Kadir was a sincere and kind-hearted boy with a perpetually smiling face. Every morning, he would put on his apron and jacket, leave home for work, and arrive at Çömlekçi, greeting the shopkeepers he knew along the way. He would place his ornate, solid wood, mother-of-pearl inlaid chest, inherited from his father, sit on his stool, and wait for his first customer to have their shoes cleaned. Under the plane tree, the chests were lined up according to seniority. Kadir had moved up a few places in the last year. That morning, he started his day in the same way. The first to arrive, as on most mornings, was Sergeant Salih. Kadir immediately got to work. He took the plates he had cut from cigarette box cardboard, ready to use to keep socks clean, and began to practice his craft. Finally, after polishing the shoes nicely with his polishing cloth, he didn't fail to give his work a proud look. Sergeant Salih first patted his head, then slipped him a few extra coins. Kadir felt embarrassed. He thanked her, but couldn't lift his head from the ground.

1976 is the corner language of memory. Hub column articles ; root Trabzonspor founding date .

City history , Trabzon history .

That was Kadir's nature. Since losing his father, the responsibility of the household had fallen on his shoulders, and he was struggling to work and continue his schooling with only a few hours of sleep. He had accepted this difficult life as it was and no longer expected more. Even at this young age… On weekday mornings, before school, he would shine the shoes of the neighbors, and on weekends, he would leave home before sunrise to collect scrap metal, then spend the day selling bagels he bought from the neighborhood bakery. If he had time, he would play football with his friends from the neighborhood.

Football was Kadir's greatest passion. Football and Trabzonspor. After several years of arduous struggle in the lower leagues, Trabzonspor had just been promoted to the first division last season. Now, in the 1975-76 season, they were turning the league upside down. There was tremendous excitement in the city. Newspapers, which for years had been filled with news of Istanbul teams' championships, were now mentioning the possibility of a small Anatolian club winning the championship. This was something Kadir and many others couldn't even dream of until then. A football team from this coastal city, from this distant and lonely corner of the country, challenging those glorious, big clubs? It was unbelievable. But Trabzon was the city where the unbelievable became reality, the city of stubbornness and belief. 1976 was a very colorful year for Trabzon.

It was already noon when Kadir gathered his paint box and stood up. He was late for school, but he hadn't intended to go today anyway. He left his box at Tailor Ali's shop and hurried to the bakery. The baker was surprised to see Kadir at his door at school time, but he didn't say anything.

Kadir needed extra money because there was a match in two days. He was hosting Fenerbahçe at Trabzonspor Avni Aker. It was considered a crucial match that would decide the championship. Everyone in the city was talking about it. Kadir wanted to be at the stadium too. He was past the age to ask his elders for permission to enter the stadium with him, so he couldn't risk it. He had to earn a few extra liras somehow and then convince his mother. With his frail but strong arms, he shouldered the bagel full to the brim and set off towards Çömlekçi Square.

For days, he'd been replaying the match in his mind from start to finish, and each time Trabzonspor won. It was undoubtedly a crucial match. Trabzonspor had even beaten Fenerbahçe in a preseason friendly, but newspapers had said that this victory couldn't be considered a benchmark for the Turkish leagues. However, Trabzonspor had started the season like a storm, defeating Galatasaray 2-1 away in the very first week with goals from Hüseyin and Mehmet Cemil. Subsequent victories had propelled Trabzonspor to the top, but a defeat against Altay in the 7th week resulted in them relinquishing the lead to Fenerbahçe. In the period that followed, Fenerbahçe pulled away, and Trabzonspor chased. Although football pundits claimed Trabzonspor wouldn't be able to maintain this performance until the end of the season, that he wouldn't have the stamina to last until the end of the league, Trabzonspor would prove them wrong and wouldn't give up on his championship goal until the Fenerbahçe match, which was to be played 7 weeks before the end of the league. Indeed, that day had arrived. Trabzonspor would face Fenerbahçe on Sunday, April 4th. And Kadir had no choice but to go to that match.

He arrived at the square. He wasn't expecting many sales at this hour, but the more he sold, the more comfortable he would be. He walked around the shops, greeting people and checking to see if anyone wanted simit (Turkish bagel). He approached the doors of minibuses heading to the districts, trying to whet the passengers' appetites with the aroma of the simit. By evening, he had only managed to sell a handful of simits. After giving the bakery its share… no. It was impossible; it wasn't enough. His work would have to wait until morning.

He woke up at sunrise. He dressed warmly. He was going to collect whatever scrap metal and copper he could find to sell, and then get in line for tickets before evening. The previous night, he had managed to get permission from his mother to go to the match. Afraid she might change her mind, he left the house quietly so as not to wake her. He climbed the ramp leading to the Sülüklü cemetery. He arrived at Hayali Garage in one breath. Motor parts, light bulb heads, scrap metal… He was buying anything that could fetch money. He visited repair shops, scrap yards, and the area around the bus station. By noon, he had packed his bags and arrived at Tarla Muzaffer's shop. He had made exactly 11 liras in sales. More than enough. With the money left over from the ticket, he would first go to the cinema and then have a soda. In his joy, he forgot his tiredness. He went to the fish market. He checked the films at the Melek Cinema. There was another action-packed fighting film. He immediately bought his ticket and soda, and settled into the burgundy seats of the stuffy, heavily scented theater. He watched the film with great curiosity, but the match was still on his mind. We couldn't be too late. We needed to coordinate with our friends, join a few different queues, and cut in line wherever ours moved faster. I wondered who would score the goals today?

He went straight to the ticket counters as soon as he left the cinema. The queue was already starting to get long. This wait would last until morning. The air was cold. Luckily, he was dressed warmly. The wait began. As the hours passed, the weather grew harsher. Small fires had been lit in a few places. He would occasionally go to the fire, then return to his spot. He wished his father were with him. A few years ago, when Trabzonspor was still in the lower leagues, they used to come to the matches together. When his father was alive… When life hadn't become so difficult… And when Kadir was still a child…

Morning came. He was lucky. He was inside. The stadium gates were already closed for the match, which was scheduled to start at 4 PM. It was packed. The balconies of the surrounding houses and the high hills were also full of people. Kadir was tired but happy. He certainly wasn't aware that he was witnessing history, but he felt himself on the verge of a happiness whose limits he couldn't fully comprehend. Perhaps today would open the door to the championship all the way back. After that, only a few steps remained. A few steps later, an era would change. The Fenerbahçe players had been greeted at the airport by fans with yellow and blue coffins. That coffin was the coffin of the monopoly that had lasted for years in football, and today they would perhaps drive the strongest nail into it.

And that's exactly what happened. Trabzonspor defeated Fenerbahçe 1-0. They took the lead and are determined to stay.

When Kadir left the stadium, he felt like a different person. He had changed. He seemed stronger. It felt like no difficulty could break him. No obstacle could stop him. He was more powerful, more capable. Yes, he had simply changed. Trabzonspor had accomplished this. Trabzonspor had made him grow…

He walked along, dreaming of the championship day. Would the match be an away game or in Trabzon? He'd have to set aside money for tickets again. This time, he decided to save the money beforehand. He was almost home. Soon he would run to his mother and tell her every detail. How Hüseyin had been one-on-one with the goalkeeper, how the ball had found the net from a tight angle, how he had hugged the complete stranger next to him in joy. If he could just get home, he would tell her everything without skipping a beat.

Kadir didn't make it home. He collapsed a few streets away. People rushed to his side. Nobody understood what had happened. They rushed him to the hospital, where they diagnosed him with a brain hemorrhage. Kadir never opened his eyes again. His heart stopped two days after the Fenerbahçe match.

Trabzonspor became champion that year. Kadir undoubtedly watched this championship from the best spot, without a ticket, without queues, and without any hassle.

In '76, the Black Sea flooded and reached Istanbul.

The tears shed for Kadir mingled with the joy of the city…