Thousands bid farewell to Turkish football star
ANKARA - The Associated Press
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdoğan is seen amongst the crowd. AA Photo
Tens of thousands of people have filled a stadium to bid farewell to Lefter Küçükandonyadis, one of Turkey's top football players, who has died at 86.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the funeral ceremony on Sunday at Fenerbahce's Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium. Küçükandonyadis died of pneumonia Friday in Istanbul.
Küçükandonyadis was the captain of Turkey's national team, making 46 appearances for his country. His club career included Fenerbahçe, where he scored 423 goals in 615 games.
Born in 1925 in Istanbul to a fisherman father from Turkey's minority Greek community, Küçükandonyadis was the first player from Turkey to play abroad. He transferred to Italy's Fiorentina in 1951 followed by a spell with Nice in France.
