Galatasaray have strengthened enormously in the current season. Stars such as Alvaro Morata, Gabriel Sara, and above all, Victor Osimhen have taken Okan Buruk's team to a whole new level.
Youngsters Baris Alper Yilmaz (10 goals) and Yunus Akgun (six goals, seven assists) have also shaken up the image of a 'Pensioner's League' and contributed to Galatasaray's six-point lead over bitter rivals Fenerbahce.
They have won the last two championships under their current coach. It was an important switch after the disastrous 2021/22 season; 13th in the table at the end of that season was the worst finish in their history and seemingly brought about a complete turnaround.
Not only did they win 14 games in a row in the 2022/23 season, with Buruk at the helm, thereby breaking the Super Lig record, but they were also able to bring players back to Turkey who could help the team in the long term.
The great hope of Turkish football
In combination with the young hopefuls, bringing in the big stars gives the impression the Turkish giants have made the leap into modern football business - which, eventually, could lead to greater success in European competition again.
A European trophy has not been lifted for 25 years since when Hakan Sukur and Claudio Taffarel were the heroes of their Copenhagen triumph. Then, a team full of national and international legends including Gheorghe Hagi won the UEFA Cup against Arsenal - a milestone for Turkish football.
However, since that glorious moment, they have been waiting for one of these great successes. There was another high in 2012/13 when they almost pulled off a miracle in the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid but since then, Turkish clubs have struggled in Europe.
This season, Gala's run ended in the playoffs after a 2-2 draw in the second leg against AZ Alkmaar - even though they were able to achieve respectable results in the group stage; a win against Tottenham and several close draws against top teams in European football underlined their ongoing development.
Scandals and controversies
At the same time, Galatasaray are also a ray of hope in a league where not everything is running smoothly at the moment.
The Super Lig has always had its share of scandals and Gala have recently been part of this. After they were awarded a penalty in a clash against Adana Demirspor earlier this month, which was converted by Morata, disgruntled players from the visitors walked off the pitch after the orders of their leadership.
The Adana president claimed "referee corruption" and that ended up with Gala being awarded a 3-0 victory for the forfeit.
Gala boss Buruk expressed his dismay at such events, saying he "didn't think what happened here was wise" and was sorry. There are "always efforts to make Turkish football look bad." However, he "respects" this decision, but is "sad about it."
According to LIGABlatt, he also admitted that it was "not really a penalty." By historical standards, this is probably one of the smaller incidents in the league.
If you think back to 2023, when the league was briefly suspended following the attack on a referee by the Ankaragucu president, or to Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu's pitch invasion, then this incident is probably one of the more harmless ones.
However, incidents such as these naturally harbour fear that Turkish football, which is trying to polish up its image with role models like Galatasaray, will be put in the wrong light again as a result of such incidents.
Success is attracting better players
To get to the real question of what makes Gala so strong, there is no getting around looking at the transfer window again.
Despite two titles in a row, they wanted to make an even bigger statement. With almost €61 million spent on new arrivals, they broke all the mould to prepare for a 'three-peat'.
At the same time, however, they are also focusing heavily on the future. With a host of young players - who have been loaned out within the top three tiers of Turkish football - they are building up their own jewels.
Older players who no longer fit into the team structure, such as Patrick van Aanholt and Serge Aurier, were not given new contracts, while big stars such as Osimhen, Mauro Icardi and Lucas Torreira helped the club move forward.
They also focused on sustainability. Sara, Elias Jelert, Carlos Cuesta, Roland Sallai, Ahmed Kutucu and Eren Elmali - the list is long and none of the players mentioned are older than 27, meaning Galatasaray are taking a path that Fenerbahce, for example, have not yet taken.
Jose Mourinho's team are currently the oldest in the league, with an average age of 28.8 years, while Gala are creeping further and further from being in the middle of the pack to the younger realms.
A move that will pay off both in sporting and financial terms. The best example is Yilmaz, who Gala signed for €2 million in 2021 and could now presumably sell for €30-35 million.
Looking forward to a golden future
If you look at the facts, Galatasaray are way ahead of all their rivals in the league. On social media and among the general public, it is the biggest club in the country and one of the most recognisable football brands in the world.
With the steps they are now taking from a strategic, financial and sporting perspective, in a few years' time they could also achieve far better footballing results on the European stage.
If Gala manage not only to attract more stars to the Turkish capital in the coming years but also to continue their good work, especially in their youth development programme, it would not be surprising if they were to reach the same heights as in 2000.
Next year, at least the Europa League will be back in Istanbul, albeit at Besiktas' stadium, but it is not an unrealistic goal for Buruk's team.
Who knows how the self-confidence from the Super Lig can be channelled into European competitions in the future - Galatasaray have the potential to become one of the big players again. They just have to continue to work consistently.
The next challenge will be the derby against Fenerbahce on February 24th, when the championship battle could be decided.
