Harry's a Turkish delight

Photo: AP Galatasaray fans love Harry Kewell and he is keen to put their clubon top of the table, writes Matthew Hall in Istanbul. There are, according to Harry Kewell, no longer any validexcuses. Such is the high level of professionalism within the Socceroos that travelling long distances for matches and lack of preparation fail to faze the Galatasaray star. Professionalism is one reason, Kewell says, that Australia's World Cup campaign has - so far - taken the team unbeatenacross the Middle East, Japan and Uzbekistan. "Players in Europe are used to travelling," Kewell says. "It ispart and parcel of the game. The only difference is the most youfly in Europe is five hours. Yes, it is difficult to fly 24 hours[to Australia] but we have the medical staff and everything we needto perform. Advertisement: Story continues below "It's not as if we are going and living in a caravan park. We have the best available to us. We have masseurs and the food thatwe want. There are no excuses [for a bad performance]. No player will make excuses." He pauses and laughs. "Only if we have a bad game." This is a story about Kewell but also the professionalism thatenvelops Australia's most gifted and most famous footballer. And itis a story about the commitment required to recover the form thatmade the kid from Smithfield in Sydney's south-west one of the mosttalented young footballers in Europe. Ask around Galatasaray, the Turkish club Kewell joined thisseason in what some saw as a surprising move, and one word keepscropping up about their Australian import - professionalism. That's how the club's management describes Kewell but it's not PR spin. The word keeps surfacing when talking with localreporters, the team's physiotherapist, fans and a random guy with no apparent official job who hangs around the reception area Rosetta Stone Software at Galatasaray's training ground. It is also apparent in Kewell's spartan living conditions. Visit the Istanbul apartment he shares with Australian physiotherapist Les Gel is and it's clear this is not the scene of many dinnerparties. Kewell has yet to see much of the city's impressive touristattractions. Between training sessions, Pilates classes, gymworkouts, and rest, he has no time. He's in Turkey to work. "Seeing some sights is one of the things on the list but we haveno time," Kewell says. "We play so many games and are justtraining, resting, training, resting. Some would say we aremachines." After four years of injury hell, a now fit 30-year-old Kewell isso committed to football that he moved to Istanbul for the game while his wife, Sheree, and their three children stayed at home in England. Kewell's surrogate family is Gelis, a former Socceroo sphysio therapist, who consulted at Liverpool and can now be seen ina Galatasaray tracksuit. Their apartment is a 10-minute walk to theclub's training ground. "My family in Istanbul is Les," Kewell says. "We're heretogether and there is not a lot we do but train, eat, sleep, maybe play a little Xbox now and then. Other than that I am just workingall the time. "I could not have moved to Istanbul without having him here. Ihave always travelled and been away from my family when I was young, but this time it was different. I was going away for good.It's difficult and we're both in the same boat. We have to keepourselves occupied and that is one reason why we work a lot." If Kewell impresses Galatasaray officials and fans, therelationship is working two ways. On the field, the team is havingan erratic season, but Istanbul has handed Kewell a new lease oflife.

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