Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

–

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

is a Turkish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

involving two of the most successful clubs in the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

. It is also a

local derby A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. One of the first known sports rivalries occurred in the Roman Empire between the Blues and th ...

, one of many involving

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

clubs.

History

The first game played between the two sides was an

Istanbul Football League The Istanbul Football League () was founded as a regional association football, football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Empire, ...

game on 22 August 1924. The match, staged at

Taksim Stadium Taksim Stadium () was the first football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally the 19th century Taksim Artillery Barracks ('' Taksim Topçu Kışlası'') it was transformed into a stadium in 1921 and was located next to today's Taksim Square. ...

, finished 2–0 to Beşiktaş. Galatasaray marked their first victory over Beşiktaş when they defeated them 6–1 in semi-final of the Istanbul Football League on 31 July 1925.

Fan's rivalry

Beşiktaş and Galatasaray are two of the most popular Turkish clubs; both sides have large fanbases that follow them in domestic and international matches.

Football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviors perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism typically involves ...

is a very common phenomenon between their fans in recent years, featuring anything from breaking seats, cursing, fighting, fireworks and street rioting. Beşiktaş' fans are known for their chanting supporting and are widely known as the fiercest fans in Europe. Galatasaray's fans are also well known and are similar to Beşiktaş' fans with their chants.

Football rivalry

Both clubs compete each other for the title of the most successful football club in Turkey. Galatasaray is the more successful of the two teams, winning 59 official titles compared to Beşiktaş's 35, and is also the most successful in head-to-head matches. Galatasaray boast for their achievement to win the

2000 UEFA Cup Final The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place on 17 May 2000 at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark to decide the winner of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. The game event pitted Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England, and was t ...

and the

2000 UEFA Super Cup The 2000 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 25 August 2000 between Real Madrid of Spain and Galatasaray of Turkey. Real Madrid qualified by beating Valencia in the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final, while Galatasaray had made it to the Su ...

, being the only Turkish side to have made them so far.

Culture

Both clubs are located on the European part of Istanbul. Beşiktaş JK were founded in the municipality of

, while Galatasaray SK were founded in the district of

. Both clubs naturally draw the majority of their support from the side of the city that they are native to, but maintain a significant majority of support drawn from the rest of Turkey.

Honours

Note: Calculated based on official tournaments.

Supporters

* A poll involving 1.4 million people asked for the team the support in Turkey by bilyoner.com showed that alongside Galatasaray with 35%, Fenerbahçe with 34% and Beşiktaş with 19% make up most fans. * Galatasaray and Beşiktaş are followed by large masses on social media. Galatasaray's social media accounts are followed by more people. *

Highest attendance

Head-to-head ranking in Süper Lig

• Total: Beşiktaş with 27 higher finishes, Galatasaray with 39 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2023–24 season).

Statistics

Head-to-head

''As of 29 March 2025''

Biggest wins (5+ goals)

Most consecutive wins

Most consecutive draws

Most consecutive matches without a draw

Longest undefeated runs

Highest scoring matches

Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal

Most consecutive games scoring

Player

Most appearances

Top scorers

Most goals by a player in a match

Played for both teams

Players from Beşiktaş to Galatasaray * Refik Osman Top *

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* Berkant Göktan * Mehmet Yozgatlı * Dany Nounkeu *

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Managers for both teams * Leandro Remondini *

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Süper Lig matches

Turkish Cup matches

Turkish Super Cup matches

References

External links

Beşiktaş JK WebsiteGalatasaray SK Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besiktas-Galatasaray Rivalry Süper Lig Football rivalries in Turkey Beşiktaş Football Galatasaray S.K. (football)