Aleksey Andreyevich Batrakov.
Born in June 2005, the Russian footballer joined Galatasaray from Lokomotiv Moscow on August 20, 2026, signing a five-year contract.
Russian football has been isolated from the rest of the world since the war began in February 2022. As known, FIFA and UEFA excluded Russian clubs and the Russian national team from international competitions.
For Batrakov, who plays primarily in central midfield, sometimes in a more advanced position close to that of a number 10, Galatasaray offers a major opportunity to make his mark on world football. He has said as much in his interviews. In his farewell talk to Lokomotiv Moscow supporters, he explained: “My goal was to test myself in a league with a global reach. Galatasaray play in the Champions League. That’s my dream.”
On October 21, Batrakov was again on the pitch for Galatasaray’s away match against Lille in the Champions League. Galatasaray took the lead in the second minute. Lille equalized in the seventh and went ahead in the 39th.
Galatasaray supporters know all too well that in recent years, particularly in difficult Champions League matches, the team has had a tendency to get disoriented after conceding the lead, sometimes losing control of the game altogether.
Just as Galatasaray fans began asking themselves, “Is it happening again?”, Batrakov stepped up. In the 44th minute, he scored the equalizer. Galatasaray went into halftime lifted by Batrakov’s goal. In the second half, Galatasaray swept in like a storm and won the match 4-2.
There was also complete agreement among commentators and supporters that Batrakov was the man of the match in the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe derby on October 26.
And on top of this, on November 3, he scored both goals in Galatasaray’s 2-0 home victory over Stuttgart.
We are watching a young footballer taking impressive steps toward success. But there is much more to Batrakov’s story than that.
As readers would appreciate, success, especially in football, depends on a great many factors, some within your control and others beyond it, as well as on your performance on any given day.
As Metin Tekin, the Beşiktaş legend known as the “Yellow Storm,” once put it: “The whistle blows, and the show begins. After that, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how the match will end. You don’t know what those 90 minutes will bring. You might resign, you might quit the job, or you might become a hero.”
There is another side to Batrakov’s story, one that goes beyond success and good performances.
We can get a sense of how Russian football fans feel about Batrakov by reading their comments on social media and YouTube posts shared by Galatasaray’s official accounts, as well as by football fans and fan pages posting about the club and attending matches at Ali Sami Yen.
Their feelings could be described as follows: Football fans from a country that has been isolated from world football, are sending a talented young player, someone they love not only as a footballer, but also a person, into an unfamiliar arena.
They don’t know how he will be received there or where his journey will lead. It is an anxious farewell…
But that anxiety gives way to relief and happiness when they see the welcome Batrakov receives at Galatasaray.
Batrakov proves himself to be what the English call a “baller,” what we in Turkish call a “topçu,” earning enormous praise for his performances.
Yet there is something more. He is welcomed almost as someone entrusted to the care of Galatasaray supporters. Perhaps that is why so many Russian football fans express the same sentiment in their comments: “We are so happy with the way Galatasaray supporters and Turkish football fans have treated our Lyosha (that’s how Russians call him)”.
Many Russians are becoming Galatasaray supporters, buying Galatasaray jerseys, following the team’s matches and some coming to the Ali Sami Yen.
Batrakov’s respectful demeanor and his distance from the American “show-business” culture that has increasingly permeated football have also won him a special place in the hearts of Galatasaray fans.
Attentive Galatasaray supporters have even noticed the way he walks backward toward the dressing room after applauding the stands, rather than turning his back on the crowd.
Batrakov is called to the stands to the tune of Kalinka, the famous Russian folk song. The music also plays over the stadium’s loudspeakers.
As seen in a video shared by Galatasaray’s official account:
And in another video showing Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek clapping along:
Another example is the theatrical Batrakov chant set to the melody of Kalinka, performed by the university branch of Galatasaray’s fan association ultrAslan, UltrAslan Üni:
Galatasaray’s official account featuring Batrakov’s interaction with the stand after the game:
Kalinka rings out across the stadium once again after Batrakov scores against Stuttgart.
A song in Russian written by a possible Galatasaray fan:
And another video of the crowd’s reaction to Batrakov’s goal, which has already gone viral and become memes:
Numerous images of Batrakov are also being created, drawing on references to Russian history.
The fact that ultrAslan shared a photograph of Batrakov waving an ultrAslan flag after a match speaks for itself.
There are things about Batrakov that remain unsaid.
Perhaps they don’t demand to be said.
They are understood without being spoken.
There are things unsaid in the relationship between Batrakov, the Russian people and Galatasaray supporters.
They are understood without being spoken.
And our readers know them, too.
Finally, a bonus: The banners by Galatasaray supporters concerning Gaza and Palestine during this season’s Champions League matches.
A banner, also shared by Galatasaray’s official account:
