Old habits die hard in Turkish football despite wonderkids thriving abroad | Michael Butler

Turkish football is having a bit of a moment. Teenager Kenan Yildiz – recently given the No 10 shirt at Juventus and a contract until 2029 – was the saviour for the Bianconeri at the weekend, scoring two late goals in the Derby d’Italia to earn a remarkable 4-4 draw at Inter. Hakan Calhanoglu was sidelined for that match but on Monday he became the first Turkish man to feature on the Ballon d’Or shortlist since 2003, finishing 20th above Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer, among others. Oh, and then there’s Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, the nation’s unequivocal poster boy, who was voted the second best young player in the world – behind only Lamine Yamal – in the Ballon d’Or’s Kopa Trophy award.

Bolstered by these talents playing overseas, Turkey look stronger than they have in decades, and were unfortunate not to beat Netherlands in their Euro 2024 quarter-final. Yet of the 10 outfield players that started against the Dutch, only four players were born in the country, or brought through a Turkish academy. The pathway for domestic-based Turkish talent remains filled with obstacles.

This is the central dichotomy at the heart of Turkish football: a domestic football fanbase that is fiercely proud of its own – which is partly why Ankara-born, Istanbul-raised Güler is the country’s poster boy ahead of Calhanoglu and Yildiz (both born in Germany) – yet a club system that is obsessed with short-termism and instant results. This is epitomised by the Big Three – Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas – who, in a constant attempt to best the other two, typically prefer to bring in foreign imports, sometimes past their best, rather than take a short-term hit to nurture their own.

Turkey is far from the only country that leans heavily on imports, and it is worth stating that the model can garner results. Mauro Icardi’s goals led Galatasaray to the Super Lig title last season. This campaign, Besiktas’s Ciro Immobile leads the scoring charts ahead of Fenerbahce’s Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic. Signing a player with this profile has long been the way of things and Monday’s derby between Galatasaray and Besiktas was littered with ageing stars on both sides.

But while Gala do count numerous well-paid veterans in the current ranks – Icardi, Michy Batshuayi, Hakim Ziyech, Dries Mertens – there are the beginnings of a new mindset at the famous club. Manager Okan Buruk, who came through Galatasaray’s youth academy as a player and was part of the Turkey squad that reached the 2002 World Cup semi-final, is at the heart of this change and since returning to the club in 2022 has guided his side to back-to-back championships. Following their 2-1 derby win over Besiktas on Monday night, Galatasaray again sit top of the Süper Lig by six points and are unbeaten in their 10 games so far.

Arguably Galatasaray’s most important player this season has been Gabriel Sara, signed from Norwich for around £20m in August, and part of a new conscious effort from Galatasaray to reduce their dependence upon high-earning veteran players. Only one outfield Galatasaray player in the starting XI against Besiktas (Icardi, 31) was over the age of 30.

Norfolk to Istanbul is not a well-trodden path but just as in the Championship, Sara has often been his side’s creator-in-chief with his stylish left foot and deadly set-piece delivery, and the 25-year-old provided both assists against Besiktas to take his total to five for the season – nobody has more assists in the Super Lig this season.

“Sara starts the team on the attack,” explained Buruk on Monday. “His left foot is magical. He adapted very quickly. His human quality is also very high. He has the goal of going to the Brazilian national team”.

Of course, Galatasaray have been strengthened by the shock signing of Victor Osimhen, and the Nigerian’s move to Turkey is something of an outlier in the new policy, only coming about after parent club Napoli found themselves unable to afford Osimhen’s wages and unable to offload the 25-year-old to Chelsea or Saudi Arabia. He is not expected to stay in Turkey beyond next year, and could leave as early as January owing to a break clause in the loan contract – there is a permanent release clause at Napoli for €75m. That said, Osimhen has made his mark with four goals in the last three league games, including a brilliant bicycle kick against Antalyaspor and what proved to be Monday’s winner against Besiktas, a bullet header.

Galatasary’s welcome Tottenham in their next game next Thursday, and there is a real belief that the Turkish side can beat Ange Postecoglou’s team in the Europa League. “Tottenham have great players but that doesn’t take away how good our team is, collectively and individually,” said Osimhen, who appears to have really bought into the project at Galatasaray despite the transience of his stay. “We will be ready. We will have our chances to win the game”.

Whether it is Turkish internationals shining on foreign soil, or unexpected foreign players lighting up the Super Lig, it is fascinating to see Turkish football once again making its considerable voice heard.