Football has had a break, but is back with a vengeance across the world. Over the lockdown (1, 2 & 3 – thanks Boris), I longed for football with crowds, and travelling. I love watching football, and I love exploring new places and taking in what they have to offer.

Because of this, I decided to start a series in which I look at some more obscure football league and analyse what they have to offer and potentially open my mind up to new football possibilities. Now, I’m not going to just give up watching the Premier League, however I have a big interest in developing my football knowledge, whilst also enjoying watching as much of the game as possible.

Starting off this series, is the Turkish top-flight, the Süper Lig. Obviously, this is actually one of the bigger leagues already, and not the most obscure, however I realised there’s not much I know about the league football in Turkey, other than their immense atmosphere and seeing the big 3 sides occasionally playing in European matches. Therefore, this is where I will start my travel man (or travel fan) series. I will briefly explain the history of the league and cover some key stats and facts, before moving on to discuss how the current table looks, before wrapping up with some key reasons why you may decide to watch this football.

If you do have experience of watching the Süper Lig, drop us a tweet @NextGoalWinBlog, I’d love to find out more about it.

Enjoy.

History

Football in Turkey dates back to the late 1800s, however the branding and establishment of the Süper Lig came around in 1959, over 60 years ago. It came about as the top clubs of Ankara, Istanbul, and İzmir competed in the 1959 Turkish National League, with 16 clubs competing and Fenerbahçe taking the first ever title. No clubs were promoted or relegated from this initial season.

In 1963/64, the 2nd division was formed, and the previous Millî Lig became known as the 1.Lig (First League) until 2001 when it became rebranded as the Süper Lig we have today.

The leagues most dominant club is Galatasaray, who have 22 titles to their name, whilst Fenerbahçe have 19, Beşiktaş 15, Trabzonspor 6 and both Bursaspor and current champions İstanbul Başakşehir have 1 a-piece. No side from Turkey has reached a Champions League final as of yet, however Galatasaray did win the 2000 UEFA Cup, and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 1989.

On a personal note, the league’s top-scorer is Hakan Şükür, a former Galatasaray striker and league legend as he bagged 249 goals in 489 games (0.51 per game), and also happened to spend a season at Blackburn Rovers where he played 9 times and bagged 2 goals (the more you know). The league’s top appearance maker, is Umut Bulut, who made his debut in 2000, and has since played 504 times across various clubs, and currently for Yeni Malatyaspor.

The State of Things

At time of writing (February 2021), things in the Süper Lig are certainly close, and probably more competitive than the Premier League in their title race, with realistically the top 3 clubs if not 4 needing to maintain a perfect record in the remaining 9/10 games of the season.

In the top 3 positions, are Galatasaray in 1st, the side with the most titles in the league’s history (22) and the firepower of Falcao, Babel, Yedlin and Turan as just a few names that will spark interest from the Premier League and main European league fanbase. They are currently top with 54 points from 25 games, and an unbeaten record stretching 7 games on the bounce. This puts them 3 points clear of 2nd and third, however 2nd place are breathing down their necks with a game in hand that would level the points and make it just a narrow goal difference margin between the sides.

The aforementioned side in 2nd and in close contention are Besiktas. They are waiting for their game in hand to potentially leapfrog Galatasaray into 1st and lead the pack. Just a few weeks ago, they actually beat their rival 2-0 which has kept them in this promising position. In their squad, there might not be any instantly recognisable names for Premier League fans, however they have a solid history in Europe, having reached the Quarter-Finals of the Europa League in 2016/17, and boasting some impressive talent to have passed through, along with being managed by the likes of Slaven Bilić, Vicente del Bosque and John Toshack over the last 20-25 years.

Hanging in the title race in 3rd, and still in with a very strong shout, is Fenerbahçe, who are still to play Besiktas in a months time. Fenerbahçe are arguably the most talked about side in England over recent months, as they have brought in one of the most formerly adored stars of the Premier League in Mesut Özil. Having made this deal happen in the January window, it may just be enough for them to push on and challenge the sides ahead of them down to the wire. Alongside Özil, the squad also includes names such as Papiss Cissé who Newcastle United supporters will fondly remember as well as Samatta who is on loan from Aston Villa after his career in England failed to take off.

Going down towards the bottom of the table, the interest and intrigue continues, as there are 9 teams within a 10 point gap from the bottom of the table, and the bottom 2 sides have a game in hand. Involved in that bottom 4 drop, is this years Champions League side, and current league champions İstanbul Başakşehir who claimed their first league title in last seasons campaign. Included in their side that beat Manchester United earlier this season is Demba Ba, Rafael and Nacer Chadli. Having these players in a relegation battle as the current champions means a dramatic end to the season is incoming, so a perfect chance to have a watch and get involved.

Why Bother?

With the seemingly endless football taking place across Europe’s main 5 leagues, you may be asking “why should I bother watching the Turkish Süper Lig”, so allow us to quickly summarise some of the reasons to dive into Turkish league football which will hopefully leave you asking “where can I find an illegal stream for Erzurum BB Vs Genclerbirligi”.

Firstly, we have the aforementioned title race and relegation scrap. In the Premier League, Manchester City’s name is practically on the title once again, however in Turkey, this title race might just go down to the wire. Meanwhile, the relegation battle between a whole host of sides makes the lower-half also intriguing.

Secondly, we have some of the current names involved in the league. Switching on a Süper Lig game may just feel like going back 5 years in the Premier League, but in a great way. The likes of Özil, Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé has a throwback feel to it. Even going back a few years in the league and there are some world-class footballers who have passed through the league.

Thirdly and finally, the biggest reason to have a watch of the Süper Lig, is the return of fans and the atmosphere that some of their biggest games can produce. Turkish football fans can genuinely produce a wild atmosphere, and the bitter rivalries of Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have created some mad moments, including one from the now Sky Sports pundit and Paul Pogba obsessive, Graham Souness, who planted the flag of Galatasaray in the middle of Fenerbahçe’s pitch, causing a little bit of tension. There is also political tension often included in their football, however it’s way past my pay-grade to understand and follow, so I’ll stick to the flares and chanting as the main atmosphere point.

If those 3 points don’t tempt you to tune in, I don’t know what will. Just spend some time considering it, and you never know, you might just enjoy it. That’s what I’ll be doing in these final few games of their season, and the more football the better as far as I’m concerned.