Turkish football is going through a resurgence and Galatasaray arrive in Manchester this week aiming to prove they can be part of it.
A burst of young talent led by Real Madrid‘s Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz at Juventus helped Türkiye reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 — the first time they had been past the group stage for more than 15 years. In March, there’s a World Cup playoff to book a place at their first global tournament since finishing third in 2002.
Galatasaray, one of Türkiye’s “big three” club teams along with Fenerbahçe and Besiktas, are also battling history. Despite winning Türkiye’s national title 26 times — including in each of the last three years — it’s 12 years since they progressed past the Champions League‘s group stage.
Okan Buruk’s side have almost guaranteed their place in the top 24 this season thanks to a point at home against Atlético Madrid last time out.
It means they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday without the pressure of needing a result to qualify, but with a golden opportunity to score another strike for football in Türkiye.
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Pep Guardiola was concerned enough to rest Erling Haaland and Phil Foden for the Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The message was that, with a place in the top eight on the line, City need their best players fit and available to meet the challenge posed by the Turkish champions.
“We’re going into the match after getting the draw against Atlético Madrid — it’s not 100% — but at least with the confidence that we are almost in the top 24,” Galatasaray first-team coach Ismael García told ESPN.
“We’re going with a bit less of what I call negative pressure and now all the pressure is positive. Positive to try to be in the top 16, positive to do a good performance against Manchester City.
“It looks very challenging, but at the same time we have a very positive mentality about what we can do.”
Galatasaray, revitalised since Buruk’s appointment as manager in 2022, have invested heavily to turn their recent dominance in Türkiye into success on the European stage. Victor Osimhen was signed permanently from Napoli in the summer after a successful loan spell, while Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündogan were enticed from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, respectively.
There was some surprise internally at Galatasaray that the club were able to get a deal for Osimhen done in the face of competition from the Premier League’s financial giants. There was interest at different points from Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as Barcelona and Juventus, but Galatasaray were able to get it over the line.
In Türkiye, the transfer is being held up as proof that the country can attract big names and not just ones deemed past their best. Galatasaray’s last visit to the Champions League quarterfinals was in 2013 with a squad which included Didier Drogba, 35 at the time.
“In the end, I think it’s a consequence of doing well,” said García. “In the last year, we are doing well and it’s getting the attention of good players. If you are getting good results, you’re getting good players. Then, it’s a massive club, amazing fans and a beautiful city in Istanbul which also is attractive for any player.
“For me in Türkiye, something is changing now. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Türkiye was able to bring top players, but probably in the last stage of their careers. Now it’s Osimhen or Sane. Tammy Abraham has moved to Aston Villa after being at Besiktas. Jhon Durán [at Fenerbahce] is at a good age in his career.
“This is something that in Türkiye, the people should be very proud of.”
Challenges remain. The national football set-up is perennially fighting a reputation of corruption and lawlessness. It’s not baseless.
In December 2023, Turkish football bosses paused all matches after a referee was punched to the ground by a club president after a Süper Lig game. And in November, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended more than 1,000 professional players following an investigation into betting.
The passionate support for which Türkiye is renowned has occasionally spilled over into violence and there have been incidents of teams walking off the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions, similar to the scenes which marred the Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco.
“Things could be better,” admitted García. “I still feel that the potential in Türkiye, in the clubs and in the national team, could be better with planning and organisation in the different main points of football.
“It could be better, but at least they are going in the right direction. We have to be self-demanding because I see high potential to do things better.
“We see improvement. We feel that. And also this is affecting the national team. The national team participated in the European championship and now they’re in a position in March, hopefully to get the World Cup for the first time since 2002. The growth of the league, the clubs, the competition is affecting the national team in a positive way.”
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Türkiye’s national team is up to 25th in the FIFA World Ranking, up from 42 before Euro 2024. UEFA’s club coefficient rankings have their domestic competition in ninth so far this season, behind the established top five leagues in England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, but also lower than the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium.
In that sense, Galatasaray, even with a team packed with well-known faces, are still playing the part of Champions League disruptors. They do it well.
They were victorious against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2023 and beat Tottenham Hotspur at home last season. This season, to go with their draw against Atleti, they won 1-0 against Liverpool in September and beat Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam in November thanks to a Osimhen hat trick.
Guardiola will be desperate to avoid a two-legged playoff in February and so for City there’s plenty on the line. For Galatasaray, it’s another chance to show that they can match the big boys.
“This year, I think from all of us, and especially from the club, they made one step more, one big effort to make even the squad stronger,” said García.
“It’s been 12 years that the club doesn’t get to the next round in the Champions League.
“So it’s a massive, massive step. Now our ambition is to first of all to do well against City. After that, we feel that we can face anything.”
