The top 10 best transfers of Galatasaray

By: Musab | April 18th, 2008

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On a very slow news week for Galatasaray, I have decided to put up a list on the top ten best transfers in the our club’s long succesful history.

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.