Cevad Prekazi joins Galatasaray from Hajduk Split in 1985

In 1985 Cevad Prekazi, a midfielder from Yugoslavia, moved from Hajduk Split, one of the biggest clubs in the Yugoslav league, to Galatasaray in Istanbul.

At the time, foreign players were still a rare sight in Turkish football, and Prekazi arrived as an experienced professional from a respected football school. He settled quickly in Istanbul and became a regular in the side.

He stayed with Galatasaray for six years. In that time he became a familiar figure for supporters and was remembered for his technique, his work in midfield and his professional attitude. Fans later counted him among the club's notable foreign players of the 1980s.

The transfer mattered because it linked him with Galatasaray for the rest of his life. When news of his death emerged, the club and others in Turkish football paid tribute to him as a Galatasaray legend, and his move in 1985 was recalled as the start of that story.