10.11.2026 13:30
Galatasaray's 21-year-old Russian footballer Aleksey Batrakov made striking statements about Fenerbahçe's squad structure in an interview he gave in his country. Batrakov, who said that the yellow-navy team has older players, argued that Galatasaray, on the other hand, is not a team made up of players in the final stage of their careers.
Galatasaray's young star Aleksey Batrakov evaluated the football environment in Turkey and his adaptation process at the red-and-yellow team in an interview with Russia-based Match TV. Stating that he did not agree with the view that players who transfer to the Süper Lig prefer Turkey to spend the final periods of their careers, Batrakov compared Fenerbahçe's and Galatasaray's squad structures.
STRIKING REMARKS ABOUT FENERBAHÇE
The 21-year-old footballer argued that Galatasaray's average age is not high, while making a striking assessment about arch-rival Fenerbahçe.
Batrakov said, “I cannot say that players coming to Turkey come to spend the final period of their careers. Maybe there are slightly older players at Fenerbahçe, but such a situation is not the case in our team.”
“I WAS SURPRISED THAT THERE WERE SO MANY STARS”
Batrakov, who also described the environment he encountered after transferring to Galatasaray, said that he was surprised by the large number of star footballers in the team. Nevertheless, he stated that he did not experience any difficulty in communicating with his teammates. The young player said, “I was surprised that Galatasaray has a squad so full of stars, but you can easily communicate with everyone.”
HE CITED OSIMHEN AND LEAO AS EXAMPLES
Batrakov, who explained that before joining Galatasaray his biggest concern was adapting to a squad full of stars, stated that contrary to his expectations he encountered no problems. The Russian footballer said, “Probably what I was most worried about was how difficult it would be to adapt to the team. Osimhen, Leao... There was no problem at all, I did not encounter anything negative.” Batrakov's assessment, especially regarding Fenerbahçe's squad structure, was one of the most striking parts of the interview.