-What are your footballing origins?
Emre : My family wasn't rich. My father played for Galatasaray, then he worked in a shop. But I started playing football by chance. They spotted me while I was playing for Zeytinburnu, the team of my district in Istanbul. I played for this team from the age of nine to thirteen, then I joined the Galatasaray youth team and at the age of fifteen I was in the first team.

Okan : I think I was born from a football. I started when I was five and I don't remember ever thinking of doing anything else. My brothers were professional footballers and my father loved football. Then my brothers stopped and I became the pride of the family.

-What differences have you found between Italian and Turkish football?
Emre : The most important thing is that in Turkish football you have more time to think about making plays. Instead, you have very little time in Italy. In the Serie A , when you have the ball at your feet you can only think about one thing.You don't have the chance to make a second choice. When you have made a decision you have to stick with it because if you look up and try to change your mind, they take the ball away from you in a fraction of a second. Besides, it's obvious that the number of great players that populate the Italian championship isn't remotely comparable to that of the Turkish championship.

Okan : Also, the defence is fundamental in the Italian championship. A great deal is said about the strikers, but the majority of the technical players are defenders that make the difference. Besides, in Turkey you play four or five real matches a year if you're at Galatasaray because it's not a big problem to win when you face the small clubs.

-You were both influenced by the teachings of Terim at Galatasaray. What's the most important thing he taught you?
Emre: "When I got into the first team I didn't have the characteristics I have today, and I owe these to him. He taught me to be a modern player, to put the pressure on opponents, to be aggressive, to run and to use the ball with intelligence."

Okan: "With Terim I won everything there is to win in Turkey and a UEFA Cup. He has always given me lots of confidence and he helped me to think big - to not be content with being a star in my own country, but to become one all over Europe. To do this it was necessary to leave Galatasaray for Inter. And he convinced me I could make it."

-And what has Cuper taught you over the last two years at Inter?
Emre: "To be more orderly on the pitch. And also to play on the left wing. It's not my natural position but I had to adapt myself to the demands of the team. I've also learned a lot by watching the coach's behaviour. He's always very rigorous and determined. He's a great example of professionalism, also off the pitch. He has taught me to always believe in myself and in what I do."

-Is it true that you Turkish players are very aggressive on the pitch?
Okan: "Only me and Emre! Well, perhaps there are two or three others. We play with passion and great fighting spirit. We always want to win and to win you need to do everything necessary."

Emre: "You obviously go as far as you can without breaking the rules. There are limits and we try to stay just within them. If we overdo it sometimes, patience... Each one of us is paid to do his duty and so that also means being aggressive. But I'm convinced that I take more blows than I give. But I'm not complaining because when the going gets tough, Emre and Okan start playing!"

-Is there a player in Italy that has particularly impressed you?
Emre: "Pavel Nedved. He's the soul of Juventus and one of those few players capable of changing the face of a team. And then Bobo Vieri because last year he had an extraordinary season, and he's managed to do even better this year."

Okan: "There are a lot. I'm impressed by ou r captain Javier Zanetti. He played a great match on the first day and he's continued in the same way for the whole season."

-How would you improve Inter?
Emre: "It's simple. I'd buy Zidane. He's a truly world class player, a step ahead of everyone. You can put him where you want and he'll change the performance of the whole team."

Okan: "I agree. Zidane is number one, he's different from the others. Let's say that all the Real Madrid strikers are phenomenal players. It's absolutely the strongest attack in the world. Instead, we can leave them their defenders."

-Emre, what does Okan represent for you?
Emre: "Sometimes he's like a father, sometimes he's a big brother and other times he's a friend. I've learnt so much from him. I know a lot of good players, but I know very few that are also splendid people. Okan is one of these. There have been difficult moments in my life where I only managed to confide in h im and not even with my own family."

Okan joins the conversation, adding: "I'm older, but for both of us it's our first experience abroad. We even live together, we're like brothers. Also, we've met a lot of Turkish people and so the settling-in period was quick. Milan's a city I like, and the food's not bad at all."

-What's Emre's best quality?
Okan: "He has enormous potential, he just has to work now to exploit it. We still haven't seen the best of Emre, but those who have seen him up close in training know he's capable of exceptional plays. Also, he has a great heart. He's only in his second season at Inter, and you'll see him improve quickly."

-What's the best and worst day of your professional playing career?
Emre: "5 May. How can it be forgotten? Also, the recent defeat in England with the Turkish national team. The English treated us very badly, both the fans and the players. Instead, the best moment was the UEFA Cup victory with Galatasaray, even though I couldn't play because I was disqualified."

Okan: "The best day was the UEFA Cup victory with Galatasaray. It was the first time a Turkish team had won a European cup. It was a historic event in our country. Besides, we had won everything there is to win in Turkey - six championships in eight years."

-What does it mean for a Turkish player to play for Galatasaray?
Emre: "It's difficult to explain. Every team thinks it's the most prestigious in the world, but Galatasaray is a true institution. If you're a star in t hat team you can't walk around Istanbul. The same thing doesn't happen in Italy, not even with your national team players."

Okan: "Galatasaray is life. I played in that team for sixteen years and even now when they refer to me in Turkey they say 'Okan, the one from Galatasaray'."

-There are a lot of city rivalries in Italy, like the Milan derby. How is the clash between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce seen in Turkey?
Okan: "The atmosphere is even more heated than for the Milan derby. Neither of the two sets of fans dare go to the stadium when it's an away match. It's too dangerous."

-What differences have you found between Italian and Turkish fans?
Emre: "Italian fans are a bit calmer. If what happened on 5 May last year had happened in Turkey, the players wouldn't have been able to leave the stadium."

-You're both Muslim. Has this ever created problems for you during your playing career or in your relationships with other players? Okan: "Absolutely never. It's true that our religion imposes obligations on us, but it's absolutely not an obstacle. Also, what counts is the person, not the religion. However, I've never had problems with anyone."

Emre: "I agree. We don't disturb anyone and no one disturbs us. We have a different religion, but nothing changes in our relationships with other players, our training methods or our lifestyle. Religion doesn't have an influence on how we play."

-A lot of Turkish players play abroad now. Which of your fellow countrymen would you recommend signing?
Emre: "Real Sociedad striker Nihat. He's scored an avalanche of goals and has settled in very well in the Spanish championship. It would therefore be even easier for him to fit into the Italian one. Also Hasan Sas, an established player. There are also a lot of talented young players. I'll single out two - Tuncay of Fenerbahce and Okan. But the young one who plays for Genclerbirl igi."

Okan: "I'd add Leverkusen's Basturk, a very good player who knows European football well, and Mansiz, who had a great World Cup with the national team."

-How important is the national team for you?
Emre: "It's a particular emotion. It should be like this for everyone, whatever the national team. Just being selected is a great honour. You must always give your best when you represent your country, whether it's a friendly or a World Cup final. Also, we mustn't forget that there are a lot of social problems in Turkey and the national football team is one of the values the people are still attached to. So it's an extra responsibility. When we came back from the World Cup in Korea, where we finished third, the welcome was smashing. So many people hadn't been seen since the War of Liberation."

-Is it easier to win the Champions League or the championship?
Emre: "Well, I'd say both are rather difficult seeing as we haven't managed to win either of the two trophies."

Okan: "But the i mportant thing now is not what we win, but just to win something. The fans, the club and the president all want it. And us players want it more than anyone else. At Inter you're condemned to win something important."

-President Moratti is particularly hungry for victory. What's your rapport with him like?
Okan: "He's the person that, more than any other, deserves great success. We all have great respect for the president because just like we give everything on the pitch, he makes the maximum effort off it. He shares the same spirit that accompanies the team. I don't know how many presidents would be willing to make the sacrifices Moratti has made for Inter."

-Okan is a mature player, but you've probably made a few silly mistakes...
Emre: "I'm very young, but I've been playing as a professional for several years now so I have a certain amount of experience. The problem is that I go from one excess to another in a flash, from great happiness to great sadness."

Okan: "I, however, have matured... by making loads of silly mistakes. Experience helps you to make fewer."

-Is there a match you'd like to play again?
Emre: "I still haven't digested the last match against England. I want revenge."
Okan: "The worst ones were the last matches before leaving Galatasaray. As soon as it was known I had signed for Inter there was loads of criticism. I wasn't playing well and I was even sent off. It wasn't easy for me to leave Turkey and that climate certainly didn't help, although I understood that the reaction was because of the disappointment about my departure."

Turkey arrive in England this week able to look down on their hosts in the Fifa world rankings. Still glowing from the third-place finish their smart, technical football earned at last summer's World Cup, their image is far upgraded from the earlier role of whipping boys. Any references to 8-0 stuffings - English boots twice inflicted such punishment - are now perceived as little more than reminders of Turkish football's growing pains in the dim and distant past. The last 8-0 scoreline was in 1987. Emre Belozoglu was seven years old at the time, a tiny boy who played for Zeytinburnuspor, his local club in the Istanbul suburbs, from where he went on to catch the eye of Galatasaray. Today he is known in Italy, where he is emerging as a hero at Internazionale, as the 'Maradona of the Bosphorus'. The fact that his predecessors managed little more than an aggregate scoreline of 0-27 in eight games against England cannor dent his confidence.

Turkey's main motivation is not revenge for ancient humiliations, but a desire to push on from their excellent World Cup. Arguably, they are as equipped as any in Europe to win the tournament in Portugal in 2004.

'For the first time in history we are facing England knowing that we can go there an play an open game,' said Emre. 'In contrast to previous games the result is difficult to predict. We are convinced that we can beat England, even in their own back yard.'

Emre's progress is symbolic of the rise and rise of Turkish football. An increasing number of them perform in Europe's most prestigious leagues. When Turkey first took part in a European Championship finals, in 1996, the entire squad earned their living in the domestic game. Only two had had any experience outside of Turkey - Tayfun Korkut at Stuttgart Kickers (he was born in Germany), while Hakan Sukur's short spell at Torino - he was sold back to Galatasaray because he was homesick - highlighted the stereotype that Turkish football was fundamentally lacking in mental strength.

Older and wiser now, Hakan is impressing in the Premiership at Blackburn alongside Tugay. Nihat Kahveci is spearheading Real Sociedad's push for the Spanish title. In Italy, Emre and his trusty sidekick Okan Buruk are hailed as revelations for Inter. Emre, in particular, has captured hearts in the San Siro for a brand of dynamic and creative football which stands out in a side derided as functional. Billed as the golden boy with the glorious left foot when he broke into the Galatasaray side at the age of 16, he is beginning to fulfil expectations that he would be Turkey's most accomplished footballing export.

The big Istanbul clubs were haggling for his signature when he was 10. He had his first BMW at 17. He was younger than Wayne Rooney when he won his first title, the first of four consecutive championships (and two doubles) during Gala's period of eminence in the late 1990s. Under the demanding eye of legendary coach Fatih Terim, and assisted by tips from the captain, Gheorghe Hagi, he added steel to the subtleties in his game. Raised as a playmaker in youth teams, now this swift dribbler and shrewd passer was able to tackle too.

Terim also forced Emre to toughen up mentally, at one point evicting him from the first-team squad for four months when fame got to his head. 'If you carry on like that you will never become one of the world's great players,' he warned his prodigy. 'You have to learn to play with the others, not just on your own. And don't make the same mistakes as I did and throw away all the money on cars and other stupid things. Invest the money in a house for your parents.'

Emre seems to have taken that on board. His father Mehmet looks after his finances and Emre admitted recently: 'I still ask him for pocket money.' Mother Fatima is a Turkish literature teacher, and he has followed in her footsteps by revealing his favourite pastime when cooped up at training camps is reading Turkish Republican and Ottoman history.

Emre's abrasive side cost him when he was sent off in the semi-final of the Uefa Cup in 2000 and suspended for the final, when Gala beat Arsenal to claim Turkey's first European trophy. He put aside personal disappointment to cherish a monumental stepping stone in the development of Turkish football. The national side consequently reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000 before journeying to third place in the 2002 World Cup (both better than England).

In 2001, aged 20, Emre moved to Inter and it was soon clear he required that newly fortified Turkish spirit to cope. Having caused uproar at home by leaving on a free transfer (the Gala president went on national TV to rage about it) the welcome in Italy was not entirely friendly. Before his debut he was travelling to the training ground with Hakan and Okan when the three Turks were surrounded by a group of agitated fans who kicked their car and shouted: 'Go home you Turkish shits!' Hakan got out of the car and slapped the most hostile fan. The police arrived to escort the players away from the scene.

All rather frightening for a shy, young, religious man away from home. Emre had far greater anguish when drove his car into a hotel worker in Istanbul. It was 5.30 am and he was on the way to the Mosque for morning prayer. He carried the man into his car and drove him to hospital but he was dead on arrival. Although Emre was acquitted because the man was trying to cross a road forbidden to pedestrians, it remains, as he says, 'the worst days of my life'.

He was supported all the while by Okan, whom he describes as a big brother (they live together near Como). 'If he hadn't been by my side who knows how I would have got through it,' says Emre of his trying, and also injury-ridden, first season in Italy. Able to begin afresh this campaign he has flourished enough to invite comparisons with Maradona. 'Me like Maradona? Yeah, but only physically,' he said with a beaming smile.

Meanwhile, team-mate Luigi Di Biagio says, 'He is only young but has the football brain of a 30-year-old.' Emre's reputation in Italy soared when he scored a sensational goal in Turkey's 1-1 draw against the Azzurri in November last year. More recently, he netted a crucial goal for Inter in the Champions League match which delivered them into the last eight.

Fortunately for England, not all Turkey's World Cup stars have carried their success stories into this season. Goalkeeper Rustu Recber has had so many nightmares for Fenerbahce all the scouts from top European clubs have given him the thumbs down. Galatasaray's driving force Hasan Sas, like Aston Villa's Alpay, has spent most of his time stewing on the bench after falling out with the coach. The clever Yildiray Basturk, such a gem for Bayer Leverkusen in last season's Champions League, has been dragged on to the downward spiral which has engulfed the German club this term.

Perhaps all they need to lift their spirits is a reunion with their international friends to refocus the mind. As Emre says: 'We are really proud of how much Turkish football has grown at international level. We must show our success was not by chance.'