Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (Turkish pronunciation:[galataˈsaɾajspoɾkuˈlyby],Galatasaray Sports Club), usually referred to asGalatasaray, is a Turkish professional football club based in theEuropean side ofIstanbul. It is the association football branch of the largerGalatasaray Sports Club of the same name, itself a part of theGalatasaray Community Cooperation Committee which includesGalatasaray High School where the football club was founded in 1905, consisting entirely of students. The team plays in dark shades of red and yellow at home, with the shirts split down the middle between the two colours.
Galatasaray is one of three teams to haveparticipated in all seasons of theSüper Lig since 1959, following the dissolution of theIstanbul Football League. Galatasaray has the mostSüper Lig (25),Turkish Cup (19) andTurkish Super Cup (17) titles in Turkey.[4][5][6] Galatasaray is the most successful Turkish club in European competitions. Galatasaray won theUEFA Cup andUEFA Super Cup in2000, becoming the only Turkish team to win a majorUEFA competition. In the1999–2000 season, the club achieved the rare feat of completing a treble by winning the Süper Lig, Turkish Cup, and UEFA Cup in a single season. In theUEFA Champions League, Galatasaray has reached the quarter-finals several times and the semi-finals ofClub Champions Cup once. Galatasaray is the only Turkish club to have been ranked first on theIFFHS World Rankings.[7] According to IFFHS, Galatasaray is the best Turkish club of the 20th century, and the 20th most successful club in Europe.[8][9][10]
Since 2011, the club's stadium has been the 53,798-capacityRams Park in the Seyrantepe district of Istanbul. Previously, the club played at theAli Sami Yen Stadium, as well as a succession of other grounds in Istanbul, which included groundshares withBeşiktaş J.K. andFenerbahçe at theTaksim Stadium andİnönü Stadium.
The club has a long-standing rivalry with other Istanbul teams, namely Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe. The derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe is dubbed theKıtalar Arası Derbi (English:Intercontinental Derby) due to the location of their stadiums on the European (Galatasaray) and Asian (Fenerbahçe) sides of theBosphorusstrait.
Ali Sami Yen, founder of the clubThe first recorded photo of Galatasaray (1905)
Galatasaray SK was founded in October 1905 (the exact day is disputed, but is traditionally accepted as "30 October 1905" according to theGregorian calendar) byAli Sami Yen and other students ofGalatasaray High School (a high school inIstanbul which was established in 1481) as afootball club. Ali Sami Yen became Galatasaray SK's first president and was given the club's membership number "1". The team's first match was againstCadi-Keuy FC and Galatasaray won this match with a score of 2–0.[11] There were discussions about the club's name, in which some suggestedGloria (victory) and othersAudace (courage), but it was decided that its name would be Galatasaray.[12]
The name Galatasaray itself comes from that of Galatasaray High School, which in turn takes its name from Galata Sarayı Enderûn-u Hümâyûn (Galata Palace Imperial School), the name of the original school founded on the site in 1481, and which in turn took its name from the nearby medievalGenoesecitadel ofGalata (the modern quarter ofKaraköy) in theBeyoğlu (Pera) district of Istanbul. Galatasaray literally means "Galata palace".
According to researcher Cem Atabeyoğlu, Galatasaray took its name from one of its first matches. In that match, Galatasaray won 2–0 over a localGreek club, and the spectators called them "Galata Sarayı efendileri" (English: "Gentlemen of Galata Palace"), and, after this incident, they adopted that name and started to call their club "Galata Sarayı". In 1905, during the era of theOttoman Empire, there were no laws for associations so the club could not be registered officially, but, after the 1912 Law of Association, the club registered legally.[14]
Since there weren't any other Turkish teams, Galatasaray joined the Istanbul League that was consisting of English and Greek teams in the season of 1905–1906. With their first championship title they won in 1908–1909, they heralded the beginning of Turkish football history.[15]
While football in Turkey began to fully develop, Galatasaray won ten moreIstanbul League titles[citation needed] until 1952. Upon the initiation of professional football in 1952, the first professional but non-national league of Turkey,Istanbul Professional League, was played between 1952 and 1959. Galatasaray won three of these seven titles.
Türkiye Profesyonel 1. Ligi (Turkish Super League today) formed in 1959. This is the top-flight professional league in Turkish nationwide football, and the most popular sporting competition in the country. Galatasaray joined all seasons and won 25 league titles since then.
The Turkish Football Federation began organizing the Turkish Cup in the 1962–63 season for Turkish clubs to qualify for theUEFA competitions. This is the only national cup competition in Turkey. Galatasaray joined all seasons and won 16 trophies since then.[16]
Historically, one of the clubs biggest achievements came in the 1986–1987 season where they won national championships in 15 different sport branches. Another achievement in this period was reaching the semi-final of theChampions League in the1988–89 season making Galatasaray the first and only Turkish team to have played a semi-final in this competition.
Galatasaray's most successful era came in the late 1990s, when the club become the first and only Turkish football club to win a major UEFA competition with1999–2000 UEFA Cup. They were aided in this by one of Turkey's best generation of homegrown footballers who went on to finish third in the2002 FIFA World Cup, after having played in the quarter-finals ofUEFA Euro 2000. Besides the talented local players, the home stadium ofAli Sami Yen Stadium created a huge advantage, as it was literally dubbed "Hell" by media and the visitors due to the intimidating atmosphere provided by the fans including chants and riots in the crowds.[17]
There are many successful footballers who have played for Galatasaray and made their mark on Turkish football history. The team's legendary players includeNihat Bekdik nicknamedAslan (Lion); the 1930s national heroEşfak Aykaç;[18] Boduri who died aged 21;[19] Mehmet Leblebi who scored a domestic record of 14 goals in a single match;[20]Gündüz Kılıç nicknamedBaba (Father) who was the coach but also the player of his team in the 1950s, with great success in both duties;[21]
Bülent-Reha Eken brothers;Suat Mamat who scored three goals in the1954 FIFA World Cup;[22]Coşkun Özarı who devoted his life to Galatasaray;[23]Turgay Şeren the heroic goalkeeper who was called "the Panther of Berlin" for his national duties;[24]Fatih Terim, the team captain of Galatasaray and the Turkish national football team for many years, who won the UEFA Cup in 2000 as the Galatasaray's coach;[25]Metin Oktay the legendary six-time top-scorer of the Turkish Super League;[26]Zoran Simović, another skilled goalkeeper known for his penalty saves;[27]Cüneyt Tanman who played a record of 342 games for Galatasaray;[28]Tanju Çolak, an extraordinary goalscorer and the 1988European Golden Boot winner with Galatasaray;[29]Cevad Prekazi, an Albanian specializing in free kicks;[30]Cláudio Taffarel theWorld Cup-winning goalkeeper forBrazil;[31]Gheorghe Hagi, the Romanian football hero who is still described by some as the best foreign player ever to play in Turkey;[32] Brazilian strikerMário Jardel, dubbed "Super Mário" by the fans and scored both of Galatasaray's two goals in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup match againstReal Madrid along withOkan Buruk who was the man of the match and the current coach; andHakan Şükür, the player who scored most goals in Süper Lig history with 249.
Galatasaray is a team of emotions. It is a team of footballers who are in love with its colors and love each other. Galatasaray is a team of players who work with sacrifice and dedication. Galatasaray doesn't like the conceited, self-centered individuals. In short, Galatasaray is a team of people who pull the rope together, who know how to be sad together and rejoice together..
Galatasaray (Turkish pronunciation:[ɡalatasaˈɾaj]) is aquarter inKaraköy in theBeyoğlu district ofIstanbul, located at the northern shore of theGolden Horn. Its name comes from that ofGalata, which may in turn have derived fromGalatai (meaning the "Galatians"), as theCeltic tribes were thought to have camped at Galata during the Hellenistic period before settling inGalatia in centralAnatolia.Galatasaray translates directly as "Galata Palace" (saray means "palace" inTurkish).Galatasaray High School, established in the area in 1481, was the progenitor of Galatasaray S.K. as well as other institutions ofGalatasaray Community.[33]
Galatasaray is a compound word and is pronounced as such, with a very brief pause between the two words.[34] There is no diminutive form of the club's name. Fans refer to the club either by its full name or by its nicknameCim-Bom(-Bom),pronounced:[dʒimbom(bom)]). The person who brought this slogan to Turkey was Sabit Cinol. While Cinol was in Switzerland for education, he also played football. Inspired by the slogan ofServette, the club he played for, Cinol adapted this slogan for Galatasaray, and this adaptation was embraced by the club and the wider community.[35] However, the shortened form "Gala" is sometimes used by English speakers.
Galatasaray's first emblem was drawn by 333 [School Number] Şevki Ege. This was the figure of a spread-winged eagle with a football in its beak. The eagle was a model emblem that Galatasaray dwelled on in the beginning. But when the name did not attract too much interest, Şevki Ege's composition was pushed aside. It was replaced by the current design in the 1920s. This replaced in 1925 by the current "Ghayn-Sin" crest, which are the first two Arabic letters of "G"alata "S"aray, designed by Ayetullah Emin.[36]
At first, the colours of Galatasaray were red and white. These are the colours in the modernTurkish flag. The Turkish Republic, however, was not founded at that time. Therefore, this decision caused the repressive administration of the day to feel uncomfortable and the administration subsequently pressured the footballers. For this reason, on December 26, 1906, the colors were changed to yellow and black.[37] The eight-piece halved design kit was ordered from the Sports OutfitterWilliam Shillcock based inBirmingham,United Kingdom.[38] After a heavy 0–5 loss toBaltalimanı in a friendly match the new colours yellow and black were counted as inauspicious.
We were picturing the yellow-red flames shining on our team and dreaming that it would take us to victories. Indeed it did.
On 6 December 1908, for a match against the football team of theRoyal Navy cruiserHMS Barham, Galatasaray finally settled on playing in red and yellow, inspired by theroses whichGül Baba offered to SultanBayezid II.[39]Ali Sami Yen stated, "After we have been in and out of several shops, we saw two different elegant-looking wool materials in Fatty Yanko's store at Bahçekapısı (between Eminönü and Sirkeci in Istanbul, now called Bahçekapı). One of them was quite dark red, resembling the cherry color, and the other a rich yellow with a touch of orange. When the sales clerk made the two fabrics fly together with a twist of his hand they became so bright that it reminded us the beauty of a goldfinch. We thought we were looking at the colors flickering in burning fire. We were picturing the yellow-red flames shining on our team and dreaming that it would take us to victories. Indeed it did."[14]
The Galatasaray home kit has always been fundamentally the same since 1908. The traditional shirt of Galatasaray is the eight-piece halved design called "parçalı" (sectional). This consists of the shirt's front, back and sleeves being made up of two colours, resulting in the shirt being split into eight parts. (Two of the same colours are never next to each other within the 8 parts). The colours continue in an alternating order, from yellow to red. This results in the front of the shirt being the opposite of the back and the shirt also having an halved design from the side. This alternating colour order of eight parts creates a complete halved design for the shirt.[40] The classic eight-piece halved design would become the iconic look of Galatasaray for years to come. The official colours arePantone shades 1235 (yellow) and 201 (red).[41]
When Galatasaray were formed no Turkish teams had their own home ground, and all games in theIstanbul Football League took place atPapazın Çayırı – now the site ofFenerbahçe'sŞükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. In 1921 the city's first proper football stadium was constructed,Taksim Stadium, which was used as the home ground for all of Istanbul's teams.[42] When historic Taksim Stadium was demolished in 1940, Galatasaray decided to build a large, modern stadium. Due to difficulties stemming from World War II, construction was delayed for over two decades. In this period, they played inŞeref Stadi andDolmabahçe StadiOn 20 December 1964,Ali Sami Yen Stadium opened.[43] Named after the founder of Galatasaray,Ali Sami Yen, it is in theMecidiyeköy quarter of theŞişli district at the center of the city. In 1964, the stadium had capacity over 35,000. Due to improvements in security and prohibition of non-seater spectators, theall-seater capacity reduced to 22,000 in 1993. A few years later, the rebuilt of main stand, which was damaged by an earthquake, slightly increased the capacity.[44]After 2002, whenAtatürk Olympic Stadium was built forIstanbul's Olympic Games bid, Galatasaray started to playEuropean Cup matches there. The attendance record among Turkish stadiums was broken there, in Galatasaray–Olympiacos match played in front of 79,414 spectators. Yet,Ali Sami Yen Stadium has historic importance for Galatasaray fans although it is smaller and older.[45]The stadium was demolished in 2011 after Galatasaray moved to the newly builtRams Park.
The new home ground of Galatasaray is the newly builtRams Park in the Seyrantepe area ofSarıyer.[46] It is also known as Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi. The new stadium, which was opened on 15 January 2011, has a capacity of 53,978 seats, making it the largest private stadium used by a club in Turkey.[47]
The roof of the stadium contains 10,404solar panels, earning it theGuinness World Record for "the most powerful solar output from a sports stadium" (4.2MW).[48] In 2025, Rams Park ranked second on theWorld Economic Forum's list of the world's seven most environmentally friendly stadiums.[49]
Since 1992, after every goal scored by Galatasaray, the chorus of the song "I Will Survive" by theHermes House Band is played, followed by the sound of a roaring lion. However, two players have a unique song played in the stadium after they score:Mauro Icardi ("Aşkın Olayım") andBafetimbi Gomis ("Sen Olsan Bari"). In addition, after the starting 11 is announced in the stadium, the Galatasaray "Warchant" is played, accompanied by what the fans call a "scarf show," where they display and wave their scarves, banners and flags as the start of the song "Gerçekleri Tarih Yazar" is played. After the match, if Galatasaray wins, the fans will call the team to the stands to celebrate. In these celebrations, the players and fans perform a signaturechant called an "üçlü". The "üçlü" ritual is also performed by the fans at the start of every match.
Galatasaray fans attach high importance to European competitions, and Galatasaray is known as theConqueror of Europe by their fans. This nickname underlines the importance of theUEFA Cup and theUEFA Super Cup Galatasaray managed to win during the 1999–2000 season. Galatasaray fans also have a reputation in Europe as being one of the most fanatic in the world, along withultrAslan.Ryan Giggs once saidI've never experienced anything like Galatasaray. Three hours before kick-off, we went out to have a look at the pitch and the stadium was overcrowded! The chanting was brilliant: one side starts, then the other, then quiet, then all of them chanting! The players really enjoyed it. Before it was good, after it wasn't for us.'[51][52]
Galatasaray fans broke the "loudest crowd roar at a sport stadium" record on 18 March 2011 at Galatasaray's new stadiumRams Park in Istanbul. A peak reading of 140.76 dBA was recorded.[53]
On May 12, 2024, Galatasaray broke the longest home winning streak record (17), beating their own record (14 on 11 March 2023) in TurkishSüper Lig history with a 3–2 win overFK Karagümrük.[54]
Galatasaray fans' chants are an integral part of their football culture, creating a hostile and loud environment.[citation needed] Some of Galatasaray's most well known chants include:
Chant name
Lyrics (Turkish)
Lyrics (English)
Gerçekleri Tarih Yazar
(History Writes the Truth)
Dört sene üst üste şampiyon olduk. Avrupa'nın kralı olduk. Gerçekleri tarih yazar, tarihi de Galatasaray.
We became champions four years in a row. We became the king of Europe. History writes the truth, and history is written by Galatasaray.
Şereftir Seni Sevmek
(It Is An Honour To Love You)
Şereftir seni sevmek, senle ağlayıp gülmek. Galatasaray sevgisi sürecek sonsuza dek. Yetmiyor ki stadlar, kalbimiz senle çarpar. Layıksın bu sevgiye, şanlı Galatasaray.
It is an honour to love you, to cry and laugh with you. The love for Galatasaray will last forever. Stadiums are not enough. Our hearts beat with you. You are worthy of this love, glorious Galatasaray.
Adanmış Hayatların Umudu
(The Hope of Dedicated Lives)
Sen gözümün nuru, adanmış hayatların umudu, şanlı Galatasaray. Ol, sen şampiyon ol, inlesin tüm ülke zaferinle, şanlı Galatasaray.
You're the light of my eyes, the hope of dedicated lives, glorious Galatasaray. Be, be the champion, let the whole country moan with your victory, glorious Galatasaray.
Çocukluk Aşkımsın
(You Are My Childhood Love)
Çocukluk aşkımsın, sen ilk göz ağrımsın. Kimseyi, kimseyi, sevmedim senin gibi. Sevdanın uğruna terk ettim her şeyi. Hayatın anlamı Galatasaray.
You are my childhood love. You are my first love. I’ve loved no one, no one like you. For the sake of your love, I gave up everything. The meaning of life is Galatasaray.
There are dozens of other chants however those listed above are the most popular.[55][56][57][58]
"The big three" clubs ofIstanbul –Beşiktaş,Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray – have a century-long history of rivalry. The Galatasaray–Fenerbahçe rivalry is the primary Istanbul derby and the most important rivalry in Turkish sports.[59] The rivalry poses a symbolic importance to supporters due to an assumed superiority that comes with winning the derby. Supporters are often quoted as stating that winning the league without winning the derby is hollow. There is always huge interest in the derby due to its fierce nature on and off the pitch. Many documentaries have been made about the derby including an episode of "The Real Football Factories International". The rivalry has led to violence among supporters on numerous occasions, though this has been on the decline in recent years. The typical features of derby days include jammed traffic near the sold out stadium, loud support throughout the match and taunting choreography displays by supporters before kick off.[60] Other top level Istanbul derbies include the teamsİstanbul Başakşehir andKasımpaşa, although these teams pose a minor rivalry as the history and the nationwide attention to the derbies among the big three is unmatched.
Torches, smoke, drums, flags and giant posters are used to create visual grandeur and apply psychological pressure on visiting teams, which fans call "welcoming them to hell".[61]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Galatasaray has one of the most successful youth facilities in Turkey. Gündüz Kılıç Youth Facilities inFlorya is the center of the department.Galatasaray U21 have won the Turkish Youth League three times.[67]
Galatasaray football academy trains children between seven and fifteen. They are located in 79 sites, in Turkey, Australia, Germany, Belgium and the UK.
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