Galatasaray’s football star Hakim Ziyech, who was added to his team from England’s Chelsea team, became the third Moroccan player in the history of the yellow-red club.
Before the 1959 season, when the Turkish 1st Football League, formerly known as the Super League, started in Galatasaray, 2 Moroccan football players played.
Ziyech was recorded as the 3rd Moroccan football player in the yellow-red team, with Nordin Amrabat and Younes Belhanda running the ball.
195. foreign football player
Ziyech became the 195th foreign player that Galatasaray added to its colors.
The yellow-red team has so far included 195 football players from 6 continents and 52 countries.
Reinforcing its staff from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, Galatasaray; Brazil, Yugoslavia, Romania, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Czechia, Portugal, Sweden, Ivory Coast, Belgium, Uruguay, Poland, Mexico, England, Croatia, Ghana, Albania, Democratic Congo Republic, Australia, Spain, Senegal, Italy, Serbia, Nigeria, Iran, Suriname, Lithuania, Zimbabwe, Wales, USA, Israel, Japan, Algeria, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Cape Verde, Iceland, Greece, Gabon, Egypt Received players from Denmark, Chile, Austria, Kosovo and Canada.
Most foreigners are from Brazil
Galatasaray, since 1959, has used its transfer rights mostly in favor of Brazilians.
The yellow-red team added 23 “Sambacı” to its staff in 64 years. Yugoslavia took the second place in this field with 16 players, and Romania took the third place with 15 players.
Foreigners of Turkish descent
6 Turkish-origin footballers, who are citizens of other countries, also played in Galatasaray.
Kubilay Türkyılmaz, Hakan Yakin and Eren Derdiyok, who have Swiss passports, Pierre Esser, Kerem Demirbay, who are German citizens, Jimmy Durmaz, who plays for the Swedish National Team, and Yusuf Demir, who has Austrian passport, sweated the yellow-red jersey.
Foreign players of Galatasaray
The foreign players and countries that Galatasaray has added to its squad since 1959 are as follows:
Note: Football players who later became Turkish citizens were considered as foreigners in the news.