While the city’s football fans are divided into different camps, with most locals pledging their allegiance to either Galatasaray (the most successful club), Fenerbahce (the club with the most members) or Besiktas (the country’s oldest sports club), the balance of power on the pitch has shifted in recent years. Whereas six different teams were crowned champions between 2010 and 2022, 'Gala' have won the title in each of the past four seasons.
A winning streak of that length had only previously been achieved once in Türkiye, when Galatasaray also claimed four consecutive league titles between 1997 and 2000. The mastermind behind the club’s current era of success is head coach Okan Buruk, who has steered Galatasaray to the top of the table after the opening nine matches of the new season. In the UEFA Champions League, however, their points tally leaves room for improvement.
Finally off the mark
The Yellow-and-Reds recently recorded a 4-2 away win against LOSC Lille, whom VfB will also face at the MHP Arena in December, ending a run of six matches without victory in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. The Turkish record champions faced two European heavyweights in their opening fixtures of this season’s league phase, suffering defeats away to Sporting CP in Lisbon (3-1) and at home to FC Barcelona (4-1).
Mario Gomez influence
One of the most well-known names in the squad is undoubtedly Victor Osimhen. The 27-year-old Nigerian striker made his name primarily as a prolific goalscorer for SSC Napoli before moving to Türkiye, but also spent some time in the Bundesliga early in his professional career. During his 18 months at VfL Wolfsburg, Osimhen learned a great deal from VfB academy graduate Mario Gomez, as he later revealed: “I loved watching Mario. He guided me and gave me valuable advice. He really helped me a lot, and I’ll be forever grateful to him for that.”
Other familiar faces in the Galatasaray squad include former Bundesliga players Leroy Sané (Schalke/Bayern), Ilkay Gündogan (Dortmund), Roland Sallai (Freiburg), Ismail Jakobs (Köln) and El Chadaille Bitshiabu (Leipzig). The squad also boasts two notable left-wingers in Rafael Leao and Baris Alper Yilmaz.
