After Leroy Sané’s much-publicized transfer to Galatasaray Istanbul, he has now made his debut for his new club. And he was greeted with frenetic cheers.
Leroy Sané only joined training with Turkish champions Galatasaray Istanbul last Thursday after his transfer from FC Bayern Munich, having been away with his former club at the Club World Cup. The 29-year-old made his debut in a friendly against French first division side Racing Strasbourg (3-1) and was given a rapturous reception by the fans.
With his new team leading 3-0, the German came on in the 75th minute for former Freiburg player Roland Sallai, who had put his team on the road to victory with his goal in the fifth minute. Sané had already been presented to the fans at RAMS Park before the game, who gave him a frenetic welcome.
Sané has his sights set on the 2026 World Cup
After five years with Bayern, Sané signed a contract in Istanbul until 2028 and, according to the club, will earn nine million euros net per season. However, from coach Okan Buruk’s point of view, the atmosphere at the club was the reason for the transfer. “The decisive factor for the move was, in my opinion, that he played against us twice with Bayern – once in Istanbul and once in Munich. The atmosphere in Istanbul was incredible, it really grabbed him,” the 51-year-old recently told Sky.
Sané will play in the Champions League next season with the 25-time Turkish champions and, according to his own statements, wants to “take on an absolute leadership role.” The winger also has his sights set on the upcoming 2026 World Cup and wants to recommend himself to national team coach Julian Nagelsmann with strong performances in the Turkish league, but also on the international stage.
For Galatasaray, the upcoming season does not begin until two weeks from now, on August 8, with an away game at Gaziantep FK. Before that, the club will face Lazio Rome in a friendly on Saturday. Until then, the big new name Sané will have to integrate himself into the team. Then he will certainly get significantly more playing time than just 15 minutes.
