Former Galatasaray manager Graeme Souness was remembered in a giant choreography show before the Intercontinental derby [divider]
Galatasaray fans paid tribute to former manager Graeme Souness via a giant choreography show before the Intercontinental derby against Fenerbahçe.
“It is an honour to be remembered in this way,” Souness said after the game.
“Hopefully I played my role, however, insignificant it may have been in Galatasaray winning the derby.
“You know the story behind what I did, a Fenerbahçe board member said some unfortunate things and that is why I did it.
“I will always have fond memories of Galatasaray fans, I had a fantastic year over there and loved my time in Turkey.
“I would always consider going back.”
The former Liverpool manager won five league titles and three European Cups playing for the Reds.
Souness became a cult legend among Lions fans following Galatasaray winning the Turkish Cup 1996 final 2-1 on aggregate.
Fenerbahçe were at home for the second leg and took took a one-nil lead which would have taken the game into extra time time however, Dean Saunders scored to win Galatasaray the cup.
Nobody could have expected what happened next as Souness took a massive Galatasaray flag from the fans and ran to the centre of the Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium and planted it into the centre spot.
The incident nearly provoked a riot among the Fenerbahçe fans.
The planting of the flag drew comparisons with Turkish hero Ulubatli Hasan, who was killed as he planted the Ottoman flag at the end of the Siege of Constantinople. This earned Souness the nickname ‘Ulubatlı Souness’.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=osHST5uFDCQ#t=95
Galatasaray fans unveiled a giant tribute to Souness in the Intercontinental derby against Fenerbahçe played on Sunday 18 October 2014.
The Lions ended up winning the game 2-1 thanks to two incredible strikes from Wesley Sneijder.