Galatasaray and Ligue 1: A History
As AS Monaco get set to face Turkish side Galatasaray in the Champions League tomorrow, Ligue 1 McDonald's looks at the many links between the Istanbul club and the French top flight.
The current crop
No conversation about the current side would be complete without a discussion of Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian spent only a single season in France, but what a season it was! Playing for LOSC Lille, he struck 18 times across all competitions, winning the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé before moving to Napoli. After leaving the Italian club, he has been a sensation in Turkey, averaging nearly a goal a match, and will be the danger man for the visitors.
He's joined in the squad by four other players with Ligue 1 links: Mauro Icardi helped PSG to a pair of Ligue 1 titles in three seasons in the capital, while midfielder Mario Lemina came through at Lorient before later spells with Marseille and OGC Nice. Finally, while they're unlikely to feature through injury, the club also features the former AS Monaco defenders Ismaîl Jakobs and Wilfried Singo.
Didier Drogba, the Ivorian king 👑🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/aFdYubV8WJ
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 21, 2025
Didier Drogba: A legend across three clubs
As talented as Osimhen is, his short spell in Ligue 1 made far less of an impression than did a player whose time in France was also relatively brief: Didier Drogba. The Ivorian, who came through at Le Mans and featured for Guingamp as well, made his name at Marseille in an epic run to the 2003-4 UEFA Cup final. He then joined Chelsea where he became a true legend of the game, before spending a season-and-half with Galatasaray, helping them reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League and win the league and cup before returning to London.
Destination Cameroon: Song and Chedjou
Galatasaray also had two of the finest Cameroonian defenders ever to play in France on their books: Rigobert Song and Aurélien Chedjou. Song remains the country's most-capped defender, and was instrumental in Metz winning the 1996 Coupe de la Ligue as well as pair of AFCON titles for his country. A pair of league titles followed in Turkey followed two seasons with Lens, with Song everpresent. Despite being a late bloomer, Chedjou came good over six seasons at Lille, winning a league and cup double in 2010/11. In Istanbul, he won a league title and a pair of Turkish Cups.
THE KRAL, Burak Yılmaz 🇹🇷👑 pic.twitter.com/3dFEZfbgd7
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) July 15, 2023
The Kral: Burak Yilmaz
Last but not least, another player whose time was brief but impactful in France was Burak Yilmaz. The combative striker, nicknamed "Kral" or "king" spent two seasons with LOSC and helped them win an unlikely title in the first of those, in 2020/21. Playing for more than half a dozen clubs in Turkey, Yilmaz was never anywhere for long, but his four seasons at RAMS park were his most fruitful, as he was named Turkish Player of the Year in his first season, winning two league titles.
