Ankara (AFP)
Former Turkish star goalkeeper Rüstü Reçber has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, his wife said on Saturday evening.
"Rüstü is in the hospital and has been diagnosed with Covid-19," wrote Isil Reçber on Instagram.
"We are in shock after the symptoms developed quickly when everything was normal. These are critical times and it is tough," she added.
She added that she, like their two children, had tested negative.
Rüstü Reçber, Turkish team caps record holder with 120 capes, had become a national hero at the 2002 World Cup who saw the selection go to the semi-finals and snatch the bronze medal, the greatest achievement in Turkish football.
The goalkeeper was easily recognizable during this World Cup played in Japan and South Korea thanks to his long black ponytail and the black product he wore before his eyes, like American football players. .
Now 46, Rüstü Reçber retired in 2012 after having passed through two Istanbul clubs, Fernahçe and Besiktas, and having worn the FC Barcelona jersey for a year, from 2003 to 2004.
He is the second positive Turkish football star at Covid-19 after Galatasaray coach and ex-national team coach Fatih Terim, who announced his infection on Monday.
Turkey has recorded 7,402 cases of new coronavirus including 108 deaths according to the latest figures announced by the Minister of Health on Saturday.
© 2020 AFP