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Galatasaray’s next phase of growth is being driven by the influence of Victor Osimhen, with the club now building ambitious business plans around the global attention he has brought, Footynaija reports.
Vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu says the Nigerian striker has become central to a transformation that stretches well beyond football.
Since joining in September 2024, Osimhen has helped turn Galatasaray into one of the fastest-growing brands in European football. The impact was immediate. Within a day of announcing his signing, the club gained more than two million new followers on Instagram, and their audience has continued to grow steadily. A live YouTube broadcast tracking his arrival in Istanbul attracted millions of viewers, while the club also saw a sharp rise in engagement across other platforms.
That surge in visibility quickly translated into revenue. Osimhen’s shirt became the fastest-selling in the club’s history, helping Galatasaray generate about €85 million from merchandise sales in a single season. That figure placed them among Europe’s top earners in retail, ahead of major clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Special merchandise linked to the striker also sold strongly, allowing the club to recover a significant part of its investment in him within a short period.
Victor Osimhen’in arkadaşına üçlü çektirmeyi öğrettiği anlar 😅 pic.twitter.com/GU0cWFOZle
— Le Marca Sports (@lemarcaspors_) March 24, 2026
His performances have reinforced that momentum. Osimhen scored 37 goals in his first season, setting a new record for a foreign player in Turkey, and has continued to deliver consistently in domestic and European competitions. His goals in the Champions League also helped boost Galatasaray’s earnings from UEFA competitions, further strengthening their financial position.
The club now plans to use that momentum to expand its business operations. “Our vision is to be one of the top 10 clubs in the world,” Kavukcu told SPORT BILD. “We’re taking our own merchandising company public, and we also have plans for our own café franchise chain. All of this is largely thanks to players like Leroy and Victor Osimhen, who have significantly boosted our popularity.”
The proposed public listing of Galatasaray’s retail arm is designed to unlock new investment and give the club greater financial flexibility. At the same time, plans for a café franchise aim to extend the club’s brand into everyday life, creating spaces where supporters can gather while also driving merchandise sales.
With Osimhen at the centre of their global appeal, Galatasaray are now attempting to build a sustainable commercial model that can support their ambitions on and off the pitch.
