Turkish giants keep chasing shadows in UCL despite $2.4B investment

Despite spending lavishly on player transfers and coaching staff, Turkish football’s "Big Four" – Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor – have failed to make a significant impact in the UEFA Champions League over the last six seasons.

Between 2019 and 2025, these clubs collectively signed 376 players, with Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor each funneling millions into transfers and managerial changes in a bid to crack Europe's elite competition.

In total, they spent a staggering 2.12 billion euros ($2.4 billion) on transfers and coach salaries, but their return on investment has been dismal: just one victory in the Champions League.

The transfer frenzy

The "Big Four" went on a massive transfer spree, bringing in 376 players since the 2019-2020 season.

Trabzonspor led the charge, with 105 players, followed by Fenerbahçe (100), Galatasaray (92) and Beşiktaş (79).

Each year, these clubs strengthened their squads with multiple signings, only to fall short in Europe.

Coaching carousel

Alongside transfers, managerial changes became a regular feature.

Over six seasons, the "Big Four" employed 26 different coaches, with Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor each enduring a revolving door of managers.

Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor both had eight different managers, Fenerbahçe hired seven, while Galatasaray employed three during this period.

Names like Şenol Güneş, Ismail Kartal, and Fatih Terim became synonymous with these clubs' efforts to push for Champions League glory.

Hefty price

The "Big Four" collectively spent 2.12 billion euros on player transfers and coach salaries.

Of this, Galatasaray led the way with 640.3 million euros, followed by Fenerbahçe (621.5 million euros), Beşiktaş (473.9 million euros) and Trabzonspor (389 million euros).

Despite these colossal outlays, only Galatasaray managed to secure any real success, registering a single victory in the Champions League during this stretch.

1 victory in 18 matches

Despite their investments, the "Big Four" struggled on the biggest stage.

Over the past six years, only Galatasaray (twice) and Beşiktaş (once) managed to qualify for the Champions League, but the results were underwhelming.

In 18 matches across these campaigns, the Turkish clubs secured just one victory, suffering 13 defeats and four draws.

The win came in the 2023-24 campaign when Galatasaray edged Manchester United 3-2 in the group stages.

Early exits and missed opportunities

The failure to qualify for the Champions League was compounded by early eliminations in the Europa League and Conference League.

Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor both failed to break past the group stages of the Europa League, while Galatasaray and Beşiktaş saw their efforts fall short in the same competition.

In the Conference League, however, Fenerbahçe reached the quarterfinals in the 2023-2024 season, where they were eliminated by Olympiakos.

This was the closest any of the "Big Four" came to European glory in recent years.

European struggles