Samuel Adekugbe, who Galatasaray added to his team from Atakaş Hatayspor, became the first Canadian football player in the history of the yellow-red team.
The yellow-red club transferred 188 foreign players from 5 continents and 51 countries until the interim transfer period of this season in the Super League, which started in 1959.
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 and Kosovo.
IT WAS 190 WITH ZANIOLO AND ADEKUGBE
Galatasaray bought 2 foreign players during the second transfer and registration period, called the “interim transfer”. The yellow-red team added young star Nicolo Zaniolo from Italy’s Roma team and Samuel Adekugbe from Hatayspor. Thus, the total number of foreign players transferred by “Cimbom” since 1959 increased to 190.
Zaniolo will be the second Italian player in the history of Galatasaray, while Adekugbe will be the first Canadian player to sweat the yellow-red jersey. With the participation of Canada, the number of countries where the yellow-red players transferred increased to 52.
MOST FOREIGN FROM BRAZIL
Galatasaray, since 1959, has used its transfer rights mostly in favor of Brazilians. The yellow-red team added 22 “Sambacı”s 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.
FOREIGN FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF TURKISH ORIGIN
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, and Pierre Esser, who is a German citizen, and Jimmy Durmaz, who plays for the Swedish National Team, sweated the yellow-red jersey.
Galatasaray added Austrian citizen Yusuf Demir at the beginning of the season. (AA)
