Striker Bafetimbi Gomis broke his silence regarding his move and stated that the Galatasaray board had forced him to a transfer.

As part of a visit to Istanbul to help ill children, Bafetimbi Gomis gave an interview. He finally took position on the statements of the Galatasaray-leaders, who had accused the 33-year-old Frenchman to have withheld the club during the transfer period and for this reason in the end no new striker could be timely committed.

The attacker, born in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, described the events from his perspective as follows: "We had a good year and become champions. Of course, my first priority was to stay with Galatasaray. I wanted to continue my career here and extend my contract. Finally, I felt very comfortable in this city and came across a fan love that I never knew. My wish was to stay with this beautiful club. I did not want a raise. My request for a contract extension was rejected," says Gomis.

Exactly what happened during the transfer phase, the former top scorer of the Spor Toto Süper Lig explained in the following words: "It was said that I did not greet some members of the board (including President Mustafa Cengiz) in the elevator and gave them a chance to replace me because I would have decided to change at the last second. I did not greet anyone in the elevator. That's true. But only because I am a person who shows his feelings. When my manager arrived in Istanbul for talks regarding a contract extension, the first question from the board was whether or not there were offers for me. That hurt me. There were no quotes for me at the end of the season, as I had turned down all offers during the season to stay with Galatasaray."

Gomis continues, "In January, I received a lucrative offer from China. But as I said, I wanted to continue my adventure at Galatasaray. When I sensed at the end of the season that one would rather sell me instead of holding me, for the first time I began to think of a break-up. Then came the offer from Saudi Arabia. Otherwise I would never have thought of a change. For a transfer three parties are necessary. But the decision was made by our president. I have never made pressure because of a change request. On the contrary, I wanted to stay because I was very happy in Istanbul. They needed money and wanted to sell me. I understand that. Now I feel well in Riyadh. But the board acted out of a financial emergency. I can understand that, but then you should also take responsibility for your actions and not always blaming me. I do not want anymore that my name is called cause if Galatasaray loses games."

Finally, Gomis was proud of his goal record in the Süper Lig as a foreign player, with whom he beat Fenerbahce legend Alex de Souza: "I agree, that's a big deal. It is not easy to play in Turkey. It is played very hard. It was a dream to become champion and top scorer in my first season. Even after defeats, our fans expected and supported us at the airport. That has had a very positive impact on our performance. To beat a player as big as Alex made me very proud.

At the end of the last season, Gomis moved to Al-Hilal Riad in Saudi Arabia for six million euros.