German-born Dutch forward Ernest Poku scored on his debut for Besiktas after joining the Turkish club on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. (Scroll down to watch interview)
Poku is of Ghanaian descent and is eligible to represent Ghana at senior international level despite playing for the Netherlands at U-20 level.
The 22-year-old joined Besiktas during the 2026/27 transfer window on a loan deal that includes an obligation to buy.
Poku came off the bench in the 70th minute and scored 11 minutes later as Besiktas beat French side Olympique Marseille 4-1 in their opening Europa League fixture.
The goal completed a convincing victory for the Turkish side and marked a positive start to Poku’s spell at Besiktas.
First of many. ⚡ pic.twitter.com/UwouAfglQZ
— Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) September 17, 2026
“We have faith that we’ll do good things in Europe, and we’ll show that too. I’m very happy to have scored a goal, I hope I score in the league as well.”

“Our coach asked me to play like myself and I’m a quality player in counterattacks too, and I went forward and scored the goal” he said after the game.
Ernest Poku: Avrupa’da iyi işler yapacağımıza dair inancımız var bunu da göstereceğiz.
Gol attığım için çok mutluyum, umarım ligde de gol atarım.
Hocamız benden kendim gibi oynamamı istedi. Ben de kontra ataklarda kaliteli bir oyuncuyum ve hücuma gittim golü attım. pic.twitter.com/3lnCoheso2
— Tivibu Spor (@tivibuspor) September 17, 2026









