Rayyan Baniya: “Für mich bedeutete der Wechsel zu Trabzonspor einen Schritt nach oben.”

Trabzonspor’s mother is Turkish, father is Italian, and Beninese player Rayyan Baniya said he will never forget this season’s 3-0 victory against Beşiktaş. Trabzonspor’s 25-year-old defender Rayyan Baniya gave an interview to Trabzonspor Magazine. Baniya expressed that Trabzonspor is a very big club and when he first came from Karagümrük, it meant moving to a higher level for him. He said, ‘I was very excited and I still maintain this excitement. My goal is to play well in this beautiful club, to show myself and my talents, to be useful. I will definitely achieve this. Also, winning trophies in this club because I know how much Trabzonspor fans desire to win trophies. My mother is Turkish, my father is Beninese. I was born in Italy. My lifestyle is similar to Italy among these three countries because my childhood was spent there, I lived there until I was 22. On the other hand, my mother passed on Turkish customs to me. My way of thinking is mostly like a Turk, and my taste in food is mostly like a Turk’s. My father is African, Beninese, and I visit there every summer. The natural beauty of Italy and Turkey is equally beautiful in my opinion, both are wonderful. People of these two countries are hospitable, easy to understand. They also love to laugh. When it comes to Turkey, I noticed that Turks love animals very much. They raise them at home like in Italy, value them, and this is very nice. The people of Benin are very natural. But of course, they do not have the same economy. Even if people have very few things, they are happy and always positive. They don’t have many thoughts bothering their minds, they live freely.’
‘I became a defender when I grew taller as a child’ Answering the question of whether he always played in this position in his football career, Baniya said, ‘When I was 13-14 years old, I was a winger because I was not tall like I am now. I was very fast, and our coach put me on the wing to run. I was making a difference with my speed and also scoring a lot of goals. When I was 17-18 years old, suddenly I started to grow taller. Upon this, our coach tried me in defense, and when I was successful there, it became permanent. But even though I am tall, I can also say that I am fast. My height also gives me advantages.’
‘I do not like racism’ Expressing that he does not like people being disrespectful to others for no reason, the defender said, ‘Of course, I never like racism because it is very bad for someone to be excluded and disrespected just because they are black or come from another race. Sometimes opposing attackers try to play with you psychologically. They try to provoke me by saying disturbing things, but it doesn’t work on me. I know they are trying this and trying to distract my attention, but I don’t fall into their trap. I don’t like it, but at the same time, I don’t fall into the trap. Because I am smarter than them, otherwise I would get a red card in every two matches. Five years ago, I was playing in Mantova, Italy, and I scored a goal in a match with high adrenaline. I had made a shushing gesture towards the opposing fans. But then I realized that I had upset and angered them because of this, and I was very sorry. There was no need for such an action. That was my only gesture, and I never repeated it.’
‘I can’t forget this season’s home match against Beşiktaş’ When asked about the most unforgettable match, he said, ‘The match we played against Beşiktaş this season and won 3-0 was amazing. It was a great game, a beautiful score, and there was also an incredible fan base. I had never seen such chants and passionate fans before. Not only that night we won, but I thought about that atmosphere all week, I was very impressed.’
‘The player I look up to is Varane’ Talking about the player he looks up to, Baniya said, ‘Always Raphael Varane. He was in Real Madrid back then and I used to follow him constantly. Now he is at Manchester United. Fast and charismatic. There is also Sergio Ramos but Varane is very good.’ When it comes to his teammates, the player said Pepe is the most talented, Trezeguet is the most hardworking, Taxiarchis Fountas is the laziest, Trezeguet is the funniest, Bero (Berat) is the angriest, Benkovič is the most gentlemanly, Uğurcan is the most handsome, Denswil is the best-dressed, and he himself is the toughest on the field.
‘Best 11’ When asked to form a team, Baniya answered, ‘Neuer, Cafu, Ramos, Puyol, Marcelo, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Pirlo, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario.’