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Big Three (Turkey)

Colloquial name given to three Turkish sports clubs From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Big Three (Turkey)
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The Big Three (Turkish: Üç Büyükler) is the colloquial name given to Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, the three most successful sports clubs in Turkey. They are all based in Istanbul.

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Flags of the 'Big Three' in Gezi Park protests.

Galatasaray is the team with the most championships with 25. Fenerbahce have won 19 championships and Beşiktaş have won 18 Turkish championships. None of the trio have been relegated since 1959. The worst places the side have finished in league history were 11th for Fenerbahçe in 1980–81, 11th for Beşiktaş in 1975–76, and 13th for Galatasaray in 2021–22.[1]

The big three started to compete in Europe after the 1950s. Galatasaray is only Turkish team to have won a European trophy, having won both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000.

A reported 90% of the fans in Turkey support the Big Three. A survey by a fan-token platform showed support for Galatasaray in 11 out of 81 provinces of Turkey while its crosstown rival Fenerbahçe had the number of fans in 18 provinces, and Beşiktaş, the other member of Turkish football's "Big Three", had more fans than other teams,the number of 50 provinces . According to the survey, 30% of the fans support Galatasaray, 20% support Fenerbahçe and 40% support Beşiktaş.[2][3]

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The three-way rivalry

As of 24 February 2025

Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray

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Fenerbahçe vs. Beşiktaş

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Beşiktaş vs. Galatasaray

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Statistics

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League placements

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Head-to-head ranking in Süper Lig

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Total: Galatasaray with 26 higher finishes, Fenerbahçe with 22 higher finishes, Beşiktaş with 26 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2023–24 season).

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Honours comparison

As of 18 May 2025
  •   Numbers with this background indicate the record in the competition.
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Note: Calculated based on official tournaments. Preparatory and special tournaments are not included.

European competitions

Honours

As of 13 March 2025
More information Club, UEFA Super Cup ...

Standings

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UEFA 5-year Club Ranking of the Big Three

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Players who have played for the three clubs

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Caner Erkin
  • Turkey Refik Osman Top (Beşiktaş 1912–1913, 1923–1924, Fenerbahçe 1913–1915 and 1923, Galatasaray 1915–1917, 1921–1922, 1923 and 1924)
  • Turkey Ali Soydan (Galatasaray 1951–1957, Fenerbahçe 1959–1960, Beşiktaş 1963–1964)
  • Turkey Saffet Sancaklı (Beşiktaş 1987–1991, Galatasaray 1994–1995, Fenerbahçe 1996–1998)
  • Turkey Sergen Yalçın (Beşiktaş 1991–1997 and 2002–2006, Fenerbahçe 1999–2000, Galatasaray 2000 and 2001–02)
  • Turkey Ahmet Yıldırım (Fenerbahçe 1993–1994, Galatasaray 1999–2001, Beşiktaş 2001–2005)
  • Turkey Emre Aşık (Fenerbahçe 1993–1996, Galatasaray 2000–2003 and 2006–2010, Beşiktaş 2003–2006)
  • Turkey Mehmet Yozgatlı (Galatasaray 1999–2000, Fenerbahçe 2004–2007, Beşiktaş 2007–2008)
  • Turkey Burak Yılmaz (Beşiktaş 2006–2008 and 2019–2020, Fenerbahçe 2008–2010, Galatasaray 2012–2016)
  • Turkey Caner Erkin (Galatasaray 2009–2010, Fenerbahçe 2010–2016 and 2020–2021, Beşiktaş 2016–2020)
  • Turkey Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray 2006–2010, Fenerbahçe 2012–2019, Beşiktaş 2021–2022)
  • Belgium Michy Batshuayi (Beşiktaş 2021–2022, Fenerbahçe 2022–2024, Galatasaray 2024-2025)
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Managers who have managed the three clubs

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Former Turkish international footballer and current manager Mustafa Denizli is the only manager who won Süper Lig titles with Big Three.
  • Turkey Mustafa Denizli (Galatasaray 1987–1989, 1990–1992, 2015–2016, Fenerbahçe 2000–2002, Beşiktaş 2008–2010)

See also

References

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