Sports
Galatasaray are leading Türkiye’s renaissance, and Man City are in their sights
Turkish football is going through a resurgence and Galatasaray arrive in Manchester this week aiming to prove they can be part of it.
A burst of young talent led by Real Madrid‘s Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz at Juventus helped Türkiye reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 — the first time they had been past the group stage for more than 15 years. In March, there’s a World Cup playoff to book a place at their first global tournament since finishing third in 2002.
Galatasaray, one of Türkiye’s “big three” club teams along with Fenerbahçe and Besiktas, are also battling history. Despite winning Türkiye’s national title 26 times — including in each of the last three years — it’s 12 years since they progressed past the Champions League‘s group stage.
Okan Buruk’s side have almost guaranteed their place in the top 24 this season thanks to a point at home against Atlético Madrid last time out.
It means they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday without the pressure of needing a result to qualify, but with a golden opportunity to score another strike for football in Türkiye.
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Pep Guardiola was concerned enough to rest Erling Haaland and Phil Foden for the Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The message was that, with a place in the top eight on the line, City need their best players fit and available to meet the challenge posed by the Turkish champions.
“We’re going into the match after getting the draw against Atlético Madrid — it’s not 100% — but at least with the confidence that we are almost in the top 24,” Galatasaray first-team coach Ismael García told ESPN.
“We’re going with a bit less of what I call negative pressure and now all the pressure is positive. Positive to try to be in the top 16, positive to do a good performance against Manchester City.
“It looks very challenging, but at the same time we have a very positive mentality about what we can do.”
Galatasaray, revitalised since Buruk’s appointment as manager in 2022, have invested heavily to turn their recent dominance in Türkiye into success on the European stage. Victor Osimhen was signed permanently from Napoli in the summer after a successful loan spell, while Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündogan were enticed from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, respectively.
There was some surprise internally at Galatasaray that the club were able to get a deal for Osimhen done in the face of competition from the Premier League’s financial giants. There was interest at different points from Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as Barcelona and Juventus, but Galatasaray were able to get it over the line.
In Türkiye, the transfer is being held up as proof that the country can attract big names and not just ones deemed past their best. Galatasaray’s last visit to the Champions League quarterfinals was in 2013 with a squad which included Didier Drogba, 35 at the time.
“In the end, I think it’s a consequence of doing well,” said García. “In the last year, we are doing well and it’s getting the attention of good players. If you are getting good results, you’re getting good players. Then, it’s a massive club, amazing fans and a beautiful city in Istanbul which also is attractive for any player.
“For me in Türkiye, something is changing now. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Türkiye was able to bring top players, but probably in the last stage of their careers. Now it’s Osimhen or Sane. Tammy Abraham has moved to Aston Villa after being at Besiktas. Jhon Durán [at Fenerbahce] is at a good age in his career.
“This is something that in Türkiye, the people should be very proud of.”
Challenges remain. The national football set-up is perennially fighting a reputation of corruption and lawlessness. It’s not baseless.
In December 2023, Turkish football bosses paused all matches after a referee was punched to the ground by a club president after a Süper Lig game. And in November, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended more than 1,000 professional players following an investigation into betting.
The passionate support for which Türkiye is renowned has occasionally spilled over into violence and there have been incidents of teams walking off the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions, similar to the scenes which marred the Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco.
“Things could be better,” admitted García. “I still feel that the potential in Türkiye, in the clubs and in the national team, could be better with planning and organisation in the different main points of football.
“It could be better, but at least they are going in the right direction. We have to be self-demanding because I see high potential to do things better.
“We see improvement. We feel that. And also this is affecting the national team. The national team participated in the European championship and now they’re in a position in March, hopefully to get the World Cup for the first time since 2002. The growth of the league, the clubs, the competition is affecting the national team in a positive way.”
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Türkiye’s national team is up to 25th in the FIFA World Ranking, up from 42 before Euro 2024. UEFA’s club coefficient rankings have their domestic competition in ninth so far this season, behind the established top five leagues in England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, but also lower than the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium.
In that sense, Galatasaray, even with a team packed with well-known faces, are still playing the part of Champions League disruptors. They do it well.
They were victorious against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2023 and beat Tottenham Hotspur at home last season. This season, to go with their draw against Atleti, they won 1-0 against Liverpool in September and beat Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam in November thanks to a Osimhen hat trick.
Guardiola will be desperate to avoid a two-legged playoff in February and so for City there’s plenty on the line. For Galatasaray, it’s another chance to show that they can match the big boys.
“This year, I think from all of us, and especially from the club, they made one step more, one big effort to make even the squad stronger,” said García.
“It’s been 12 years that the club doesn’t get to the next round in the Champions League.
“So it’s a massive, massive step. Now our ambition is to first of all to do well against City. After that, we feel that we can face anything.”
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WWE star Chelsea Green revealed Monday she underwent a “heart procedure” as she shared photos of herself and husband Matt Cardona from her hospital bed.
Green said doctors caught her SVT. The Mayo Clinic says that SVT, or supraventricular tachycardia, is a “type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers.”
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Chelsea Green enters the ring during Monday Night RAW at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on July 28, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
The two-time WWE women’s United States champion said she had been dealing with the issue for 10 years.
“After 10 years, doctors finally caught my SVT and I was able to get a heart procedure done! 3 hours later and I’m on the mend,” she wrote on Instagram.
On Tuesday, she added on X: “My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! “
Chelsea Green waves during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 28, 2025. (Michael Owens/WWE)
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She said the procedure was minimally invasive and expected to be back to work soon.
Green has had her share of bad luck over the last few months. She suffered an ankle injury that has kept her sidelined for several months, keeping her off the WrestleMania 42 card.
In February, Green and Ethan Page dropped the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship to Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice.
Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
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Pro wrestling fans are eagerly awaiting her return to the ring.
Pakistan’s mystery spinner Usman Tariq has been roped in by Warwickshire Bears for the Vitality T20 Blast, set to commence on May 22, the club announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, the club said that the 30-year-old spinner had offers to play franchise cricket in various leagues across the globe, but it won the competition to acquire his services.
As a result, Tariq will spend most of England’s summer season at the Edgbaston Stadium as his maiden Vitality Blast stint will be followed by The Hundred campaign with the Birmingham Phoenix, who signed him for £140,000 at the players’ draft in March.
Reacting to his allegiance with the Bears, Tariq termed it a great feeling before expressing his eagerness to bring energy to the squad, which he was impatiently looking forward to joining.
“I am very excited to bring more fun and energy to the Bears. I can’t wait to get involved with the squad, and it’s a great feeling to be part of this team. I hope to see as many people as possible at Edgbaston this summer,” Tariq was quoted as saying by the Bears.
Bears’ Performance Director James Thomas labelled Tariq “exactly the type of high-impact player” they were looking to bring in and thus expressed profound delight over securing his services for the upcoming tournament.
“Usman is exactly the type of high-impact player we want to bring into Warwickshire, so we’re delighted to get this deal completed,” Thomas said in a statement.
“His skill set and tactical awareness make him a genuine threat in modern white-ball cricket, but it’s his hunger to compete and continually improve that really stands out.
“What makes this signing particularly exciting is the alignment between Warwickshire and Birmingham Phoenix. Bringing Usman into the Bears for the Vitality Blast, before transitioning into The Hundred with the Phoenix, reflects the strength of our integrated model across club and franchise.
“It allows us to create continuity for the player, maximise performance impact across both competitions, and build stronger connections with our supporters in Birmingham and Warwickshire. Ultimately, this is about strengthening the team, the franchise, and our presence in the area, and we believe Usman can play a key role in that this summer.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 Team of the Tournament, naming Babar Azam skipper after a title-winning campaign.
The Team of the Tournament comprises three players each from Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, two apiece from Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United, and one player each from Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators.
The selection was made by a five-member panel drawn from the commentary team. The jury also finalised the Emerging Team of the Tournament, recognising the standout young performers of the season.
A total of 44 matches were played from March 26 to May 3 across Lahore and Karachi.
Babar Azam, who lifted his third PSL title as a player and first as captain, finished as the leading run-scorer with 588 runs.
Opening the innings, he also claimed the Hanif Mohammad Cap and equalled the record for most runs in a single PSL season, matching Fakhar Zaman’s tally from 2022.
His campaign featured two centuries in four matches against Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United.
Peshawar Zalmi are further represented by Kusal Mendis and Sufyan Moqim. Mendis scored 550 runs, including four half-centuries and a century, while also contributing eight dismissals behind the stumps.
His century came against Karachi Kings at the National Bank Stadium on April 9. Left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Moqim took 22 wickets at an average of 14.40 and an economy rate of 7.20, earning both Player of the Tournament and Best Bowler honours.
Hyderabad Kingsmen have three representatives in Usman Khan, Hassan Khan and Hunain Shah. Usman finished fourth among the top run-scorers with 389 runs, including a century and three half-centuries.
Hassan contributed 139 runs at a strike rate of 195 alongside six wickets and strong fielding performances. Hunain Shah impressed with 17 wickets in 10 matches, emerging as a key bowler in the latter stages of the competition.
Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi also feature in the XI. Fakhar scored 401 runs to finish third overall, while Shaheen claimed 16 wickets at an economy rate of 7.86.
Multan Sultans’ Shan Masood is included after scoring 367 runs at an average of 45.87 and a strike rate of 158.18. Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan also makes the side after a strong all-round season, scoring 173 runs and taking 17 wickets, earning the Best All-Rounder of the Tournament award.
Teammate Richard Gleeson is selected for his impactful new-ball performances, finishing with 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.13.
Quetta Gladiators’ Hasan Nawaz has been named as the 12th player after scoring 291 runs.
PSL 11 Team of the Tournament
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) (c), Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars), Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) (wk), Shan Masood (Multan Sultans), Usman Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen), Shadab Khan (Islamabad United), Hassan Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars), Hunain Shah (Hyderabad Kingsmen), Sufyan Moqim (Peshawar Zalmi), Richard Gleeson (Islamabad United) and Hasan Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators) (12th player).
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