The whole story began with Dursun Özbek’s election as president in the snap election held on 11 June 2022, when the Burak Elmas administration, which had come with high hopes but failed to run, failed to run. Rewinding even further, despite advancing to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray finished 13th in the league, its worst-ever result, at the financial general assembly held in March 2022, club president Burak Elmas and his management were cleared financially, but not administratively. Elmas called an extraordinary election. The election, after being overturned twice by court orders, was finally held in June 2022.
In this election, Dursun Özbek beat his rival Eşref Hamamcıoğlu by 135 votes and was elected president ahead of the new season. Immediately thereafter, Okan Buruk, a former player and champion with Başakşehir, was appointed to fill the managerial position vacated by Torrent. In my opinion, this was one of the best actions of the Özbek administration. I remember thinking to myself, “If only they had brought Okan in,” regarding Okan Buruk, who knew the club well, proved himself by leading Başakşehir to the championship, and possessed international experience during his time as a player. Okan’s appointment as team leader became the second significant step towards Galatasaray’s success after Dursun Özbek.
The club’s transformation didn’t end there, and players like Marcao, Mostafa Mohamed, Mbaye Diagne, Ömer Bayram, Alexandru Cicaldau, and Patrick van Aanholt were also parted.
In addition to a star player like Bafétimbi Gomis, who had led Galatasaray to the championship a few years earlier, proven and star players such as Dries Mertens, Lucas Torreira, Sérgio Oliveira, Mauro Icardi, Juan Mata, Haris Seferovic, Léo Dubois, Fredrik Midtsjø, Milot Rashica, and Yunus Akgün were also transferred. According to Transfermarkt data, the management spent approximately €47 million on transfers. In return, they only earned €14.5 million from the players they departed.
Then, despite initially struggling, the team embarked on an unstoppable rise by winning the Beşiktaş game on 5 November 2022. This 14-game winning streak continued until 17 March 2023, when Galatasaray conceded a last-minute goal and lost 2-1 to Konyaspor in the 26th week of the league. This game brought an end to the Yellow-Reds’ record 14-game winning streak in the league. During this streak, Galatasaray struggled to win by a single goal and even achieved incredible results by significantly outperforming their most serious rivals. A 3-0 away win against Fenerbahçe, a 7-0 away win against Başakşehir, a 4-0 home win against Hatayspor before the earthquake, a 4-0 away win against Giresunspor in the early weeks of the second half, and finally a 6-0 away win against İstanbulspor are all results that have been quite different. Galatasaray broke Beşiktaş’s record for most consecutive league wins in 13 games, a record that hasn’t been broken since February 1960, and then extended their points lead to 9, a game longer. Although they faltered at times afterward, Fenerbahçe’s inability to capitalize on the points lost led to a relatively comfortable championship win. Even after this 14-game winning streak, Galatasaray continued to post some impressive results. They defeated Kayserispor 6-0 at home, defeated Alanyaspor and Ankaragücü 4-1 away, and defeated Fenerbahçe 3-0 at home in their last game, effectively sealing their championship. This is a statement that can be easily made, even though the title fight dragged on until the final weeks. With their fine performance and the superiority they established over their opponents, Galatasaray demonstrated week after week that they were a prime contender for the title, and ultimately, they won the championship. Now, let’s turn to the events that put Galatasaray in a difficult position during this championship campaign and the main reasons why Galatasaray won the championship by eight points.
Trials and tribulations
Let’s start with the challenges Galatasaray faced:
1) Fenerbahçe’s constant attacks
Fenerbahçe launched the season with great ambition, with the motto, “We will become champions and wear the fourth star in the Centenary of the Republic,” and from the very beginning to the end, they launched very harsh attacks on every issue. This season, they’ve been blaming everyone and constantly attacking Galatasaray in particular. While Galatasaray has responded to certain issues to avoid further conflict, they’ve avoided heated debate and prevented the issue from escalating into a feud. In my opinion, the most unpleasant aspect of the league was Ali Koç and his management’s constant attempts to cover up their failures, imitating Aziz Yıldırım, constantly pinning blame on Galatasaray, and attacking everyone, especially Galatasaray, in a manner completely unbecoming of them. Interestingly, they continued this aggressive and accusatory tone even during weeks when refereeing errors were made in their favor, and they didn’t ease the tension at all.
2) Beşiktaş’s constant attack, with the same mindset, after Şenol Güneş’s arrival.
We also saw this aggressive style from Beşiktaş President Ahmet Nur Çebi. Thankfully, his team consisted of relatively non-aggressive and mostly gentlemanly managers. This changed with Şenol Güneş’s arrival. Beşiktaş began winning consecutive games, prompting the management to adopt a more aggressive stance. Ahmet Nur Çebi’s unnecessary rhetoric, even after the earthquake, his blaming everyone, including Fenerbahçe management, and his harsh rhetoric towards his opponents, further exacerbated the already tense atmosphere. Ultimately, they failed to capitalize on their chance of second place with a 3-3 draw at home against Konyaspor, finishing the league in third place, behind Fenerbahçe.
3) A prolonged league break
First, the league was suspended for approximately a month due to the World Cup, held between 20 November – 18 December 2022. This disrupted the rhythm of many teams, including Galatasaray, who had just won the championship. Galatasaray, which had been a stormer before the break, outperforming its opponents both in terms of play and scoring, barely began to beat them after this break. They continued to win, but in many games, the games we enjoyed watching before the break, where we outscored our opponents, were gone, replaced by a Galatasaray that made us laugh out loud and barely beat our opponents. Ultimately, Galatasaray showed its strength even in the hard-won games, demonstrating that championships are in its DNA, and for the most part, it passed these tests with flying colors.
4) Unnecessary points lost at home
Following a 1-0 loss to Giresunspor in the second week of the league, Galatasaray drew 2-2 at home in the first half of the season, meaningless, and then 3-3 with Fatih Karagümrük in the second half. They dropped unnecessary points.
5) Icardi’s inconsistencies
Everyone loves Icardi and says he made Galatasaray champions. Frankly, I see a different picture. In an environment where all the ball was thrown at him and he played at least 80-90 minutes a game, Icardi naturally scored a lot of goals. That’s his job. The one thing I admire about Icardi is his ability to overcome the negativity his wife projected onto him. Normally an emotional man, he could be in shambles, but somehow he focused on his work and tried to fulfill his duties. He did have some moments of nonsense. For example, Galatasaray drew 3-3 at home against Karagümrük during a crucial week. In that game, Icardi delivered a mind-bogglingly ridiculous Panenka shot that deflected the ball over the goalkeeper.
6) The Gomis Crisis
I think if Gomis had been used instead of Icardi, he would have scored at least as many goals as Icardi. Let’s not forget, Gomis got good playing time in a season where Galatasaray was worse, scoring 29 goals in 34 games. This season started well, carrying Galatasaray in 3-4 games, especially in the final minutes. Whatever happened afterward, Icardi became the preferred choice. Towards the end of the season, Gomis lost control of his temper and threw a tantrum. After Icardi’s arrival, his substitution, especially after the 80th minute, and the creation of the impression that he wasn’t being taken seriously, were, in my opinion, rare mistakes made by manager Okan Buruk. Ultimately, Gomis’s recent spat and subsequent spat were compensated for by the other experienced players on the team, and peace was restored. The team thus proceeded without a loss.
7) The MHK’s generally biased behavior and instability
The MHK, which began under Sabri Çelik’s presidency, continued under Lale Orta, Turkey’s first female referee. In both terms, they made everyone see that serious errors, sometimes even deliberate ones, were being made. No one was happy with the situation. Even teams whose mistakes were made in their favor complained. The errors that angered me the most were caused by VAR. The VAR system, established to minimize human error, turned out to be a source of errors. Because referees, acting with deliberate and prejudiced intent, ignored VAR whenever they wanted and used it for the slightest of situations. This biased behavior sparked outrage.
Reasons for Galatasaray’s championship:
1) Okan Buruk
Aside from the issue with Gomis, there were no other publicly reported crises. Overall, 49-year-old Okan Buruk’s squad management has been universally praised. He managed Mertens, Icardi, Torreira, Oliveira, Kerem, along with Nelson, Midtsjø, and Mata, without any issues throughout the season. Overall, Okan Buruk led his team with a tactical approach that suited Galatasaray, putting pressure on and dominating opponents. He maintained a good form and, most importantly, earned the respect and affection of his star-studded squad, effectively achieving his desired results on the field. Especially during periods when Fenerbahçe was leading the competition, there were numerous comments suggesting that Buruk was unqualified to be Galatasaray’s manager. However, Okan is generally a calm and good-natured coach. He continued to practice what he knew to be right, calmly, quietly, and without interfering with anyone, protecting his team’s rights when necessary. Ultimately, starting in November 2022, he transformed Galatasaray into a true ‘winner,’ a team driven by a constant pursuit of victory.
Okan made two mistakes throughout the season:
a) Late substitutions: If something isn’t going right, managers generally make substitutions before the 60th Some foreign managers even make substitutions without waiting for the first half or even during halftime. Okan always made substitutions after the 80th minute, as if on automatic, and only after it was too late. Changing this incomprehensible habit is crucial for his personal development.
b) His inability to manage Gomis effectively: Making substitutions after the 80th minute irritated Gomis the most. After a while, he exploded and created a crisis. However, I think Gomis was a very valuable player. He only let us down in 3-4 games in the first half of this season. For some reason, Okan Buruk didn’t show Bafétimbi Gomis the respect he deserved and didn’t give him the opportunity to play, especially after the second half of the year. I’m speculating here; I think Icardi’s pressure, saying, “Don’t take me off the field,” and his constant demand for playing time played a factor. Still, Okan should have stepped up and given Gomis at least 20-30 minutes of playing time every game.
Of course, every good thing has its flaws. Let’s also highlight the records Okan Buruk broke this year: Coach Okan Buruk, who won the Süper Lig championship with Galatasaray in the 2022-23 season, made history with his highest points average. Having won 7 Super League titles, 6 Turkish Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 Super Cup with Galatasaray during his playing career, Okan Buruk won the championship in his first season with the Yellow-Reds at the age of 49. Okan Buruk, who won his first championship as a player with Galatasaray on 30 May, away against Ankaragücü in the 1992-1993 season, also experienced the joy of a championship on the same date 30 years later, this time as a manager. He also holds the title of the Turkish manager who achieved the highest win percentage (76.5%) and points average (2.4) at the helm of a team in Super League history. (See:https://www.sozcu.com.tr/spor/futbol/okan-buruk-rekor-kirdi-30-yil-sonra-buyuk-tesaduf-7700250/)
2) Long winning streak
Galatasaray’s Week 2 loss to Giresunspor and a draw against Trabzonspor in Week 4 didn’t start the season in high spirits. Furthermore, one loss and two draws in three games in October also made Okan Buruk a target of criticism. Under Okan Buruk, one of the few managers outside of the Big Three to win a championship in Turkey, Galatasaray has won 14 consecutive games since a 2-0 away win against Karagümrük on 28 October. The team scored 39 goals during this streak. Following Fenerbahçe’s drop in points during the same period, Galatasaray, which initially took over the top spot, continued on its path with high morale. During this period, they first defeated Beşiktaş at home and then defeated Başakşehir, coached by Emre Belözoğlu, by a massive 7-0 scoreline, demonstrating their strength and teaching Emre Belözoğlu, who had been acting as a hater to Galatasaray, a team that had been grooming him to curry favor with Fenerbahçe, a lesson he must have shown. The 3-0 victory over Fenerbahçe in Kadıköy also boosted the team’s morale, which had been shaken at the start of the season, to its highest level. This record-breaking winning streak was the most significant factor in Galatasaray’s championship victory. As a bonus to this article, I’m sharing the highlights of the two games we won 3-0, both away and at home, scoring a total of six goals and keeping a clean sheet:
Fenerbahçe – Galatasaray: https://beinsports.com.tr/mac-ozetleri-goller/super-lig/ozet/2022-2023/18/fenerbahce-0-3-galatasaray-mac-ozeti
Galatasaray – Fenerbahçe: https://beinsports.com.tr/haber/galatasaray-fenerbahce-17
3) The return of the impressive, high-pressure team play after the Beşiktaş game in the first half of the season.
Galatasaray won the Beşiktaş game by a single margin after the Karagümrük game, which kick-started a winning streak in the first half of the year, but their performance in that game effectively wiped Beşiktaş off the field, signaling to their fans that they had returned to their true style of play. While they occasionally deviated from this approach, Galatasaray’s impressive style of soccer, which dominated the opposition throughout the season, dominated the field, and was a true eye-catcher, brought Galatasaray back to its roots and helped them take firm steps toward the championship.
4) The players can enjoy themselves and have fun together.
The team’s ‘3Ms,’ Muslera, Mertens, and Mata assumed the role of big brothers, constantly lifting the team by providing both entertainment and sharing their experience. Where a family atmosphere is established, success is inevitable. In this environment, the players’ motivation increased as they enjoyed the game, and they were able to fully demonstrate their enthusiastic play, especially in some games.
5) Improvement of local players and significant contributions of foreign players
The Turkish players, who improved significantly from their performance at the beginning of the year until the end of the season, made a significant difference. Examples of these players include Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Abdülkerim Bardakçı, Kazımcan Karataş, and Barış Alper Yılmaz. Among the Turkish players who contributed to the team when given the opportunity, we can also count Yunus Akgün, Berkan Kutlu, and reserve goalkeeper Okan Kocuk.
From the foreign players, captain Muslera, as always, as well as Viktor Nelsson, Dries Mertens, Sacha Boey, Milot Rashica, Sergio Oliveira, and Mauro Icardi, made significant contributions. Given the opportunity from time to time, Bafétimbi Gomis, Leo Dubois, Fredrik Midtsjø, Juan Mata, Nicolò Zaniolo, who arrived during the mid-season break, and Samuel Adekugbe, who transferred from Hatayspor after the earthquake, made significant contributions. While we’ve mentioned all these players, let’s also highlight that 20 of Galatasaray’s players have won their first championship. These players are: Okan Kocuk, Victor Nelsson, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Kaan Ayhan, Mathias Ross, Emin Bayram, Sam Adekugbe, Kazımcan Karataş, Sacha Boey, Leo Dubois, Berkan Kutlu, Nicolo Zaniolo, Juan Mata, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Milot Rashica, Yusuf Demir, Dries Mertens, Hamza Yiğit Akman, and Özgür Baran Aksaka (see: http://cuts2.com/IHULA).
6) The incredible support of Galatasaray fans
The Galatasaray crowd was incredible and made a huge difference. This massive crowd, which broke decibel records at home, also stood by their team on the road, becoming Galatasaray’s biggest driving force. The Galatasaray crowd is something else entirely. They’ve broken attendance records even during training sessions, demonstrating their loyalty everywhere. Need an example? Here’s how Galatasaray fans greet their team on the road: Instagram videosu: Op. Dr. Yener İnce • Haz 12, 2023, 9:55 PM
Kudos to Galatasaray fans…
7) President Özbek’s Fine Management
Galatasaray President Özbek was successful in his first term, especially after serving as vice president to Duygun Yarsuvat, whom we all love and during whose time I was a Galatasaray member, and subsequently achieved success after success. However, he also made some mistakes during that period. In this second term, he has become much more mature and demonstrated exemplary management, with 90% of his actions being sound and success oriented. There were no cracks in his management either, and he earned everyone’s respect and affection, making a significant contribution as president to our success. He not only achieved sporting successes, but also, in my opinion, managed the financial side of the business well.
A statement published on social media by die-hard Fenerbahçe fan Fenerist.com regarding the championships in the Centenary of our Republic. Galatasaray responded best to this provocation by becoming champions on the Centenary of our Republic.
Congratulations to Galatasaray, Turkey’s most successful club ever, on its 23rd championship. It’s truly remarkable that Galatasaray, which responded to Fenerbahçe’s championship victory on its own centennial by becoming champion on the centennial of the Republic, and which has won by far the most trophies in Turkish soccer, has continued to proceed this year without succumbing to provocations and has deservedly triumphed. And we celebrated the championship in a truly magnificent way: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs50n1kAN0R/?igshid=NzJjY2FjNWJiZg%3D%3D
The best thing is to start the next two years. If we win another two championships, we’ll be wearing the 5th star. Hoping for a 5-Star Galatasaray in 2025!
Re re re, ra ra ra, Gassaray Gassaray Cim Bom Bom!
Bonus:
“Re re re, ra ra ra” Video:
Here are Galatasaray’s new season jerseys and championship song (Freed from Desire):
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtEHXchqyHn/?igshid=NzJjY2FjNWJiZg%3D%3D
Hoisting the Cup Galatasaray:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtFTMCgtrgg/?igshid=NzJjY2FjNWJiZg%3D%3D
Celebrating our Championship: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtJH4Xxu1zK/?igshid=NzJjY2FjNWJiZg==
Galatasaray’s championship video:
Tag: memoir
