Galatasaray were founded in 1905, by students from Galatasaray High School, one of Istanbul’s most prestigious educational establishments. However, with Turkey at that time part of the Ottoman Empire, the club was not officially recognised. Galatasaray Sport Kulübü was only formally registered in 1912, when Ottoman rule came to an end, and a new Law of Association was adopted. The first President of the club was Ali Sami Yen, after whom the club’s stadium is named.

Although originally formed as a football club, Galatasaray can make the unique boast of having won national titles in 13 different sports during the 1986/87 season. The club has traditionally been the largest supplier of players for Turkey’s national side; the team that finished third at the 2002 World Cup featured a host of players who began their careers with the club, including Sukur, Sas, Emre, Korkmaz and Buruk.

Galatasaray have also boasted some famous foreign names over the years, including Romanian duo Gheorghe Popescu and Gheorghe Hagi, Brazilian goalkeeper Taffarel, Dutch defender Frank de Boer, and French stars Didier Six and Franck Ribery.

HONOURS:
Turkish League (17): 1961–62, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08

Turkish Cup (14): 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005

Turkish Super Cup (11): 1966, 1969, 1972, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2008

UEFA Cup (1): 2000