On Sunday morning, I crossed over to the Asian side for brunch. After a nice brunch, on my way back to the European side I ran into traffic on the TEM highway that was far beyond the usual. Dozens of flag sellers had stepped onto the highway, selling Galatasaray championship flags. As I sat there in traffic, I finally gave in and bought one of those five-star flags.
That evening we were already going to the game. Once I bought the flag on the highway and started waving it in the car, I found myself getting into the championship game spirit earlier than expected. With traffic moving slowly, I kept waving the flag out the window.
There were dozens of cars like mine waving flags on the TEM. Near the Kavacık exit, I noticed a Galatasaray flag lying in the road. Just as I saw it—right on the lane divider—a car deliberately swerved so it could drive over the flag. I mean, right in front of my eyes, the driver turned the wheel just to run over the flag placed on the line between two lanes. Without hesitation, I put on my hazard lights, stopped on the highway, opened the door, picked up the Galatasaray flag, and placed it inside my car. Thankfully, the car behind me was also waving a flag; that driver put on his hazards too and shielded my car from traffic. Then I went on my way.
An Example of Moral Decay
Can you see how fanatical—and borderline psychopathic—people can get over soccer? On the day your rival is going to be champion, you actually make the effort to swerve your car so you can run over a flag lying in the road. Who knows how much satisfaction this tasteless, immoral person got from such behavior. Shameful! Respect for rivals, humility, tolerance, sportsmanship—these higher moral values have all but vanished in this country. We’ve always had problems here, but the moral erosion of the past 20 years has been off the charts.
I finally returned to my neighborhood, fed and cared for my “kids” (my dogs), and finished a work report I needed to prepare. By then, it was game time.
A Beautiful Game and a Joy to Watch
Because my life dynamics changed a week earlier, I had one spare spot in our private box for the championship game. I decided to give it to my dentist of 15 years. A die-hard Galatasaray supporter, my dentist was thrilled. It was like winning the lottery—completely unexpected, and he got to watch the championship game from our box.
The game was enjoyable from start to finish. There were attacks from both sides, and Galatasaray’s delightful play lasted the whole way through. Only after our second goal, for about 15–20 minutes, did our players ease off, during which time our opponent Kayserispor came at us hard. They had 2–3 chances to score, but our legendary goalkeeper Muslera denied them. Aside from the three goals Galatasaray scored, we had another 4–5 clear scoring opportunities. In short, just as in nearly every game, we dominated, and when the final whistle blew, the celebrations began in full force.In short, just as in nearly every game, we dominated, and when the final whistle blew, the celebrations began in full force.
Game Highlights
As soon as the game ended, music began playing in the stadium, and all the soccer players and coaching staff ran to the center of the field to celebrate and dance together. The fans joined in as well.
Celebrations into the Late Hours
Normally, to avoid traffic, I leave the stadium around the 85th minute of every game. That saves me at least 45 minutes, because once the game ends, the stadium’s surroundings and the TEM highway get completely jammed. This time, I stayed until the very end. In fact, we stayed in the stadium for another hour—the celebration part was incredibly fun.
Then, as soon as we left the stadium, we headed straight to Etiler. On Nispetiye Avenue, one of the traditional celebration spots, there was an incredible crowd. The younger fans, especially, had turned the place into a festival. Fireworks, music, chants, everyone singing club anthems together, waving flags in unison… Nispetiye Avenue had it all. We hung around there for almost an hour, then headed home after midnight.
Two Major Trophies in One Week
As you know, last week Galatasaray also beat Trabzonspor in the final to win the Turkish Cup. The joy and satisfaction of winning two trophies in just one week made for a great night’s sleep.
This season, we took home two trophies. In Europe, our peak was the Tottenham game. With a magnificent performance, we defeated the English giant, who couldn’t make any impact in the game. Unfortunately, after that we declined, and were eliminated from Europe by AZ Alkmaar—a team I personally consider mediocre—after playing poorly and getting bad results in both legs.
Will History Repeat Itself with Okan Buruk?
Under Okan Buruk’s leadership, the Galatasaray soccer team has now won its third straight championship. The next goal is to match another Galatasaray legend, Fatih Terim, who won four straight titles in the second half of the 1990s. Beyond that, if the current momentum continues, this strong performance could also be a sign of future success in European competitions.
Back in the 1990s, after winning four consecutive championships, Galatasaray went on to win the UEFA Cup and then the Super Cup. There was even a chant composed to tell the story of this success. To bring it to life for you, I’m sharing a video of the chant:
“History Writes Galatasaray.”
Believing that “history repeats itself,” we want to sing this chant—containing the lines below—often next season and see it matched with success in Europe:
Four years in a row we were champions,
We became the kings of Europe.
History records the facts,
And history is written by Galatasaray.
Neither Beşiktaş, nor Fener, nor Trabzon—
This year you are the champion!
Come on, push on, push on,
Push on, Galatasaray!
Note: They’ve put together a nice summary of the story behind Galatasaray’s fifth star. I recommend watching this video.
