What's in a name? Apparently, for some Turkish football fans, presumably Galatasaray supporters, Fatih Terim is more than just a moniker after nearly 20,000 people applied to adopt the name of their favorite football coach.
According to reports on Turkish media, some 19,756 people made the request after Tükiye's General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs offered citizens a one-off opportunity to change socially awkward names and last names.
Most of the applications were received on Tükiye's e-governance site, e-devlet, the media reports claimed which could not be verified independently.
The General Directorate on social media confirmed it was extending the deadline for those who want to change their name and surname to Dec. 24.
"Citizens' applications for name and surname change, which are not suitable for general morality, are considered ridiculous, have spelling and spelling errors, can be made to the district population directorates until Dec. 24 via e-devlet or in writing," it announced on Twitter.
Fatih Terim has attained legendary status among Galatasaray and Turkish football fans alike.
He is the most successful coach in the history of the Turkish Süper Lig, with 20 trophies, including eight domestic titles, with the Lions.
Besides, he has three Turkish Cups, two Presidential Cups and three Turkish Super Cups to his name as a coach.
Terim also guided the Turkish national team to the Euro 2008 semifinals.
Like many football coaches, Terim was also a player before becoming a coach. He began his footballing career with Adana Demirspor before eventually joining Galatasaray.
To honor Terim's contribution to Turkish football, the home stadium for Süper Lig side Başakşehir was named after him.
In the meantime, streaming giant Netflix will release "Terim," a documentary on his life and career on Sept. 15.
