Galatasaray and Liverpool meet in the Champions League tonight, as the champions of Turkey and England go head-to-head in the last 16.
It’s expected to be a red-hot atmosphere in Istanbul, with Galatasaray into the knockout rounds for the first time in over a decade and confident after beating Liverpool in the league phase.
Ahead of their clash, we’ve remembered five of the best players who played for both clubs.
Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders signed for Liverpool from relegated Derby County in 1991, resuming his international strike partnership with Ian Rush at club level.
He scored 23 goals in all competitions during his debut season to finish as the Reds’ top scorer, including UEFA Cup hat-tricks against Kuusysi Lahti and FC Tirol. However, despite FA Cup success, just 10 of his goals came in the league as Liverpool slumped to a sixth-place finish. He was sold after just one season at Anfield, becoming Aston Villa’s record signing.
After three seasons at Aston Villa, he reunited with former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness at Galatasaray. Saunders scored in both legs of a memorable Turkish Cup final win over arch-rivals Fenerbahce before returning to England after just one season.
Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel spent time with Galatasaray and Liverpool during the early stages of his career. The American played alongside Saunders at Galatasaray in 1995-96, winning the Turkish Cup, having failed to earn a work permit in England.
He returned to the US with Columbus Crew after a single season, before signing for Liverpool a year later.
Friedel’s three seasons at Liverpool saw him struggle for games before sustained Premier League success with Blackburn, Tottenham, and Aston Villa. Friedel holds the record for the most Premier League appearances by an American, with 450 games played.
Harry Kewell
Liverpool signed Harry Kewell in a cut-price deal from Leeds United in 2023, following the latter’s fire-sale amid financial implosion. The Australian had been one of the Premier League’s top talents at Elland Road and started brightly at Anfield before injuries impacted his fortunes. Kewell won the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool, though the Reds saw only flashes of his brilliant best in a Leeds shirt.
#OnThisDay in 2006, Kewell with a cracker on the volley 🆚 Spurs to win it ⏪ pic.twitter.com/aMhc0iek08
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 14, 2024
He joined Galatasaray as a free agent in 2008 and became a firm favourite over three seasons, scoring 34 goals in 91 games. However, his transfer to Turkey saw Kewell receive fierce criticism, having been a Leeds player when two of the club’s fans were murdered in attacks ahead of the UEFA Cup semi-final against Galatasaray in 2000.
Milan Baros
Milan Baros arrived at Liverpool as an unknown from Banik Ostrava in the early noughties, first serving as back-up to Michael Owen and Emile Heskey before breaking into the team.
The top-scorer at Euro 2004 as the Czech Republic reached the semi-finals, he scored 27 goals in 108 games for Liverpool and was part of the team that won the Champions League under Rafael Benitez in 2004-05.
He left for Aston Villa that summer and had spells with Lyon and Portsmouth before joining Galatasaray. His time in Turkey was the most prolific of his club career, with 61 goals in 116 games. Baros was the Süper Lig’s top scorer during his debut campaign and later won the title with Gala in 2011-12.
Ryan Babel
The mercurial winger never quite reached the heights expected at Liverpool but still delivered some memorable moments on Merseyside. Cited as a top prospect at Ajax, Babel moved to the Premier League in an £11.5m deal in 2007 and helped Liverpool to the Champions League semi-finals in his first year, scoring a crucial goal in the quarter-final win over Babel.
Trophies evaded Babel over four seasons before a nomadic career post-Anfield. He spent time in Turkey with Kasımpaşa S.K., Besiktas and Galatasaray, making 100 appearances for the latter between 2019 and 2022.
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