Wissam Ben Yedder’s Remarkable Comeback in Turkish Second Division

For the past two years, Wissam Ben Yedder’s sports career has been entangled with legal issues. He has faced charges for psychological violence, tax fraud, and sexual assault while intoxicated. He has also been investigated for rape related to incidents from summer 2023. The former French international left Monaco freely in the summer of 2024.

Away from Europe and his legal troubles, Ben Yedder relocated to Iran, joining Sepehan SC, a team managed by his former teammate at Sevilla and the French national team, Steven Nzonzi. However, the move did not go well, and tensions linked to the Israel-Iran conflict prompted him to leave after just six months. In September, he found a new club, Sakaryaspor, in Turkey’s second division.

Turkish Media Focus on His Performance

His start to the season was rocky, with a stretch of four matches without scoring, leading to some criticism from Turkish media. One outlet suggested, “Ben Yedder is not ready.” However, the narrative changed after he scored a hat-trick against Adana Demirspor (6-0) at the end of October, earning praise in local media. “Ben Yedder shines,” noted beiN Sports Turkyie.

Sporexpres highlighted his impactful performance in a recent match against Istanbulspor (3-3), stating he earned and converted a penalty, hit the crossbar with a header, and nearly found the net again, with VAR stepping in. While major Turkish outlets like Fanatik and Fotomac acknowledged his skills, they did so cautiously. Although his performance hasn’t gone unnoticed—with stats of 5 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches—there remain questions about his legal situation and the overall competitiveness of the Turkish second division.