1. Hakan Sukur [1992-1995, 1995-2000, 2003-2008] From: Bursaspor

I put Hakan on the number one spot of the last list as greatest transfer of Galatasaray’s history. Now I’m putting him as the greatest player in Galatasaray history. The best way to demonstrate Hakan’s greatness would be through the numbers. He has scored 249 goals in 480 games in the Turkish superleague, a little over a goal every two games. By doing so he has broken the record as the all-time leading scorer in the superleague. For the national team he has scored 51 goals in 103 games, a little less than a goal every two games. And again, by doing so he is the all time leading scorer for the national team. His trophy collection is similarily impressive; he has won 8 Turkish league titles, 6 Turkish cups, 9 extinct Turkish cups, 1 Italian Cup, and an UEFA cup. He is without a doubt the greatest CimBom legend of all time.

2. Gheorghe Hagi [1996-2001] From: FC Barcelona

What else can I say about “Profesor Hagi”? After he arrived to Galatasaray, the team went on to win 4 Turkish titles, 2 Turkish cups, an UEFA cup, and an UEFA super cup in five years. Hagi will always be known for his great technique with the ball, his amazing free kicks, and his very intelligent through passes. These three qualities allowed him to run amok in the Turkish league. Any fan of Turkish soccer, whether he be a Galatasarayli, Fenerli, or a Besiktasli will admit that Hagi is without a doubt the greatest foreign player ever in the Turkish league.

3. Bulent Korkmaz [1984-2005] From: Youth Academy

In football there are a couple of players who would stay with their “birth team”, Paolo Maldini, Raul Gonzalez, Francsico Totti, to name a few. In Galatasaray we have Bulent. Bulent was born in Malatya, moved to Istanbul and entered the Galatasray youth system first as a goal keeper but later began to play as a central defender. Bulent played over 1000 matches for Galatasaray, and in the process won a record 29 trophies including one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, 8 league titles and 6 domestic cups. He is the legendary “Buyuk Kaptan”, the “Great Captain”. He was a fiery player who played with great courage and desire in every match. Despite clubs such as Lazio and Blackburn Rovers offering great sums of cash to sign him, Bulent rejected all of their offers, stating “Galatasaray is already a big club in Europe”. He always said that Galatsaray was his home even though his yearly salary never exceeded 1.3 million dollars.

4. Metin Oktay [1951-1969] From: Izmirspor

The “Crownless King” was an amazing striker who broke records left and right. After joining Galatasaray at the age of 19 for a new Chevrolet, his goal scoring record was not broken until Tanju Colak, and then Hakan Sukur broke them another 30 years later. Metin was a master of scorign with both legs as well as with his head as he became the goal king of Turkey for a record 6 times. He scored a massive 632 goals in all competitions, a record that has not been broken to this day.

5. Okan Buruk [1991-2001,2006-2008] From: Youth Academy

Okan, Okan, Okan, Okan, Okaaaaan!!!!! No CimBomlu can ever forget the match announcer screaming that after his great goal against Fenerbahce. Okan will be remember as the “atom bocegi”, the “atomic ant” for his incredible speed and his short stature. Despite a life threatening injury in 1992, the young Okan slowly but surely recovered and began his career with Galatasaray which would see him win 7 league titles, an UEFA cup, and an UEFA super cup. Okan was also a true professional and leader for the club. He is now finishing out his career at Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor.

6. Gheorghe Popescu [1997-2001] From: FC Barcelona

Its no secret that Popescu was the greatest foreign defender in Turkey. Hagi’s brother in law was known for bringing that extra class with his great sliding tackles and his ability to read the game in ways that surprised even the fans. As a bonus, he also scored the winning penalty against Arsenal in 2000. A model professional and a great legend all around.

7. Arda Turan [2006-Present] From: Youth Academy

Does Arda really deserve to be on the list? Without a doubt. Ever since he made his debut at the age of 19, Ardas been the love of all the CimBom faithful for his youthful exuberance, his love of the club, and the great potential he has. Its not a matter of if he’ll make it to Europe but which club and in which league? We’ll hear a lot more from little Arda as time goes on.

8. Claudio Taffarell [1998-2001] From: Atletico Mineiro

Taffarell will be remembered for two penalty shootouts. The first being in 94 against Italy when he won the world cup with Brazil, and the second is the 2000 UEFA Cup final against Arsenal. Taffarell had some amazing reflexes and his ability to put the ball right away back into play allowed Galatasaray to counter attack with ease as opposing defenders would struggle to get back into position. A very devout man, he is also very good friends with Kaka and our very own Lincoln.

9. Suat Kaya [1992-2003] From: Youth Academy, Konyaspor
The Fenerli turned CimBomlu, Suat (along with Hakan and Bulent) holds the record for the most Turkish league championships with 8 in his 11 years with the Yellow-Reds. After coming through the academy, Suat was first sold to Konyaspor where he established himself as a very effective midfielder and was bought back after 5 years with the green-whites. A man of few words, Suat didn’t let his small stature get in the way of his football and was always effective when called upon.

10. Tugay Kerimoglu [1987-2000] From: Youth Academy

Of all the Turkish “legionnaires” that moved on to Europe, Tugay is without a doubt the most succesful. After a year at Rangers, Tugay was transferred to Blackburn Rovers, where he still plays to this day. Tugay was always a very robust, aggressive central midfielder with the ability to see that perfect pass and notice danger spots when they emerged. At the age of 38 he’s still playing.

Well that’s my list, full of legends that still live on in our hearts and memories. There could be maybe another 100 honorable mentions, but thats my choice for the top 10. So what do you guys think? What’s your top 10 Galatasaray legends?

The top ten best transfers

1. Hakan Sukur
From: Sakaryaspor
Pricetag: Free Transfer
Age on arrival: 21
Country of Origin: Turkey

When current club president Adnan Polat brought Hakan Sukur back from Sakarya, he swore that “there will one day be a statue dedicated to this man”. Without a doubt Hakan Sukur is the greatest footballer in the history of Turkish football. The all time leading goal scorer of the Turkish league and the national team, Hakan is known by his fans as “kral”, Turkish for “King”.

2. Gheorghe Hagi
From: FC Barcelona
Pricetag: Free Transfer
Age on arrival: 31
Country of Origin: Romania

When Hagi arrived to Galatasaray at the age of 31, many critics claimed that his past glories were behind him and many expected him to just be another foreign sub. However with his amazing left foot, his incredible goal passes, and his breathtaking shots and freekicks, Hagi quickly became a god to the Galatasaray fans. The fans would scream “I love you Hagi, I love you Hagi” whenever he touched the ball.

3. Gheorghe Popescu
From: FC Barcelona
Pricetag: $ 9,500,000
Age on arrival: 30
Country of Origin: Romania

The brother-in-law of Hagi was almost as gifted as the greater professor himself. The rock in Galatasaray’s defense formed a magical partnership with legendary captain Bulent Korkamz as they worked together for 6 years. Popescu’s transfer was at that time, a record fee paid by a Turkish club.

4. Claudio Taffarel
From: Clube Atletico Miniero
Pricetag: $ 2,300,000
Age on arrival: 32
Country of Origin: Brazil

As a young kid I remember the match commentor yelling “Taffffffffarel!” or “Another save by Tafffffffffarel!”. Taffarel is without a doubt the greatest Goalkeeper to have ever played for the CimBom. His incredible reflexes and command of the penalty area made him a great legend for Galatasaray.

5. Umit Davala
From: Diyarbakirspor
Pricetag: $350,000
Age on arrival: 23
Country of Origin: Turkey, born in Germany

Umit will always be remember for taking that penalty kick against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup final in 2000. A very gifted rightback, Umit was always ready when the right midfield lost the ball, something Okan was very prone to do. Played for A.C Milan, Inter Milan, and Werder Bremen as well.

6. Ergun Penbe
From: Genclerbirligi
Pricetag: $1,400,000
Age on arrival: 22
Country of Origin: Turkey

A stone-cold left back, Ergun was the kind of player who would let the ball go by him but not the player. He played an instrumental role in the Turkish squad which played in the Euro 2000 and 2002 World Cup, playing in 5 out of 7 world cup matches which saw Turkey to the third-place. However he was also a model professional who was known for taking insults from the opposing fans and merely smiling at them.

7. Adrian Ilie
From: Steau Bucresti
Pricetag: $2,900,000
Age on arrival: 22
Country of Origin: Romania

The third “Wonder-Romanian: was a natural goal scorer. Will always be remember for dancing through the St.Gallen defense and lobbing the ball over the keeper (the commentors screaming will also be remembered). His technical ability and prowess for the goal were quickly noticed by the Valencia scouts who then paid $6,700,000 for the Romanian, a record profit for a Turkish club.

8. Aly Faryd Mondragon
From: FC Metz
Pricetag: $8,000,000
Age on arrival: 30
Country of Origin: Colombia

The successor of Taffarel, Mondragon will always be remember for his amazing reflexes and sheer physical strength. When Mondragon first arrived at Galatasaray, he was always the first to get into the fights. Towards his later years however, Mondragon was the first to break up fights and instill confidence in the team.

9. Necati Ates
From: Adanaspor
Pricetag: $200,000
Age on arrival: 24
Country of Origin: Turkey

The reason why I added Necati is because of the results he gave. In 104 matches he scored 72 goals. Mind you he’s still young at the age of 27 and is still scoring for us. However we only paid $200,000 for him. Great bargain, great results. Of course we expect his stats to increase over time.

10. Rigobert Song
From: RC Lens
Pricetag: $1,500,000
Age on arrival: 28
Country of Origin: Cameroons

Song is a tireless worker who gives his best for every match. The “Lion” in the team of the lions, Song is known for his one-on-one struggles and his sliding tackles. Good value in my book. Let’s hope he plays for another three years.