from your campaigns with Fenerbahçe?

Rüştü: Well I will never forget that game that we played against Manchester United [in 1996]. I remember that until that season United hadn't been beaten for 40 years at home in Europe, we managed to end that run which is just unforgettable.

uefa.com: Last season Beşiktaş did the double in Turkey but it has proved tougher this year...

Rüştü: It was a very successful year for us but unfortunately we didn't start very well this season. We still have plenty of weeks to play so I strongly believe that we will pick ourselves up and start getting good results again. Now it looks like a big gap between us and the top of the table but we will do our best to close this gap. We have great players and very dedicated coaches so I see no reason for us not to reach the top again, especially with Mustafa Denizli as head coach. All we have to do is keep working hard and stay focused and always remember we have a quality team. I still believe that at the end of the season we will be champions again.

uefa.com: How do you feel each time you step on to the Inönü pitch?

Rüştü: You say to yourself, there is a huge amount of people here and there must be millions of them in front of the TV. You feel very excited, you sometimes might not even feel your legs. In particular that noise gets inside you and you feel like you are going to explode, and then if you win the game for them you are basically on top of the world.