GALATASARAY🦁(English)

Journey to the Origin and History of Galatasaray

Galatasaray Sports Club, Turkey's most established and successful sports club, was founded in Istanbul in 1905 by Ali Sami Yen and his friends. Since then, Galatasaray has achieved significant success not only in football, but also in many branches such as basketball, volleyball, swimming and athletics.


The establishment of Galatasaray emerged as a reflection of the increasing national feelings among young people in the Ottoman Empire at the time. Ali Sami Yen, Ahmet Robenson, Emin Bülent Serdaroğlu, Celâl İbrahim, Bekir Sıtkı Bircan, Refik Cevdet Kalpakçıoğlu and Ali Sami Yen's brother, Mithat Sabri Bey, were among the founding members of the club. These young people first gathered in a cafe in Galatasaray High School's Bahçekapı district and expressed that they wanted to play football and establish a sports club.

The founding members sat down to discuss the colors of the club. In the end, Galatasaray's colors were determined as yellow and red. The current emblem of the club, "Lion", was chosen as a symbol of power, courage and victory. This symbol represents Galatasaray's desire to maintain a superior stance not only on the field but also off the field.


Galatasaray's first football match was played against the Harbiye team at Küçükçiftlik Garden in Moda on 17 February 1905. This date holds an important place in the club's history as the date when Galatasaray stepped into the football scene.

Galatasaray attracted attention with its successes in football in a short time and achieved a great victory by winning the Turkish Football Championship in 1911.

Galatasaray has gone beyond the borders of Türkiye and achieved success in the international arena.

He achieved an unforgettable success in the history of European football by winning the UEFA Cup in 2000.

This victory further increased Galatasaray's prestige as a club representing Turkish football internationally.


Galatasaray's history is woven not only with football, but also with culture, education and social responsibility projects. The club has made great contributions to Turkish sports and society in the years since its establishment and has made a name for itself nationally and internationally. This deep-rooted history has made Galatasaray an important symbol of Turkish sports and football.