In Iraq’s northern metropolis of Duhok, Ahmet Akbey doesn’t simply put on his coronary heart on his sleeve – he roars it aloud.
The Diyarbakır-born businessman, famously referred to as an “aslan terbiyecisi” (lion tamer), celebrated Galatasaray’s twenty fifth Süper Lig title along with his pet lions, named after membership icons Fatih Terim and Okan Buruk.
A religious Galatasaray fan, Akbey marked the historic fifth star – now stitched on the membership’s crest – by posing along with his pleasure of lions, together with new child cubs named after star gamers Mauro Icardi, Victor Osimhen, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Yunus Akgün, and Abdülkerim Bardakcı.
“My biggest dream is to watch a match at Rams Park with my lion named Fatih Terim,” mentioned Akbey. “Okan Buruk is still a cub, but he’ll grow up too. Even our lionesses gave birth this season – so we’re raising the next generation of Galatasaray legends right here.”
But Akbey isn’t the one one turning ardour into spectacle.
Over 600 kilometers away in Diyarbakır’s Silvan district, one other story roars to life.
Mehdi Keskinkılınç, a father of 4 and lifelong Galatasaray devotee, remodeled his modest residence right into a shrine for the Istanbul membership.
Painted in yellow and crimson, his home options the names of Icardi and Osimhen – Galatasaray’s goal-getting duo – and now proudly shows the fifth star.
What began as a plasterer’s dream grew to become a viral sensation after Icardi reposted the home to his 13.9 million Instagram followers, writing, “Minik aslanlar büyüyor” (“Little lions are growing up”).
Keskinkılınç later added Osimhen’s title after the Nigerian striker joined the staff. “If I had 20,000 houses, I’d paint them all in yellow and red,” he mentioned. “I kept a promise I made to myself – Galatasaray would live on these walls.”
Yet beneath the paint and pleasure lies a deeper want: a future for Silvan’s youngsters. “We don’t ask for tickets anymore,” Keskinkılınç mentioned. “Just give our kids a pitch. Call it Galatasaray Stadium. Let them dream too.”
To those that mocked his devotion on-line, his message was clear: “Respect starts at home. Don’t insult what you don’t understand.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com