Galatasaray S.K. in European football Galatasaray S.K. in European football Galatasaray SK, a Turkish professional association football club, is Turkey's most successful team in Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) competitions. The 1999–2000 UEFA Cup competition was won by Galatasaray after they defeated Arsenal in the final. The victory marked the first time a Turkish side had won a European club football trophy, prompting wild celebrations on the streets of Istanbul. Galatasaray entered the competition after finishing in third position in Group H after the first group stage of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, resulting in their transfer to the UEFA Cup, ahead of fourth-placed
Galatasaray S.K. formed in 1959. Galatasaray joined all seasons and won 20 league titles since then. The Turkish Football Federation started to organize "Turkish Cup" (today it is organized with the name Ziraat Turkish Cup) in the 1962–63 season for Turkish clubs to qualify for the UEFA competitions. This is the only national cup competition in Turkey. Galatasaray joined all seasons and won 16 trophies since then. Galatasaray's first emblem was a figure of a spread-winged eagle with a football in its beak, drawn by 333 (Galatasaray High School student number) Şevki Ege. This was replaced in 1925 by the current “Ghayn-Sin”