Football: Burak Yilmaz transferred to Besiktas

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz transferred to Besiktas from Trabzonspor, both clubs announced on early Friday.

Yilmaz returned to Besiktas -- dubbed as the 'Black Eagles' -- 11 years after he played for the club between July 2006 and January 2008.

Releasing a written statement via Twitter on early Friday, Yilmaz said he is thankful to manager Senol Gunes and Besiktas officials for making the transfer happen.

"I acknowledge respectfully all Besiktas fans' praise and criticism towards me. I want all the fans to know that the second I put on Besiktas jersey on me, I will perform at the highest for Besiktas," he said.

During his time in Besiktas, Burak Yilmaz only scored 6 goals in 49 matches. He was under constant criticism and pressure due to his performance in and out of the football pitch in the recent seasons.

The 33-year-old joined Besiktas and went to Antalya on Friday for the club's training period for upcoming season.

Trabzonspor left him out of their squad before sending the striker to the Istanbul club.

Turkey international played 52 matches in national football team and scored 23 goals.

Yilmaz also tops the league in a goal-scoring category, he is the top goalscorer in Turkish league since 2014/2015 season with a total of 53 goals in 75 games.

He played in Turkey's top clubs, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor before.