Football became a popular pursuit in Turkey very early on due to British soldiers and sailors stationed there in the late nineteenth century competing against one another.
From this, clubs were formed, clubs that are sadly no longer with us, such as FC Symrna, Moda FC, and Cadi Keuy FRC. Many of these fledging institutions were conceived by Brits, their fate going the same way as a fading Ottoman Empire.
In their place more familiar names emerged. Besiktas, the first club to have the Turkish flag on their crest was born in 1903. Galatasaray came into being two years later, created by students.
Fenerbahce was forged two years after that, originally operating in secret due to the strict Ottoman regime that forbade foreign sports to be played.
All based in Istanbul, these trio of giants are now known as Turkey’s ‘Big Three’.
Yet as rich, and as fascinating, as the nascent years of Turkish football is, we begin our story in 1924 at the conception of the Turkish Championships.
We are 25 years away from the country having a professional league but still a seismic shift occurred at this time, immediately following Turkey’s independence.
Regional leagues were formed and, regarding the Championships, the government actively encouraged clubs to take part. Some were even funded to travel to Ankara where the knockout competition was held.
Biggest Clubs In Turkish Football:
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Fenerbahce
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Galatasaray
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Besiktas
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Trabzonspor
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Istanbul Basaksehir
For the record, Fenerbahce won this annual tournament three times, a joint record shared with Harp Okulu, the sports club of the Turkish military.
But really, the key date when identifying the biggest clubs ruling the roost in Turkey today has to be 1959. Because that was when a nationwide professional league was set up, named the Super Lig. That was when everything changed.
And it will come as no surprise to learn which three clubs have never been relegated from it.
5) Istanbul Basaksehir
Despite being the most populated city in the world it could be argued that Istanbul did not need another football team. After all, it already had seven clubs well acquainted with the top-flight.
Regardless, in 1990 Istanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü was established, originally owned by the municipalities water distribution company.
Starting out in a regional amateur league they soon found themselves competing in the TFF – Turkey’s second division – before securing promotion to the Super Lig in 2007.
It was a meteoric rise that not even relegation in 2013 could halt, an immediate return ensuring the ‘Grey Owl’s first competitive game in their brand new stadium was a top level fixture.
Unveiled in 2014, the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium has a capacity of 18,000 and is named after the legendary Turkish manager.
Two seasons later a runner-up spot was secured, then third, then second again, before Basaksehir got tired of knocking at the door and won their first Super Lig title in 2020.
The club’s intention is clearly to break up the long-standing three-way domination of Turkish football and two details concerning this aspiration are undeniable. They’re not going way anytime soon and they’re going the right way about it.
4) Trabzonspor
Founded in 1921, Trabzonspor Kulübü became the first club outside of Istanbul to claim a league title when their fabulous Seventies collective topped the pile in ’76, going on to win a further four league crowns soon after.
More recently they added a seventh title to their honours board, putting Fener and co firmly in the shade in 2021. Guided by former national boss Abdullah Avci and inspired by Marek Hamsik, the team nicknamed the ‘Black Sea Storm’ lost only three games all campaign.
Located in the beautiful and historic port city of Trabzon, the club are reputed to wear claret and blue after receiving kits sent in friendship from Aston Villa in the late Sixties.
An alternative theory however relates to an enforced and fractious merger of İdmanocağı and İdmangücü a few years earlier, the two clubs eventually becoming the Trabzonspor we know of today.
With the then president of the TFF demanding that this merger took place, in order for the new club to be deemed big enough to join the recently formed Super Lig, a series of meetings took place but no common ground could be found between the hated rivals.
Even the designated kit colour was disputed.
It took the president’s intervention to resolve that particular matter, suggesting they each chose a colour the opposite to what they wore at the time. That happened to be claret and blue.
3) Besiktas
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü, translating as ‘Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club’ have been a prominent presence in Turkish football from the get-go, winning 21 league titles, 14 of them in the Super Lig era.
In 1991-92, a formidable ‘Black Eagles’ incarnation led by club legend Feyyaz Ucar went the entire season undefeated and let’s not forget their brilliant side of a few years prior, who reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup.
Indeed, so much of Besiktas’ considerable stature derives from their continental adventures, enjoying famous scalps in the Champions League in the 21st century and going deep in the Europa League. This extends to their passionate fan-base too that is globally renowned for their noise and colour.
The current side is presided over by former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst and is illuminated by several ballers who can subvert the live betting markets in an instant, not least Milot Rashica, getting his career back on track after flopping at Norwich.
2) Galatasaray
Gala have won the most trophies combined in Turkish football, securing 24 Super Lig titles as well as long enjoying a fruitful relationship with the Turkish Cup, lifting that on 18 occasions.
They are also the most successful team in Europe, winning the UEFA Cup in 2000 in addition to reaching the last eight of the Champions League three times.
It was at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium let’s not forget where Manchester United endured such a torrid time in the early Nineties, suckered into a tunnel brawl with police officers to the backdrop of an infamous banner that read ‘Welcome to Hell’.
Since then they have moved to the 54,000 capacity Rams Park, not that their new venue is any less intimidating. On derby days, against Besiktas and/or Fenerbahce the decibel levels threaten the well-being of ear-drums from several miles away.
This is a club best described by Gunduz Kilic, who both played for the Yellow-Reds and managed them. “They are a team of emotions,” he once knowingly stated.
1) Fenerbahce
There are umpteen reasons why Fener begin each campaign priced up as favourites in the football odds.
The tallest giant of Turkish football have won a record-breaking 28 league titles which in itself is a persuasive factor. They have also finished runner-up 29 times, suggesting that when they do encounter a blip they remain in contention.
Moreover, such is their sizable pull they can lure to the Turkish capital all manner of marquee names, players who would ordinarily not view the Super Lig as a viable career option.
Nicolas Anelka has played at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, as too has Roberto Carlos. Robin Van Persie enjoyed three successful seasons there beyond his Premier League goalscoring feats.
With the largest number of fan-clubs around the country, and the most illustrious history, Fenerbahce are by some distance the biggest club in Turkey. There is little sign of that changing anytime soon.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
