Eda Erdem Dündar, captain of Fenerbahçe and the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, had her statue unveiled at Fenerbahçe's stadium in an impressive ceremony on International Women's Day, March 8th.
The long-awaited statue of Eda Erdem was a trending topic on social media. While many users found the statue successful, others pointed out that it didn't resemble her.
GAFFE BY ÜSTÜNDAĞ
The statement made by Turkish Volleyball Federation President Mehmet Akif Üstündağ during his speech, where he referred to Erdem as a "real man", created a huge impact on social media.
ERDEM: GLAD TO BE A FENERBAHÇE FAN
During the emotional moments of the ceremony, national volleyball player Eda Erdem Dündar gave a touching speech, saying, "With the strength I've received from you, I've dedicated everything to Fenerbahçe. We've had good and bad days, but we always left the courts with our heads held high. You've given me something special, whenever I feel down, I'll look at this statue and hear the melody 'No captains before, no captains after'. I'm glad to be a Fenerbahçe fan."
ANOTHER WORD FROM ALİ KOÇ
At the statue unveiling ceremony, which attracted great interest from Fenerbahçe fans and volleyball enthusiasts, Fenerbahçe Club President Ali Koç made the following statements:
"This area you see will be where all our other statues will be gathered. There's one empty pedestal, I won't tell you whose statue will come there. We will consult. I'll say this much; it will be one of the early names in our history.
On such a special day, we are gathered here for the unveiling of Eda Erdem's statue, the star of our club and our country. Eda Erdem is not only an important role model for Turkish sports with her outstanding performance on the field but also with her character. She has been wearing our jersey proudly for 16 years.
Today, as we proudly unveil Eda's statue, we also exalt the power of all our women. I wish success to Eda Erdem and all our female athletes. I thank her family, coaches, Mehmet Ali Aydınlar for bringing her to Fenerbahçe, and Aziz Yıldırım for both finding her and keeping her at Fenerbahçe for their sports vision.
Last night was a beautiful night for us, and I hope this weekend will be the same. I wish you all a blessed Ramadan."