Sukur missed a number of excellent chances in Turkey’s 1-0 quarter-final win over Senegal and it was his second-half replacement Ilhan Mansiz who scored the golden goal that earned the team a semi-final against Brazil today.

But despite press calls for Mansiz to start, Sukur’s team-mates still have faith in their captain.

“Hakan is a great player and his contribution to Turkish football cannot be denied,” said defender Alpay Ozalan. “He may have missed a few chances but those are chances we create every match and he’ll make up for them in the next match. I am sure he will go on scoring the goals that got us here in the first place.”

Turkey’s coaching staff emphasise that Sukur has played all five World Cup matches despite an abdominal strain that needs constant treatment.

Attacking midfielder Hasan Sas, one of Turkey’s best players in the tournament and a constant provider for Sukur, might have been angered by the way the striker wasted the positions he was in against Senegal.

But Sas was more annoyed with domestic press calls for Sukur to make way for Mansiz .

“As Turkish footballers we can’t understand why the country’s top player is being criticised like this. The people who do should look to themselves. If a footballer misses a goal and they attack him like that they need to question themselves,” Hasan said.

Turkish coach Senol Gunes refused to be pinned down on whether, as many expect, he will name Sukur in his team to start against Brazil.

“He is our captain and a player who has given much to Turkish soccer. I might play both together or it might be just one,” Gunes said.

If he does name Sukur, Gunes would join a line of Turkish coaches who have kept faith with the tall, lean and talismanic figure who has inspired Turkey to a number of victories in his 78 internationals, scoring 35 goals.

After yesterday’s semi final in Seoul, Turkey’s German-born players can barely conceal their excitement at the chance that the two countries might meet in the final. With millions of Turkish migrant workers living in

Germany, such a match would be fiery, pitting Germany against one of their biggest ethnic groups.

Turkish football’s recent success has in part been driven by Germany, with German coaches working in Turkey and a generation of German-born Turks playing in Turkey or for the

national side.

“We’re thinking of the semi-final first,” Turkey midfielder Yildiray Basturk said.

Basturk is perhaps the most German of all Turkey’s players, still living there and playing for Bayer Leverkusen.

“If we get the chance to play Germany it would be great. I grew up there and I live there. If we could win it would be a very special thing for Turks there.”

Umit Davala said such a game would be momentous for German-born Turks like himself. “I agree, we have many people there. We would all be hoping for a draw.”

Ilhan Mansiz, who scored Turkey’s quarter-final golden goal against Senegal, was born in Germany, as was midfielder Tayfur Havutcu. Scores of other German-born Turks play in Turkey and coach Senol Gunes could have picked a handful more for his squad.