Beşiktaş J.K.

Members of Beşiktaş JK in 1903

Bereket Gymnastics Club was founded on 3 March 1903 under special permission from the authorities.[8] Their sporting activities gained more freedom with the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy in 1908. After the political events of 31 March 1909, Fuat Balkan and Mazhar Kazancı, who were in Edirne, came to Istanbul with the Movement Army. After the restoration of political order, Fuat Balkan, a proven fencing coach, and Mazhar Kazancı, a good wrestler and weight lifter, found the youths involved in gymnastics in Serencebey and persuaded them to train together. Refik and Şerafettin Beys, friends of Fuat Bey, were also good fencers. Fuat Balkan made the first floor of his home in Ihlamur the Club's headquarters, and the title of Bereket Gymnastics Club was changed to Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club. Thus, a stronger sports club, where gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, fencing and athletics were emphasized, was formed. Founding member Mehmet Şamil Şhaplı was elected the first president of the club.[9]

In the meantime, Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club became the first registered Turkish sports club on 13 January 1910 with the encouragement of Beyoğlu Governor Muhittin Bey. The interest among the youths of the neighbourhood in the sports club grew and the number of members involved in sports quickly grew to 150. The headquarters of the club was moved from Ihlamur to Building 49 in Akaretler. When this building became too small, Building 84, also in Akaretler, became their headquarters. The yard behind this building was turned into a sports pitch.

Some of the young patriots from the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul formed two football clubs called "Valideçeşme" and "Basiret" under the leadership of Şeref Bey. The Valideçeşme and Basiret football clubs joined under the roof of Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club in 1911. In a very short time, football became the foremost branch in the club.

For years, the original colours of Beşiktaş were believed to be Red and White; and then temporarily changed into Black and White as a sign of mourning for the dead in the Balkan Wars, which included some players of the club. Although most written sources endorse this claim, a detailed study carried out for Beşiktaş's 100th anniversary documentary had shown that red was never used in club's first colors; and Beşiktaş's colours were always Black and White.[10]

1923–24 Istanbul League champions

With football becoming the main sport of the Ottoman Empire around 1910, Beşiktaş members slowly started to give more attention to football. In August 1911, Ahmed Şerafettin started the football team. With the outbreak of World War I following the Balkan Wars, sporting activities at the club effectively came to a halt as many athletes left to serve on the front lines.[11] While the end of the war allowed surviving athletes to return, the team faced a difficult period during the Occupation of Istanbul, but was able to recover with the hard work of Şeref Bey.[12] Beşiktaş did not enter the Istanbul Friday and Sunday leagues, and did not have any championships until 1918, when they won the Istanbul Turkish 1st Sports League. In 1921, that particular league's final season, they won it again. In 1924, Beşiktaş entered the Istanbul Football League along with Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and other Istanbul teams. Beşiktaş became the league's first champion in 1924, but was not able to have more success in the league. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were the two dominant teams through the middle of the 1930s.

Beşiktaş won their second Istanbul League championship in 1934, as well as their first Turkish Football Championship in the same year. In 1937, the Turkish National League was formed. In the Istanbul League season prior to the National League's inaugural season, Beşiktaş finished in fourth place, which earned them a berth in the National League. Beşiktaş finished third place in the National League, behind Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. In 1938, Beşiktaş finished in third place in the Istanbul League and second place in the National League, behind Güneş. Beşiktaş won a record five consecutive Istanbul League championships between 1939 and 1943. In the National League, Beşiktaş finished fourth in 1939, fifth in 1940, first in 1941 and third in 1943 (in 1942 the league was not held). The club won the Istanbul League in 1945 and 1946, as well as the national league in 1944 and 1947.

In 1959, the Turkish First League was formed, the nation's first professional football league. In the inaugural year, Beşiktaş came in third place, while in 1960 it won the league title. In 1960, the club also participated in the European Cup, becoming the first Turkish team ever to participate in the tournament. In subsequent years, Beşiktaş finished third in both 1961 and 1962, as well as second in 1963, 1964 and 1965. In 1966 and 1967, meanwhile, the club won back-to-back championship titles, and in the latter year, they also won their first Turkish Super Cup. In 1968, Beşiktaş finished second.

After 1967, Beşiktaş's performance declined slightly, finishing in 8th, 12th, 5th, 4th many times, while Trabzonspor, Fenerbahçe and, occasionally Galatasaray continued their success. Beşiktaş only finished in second place once in the decade, in 1975.

Beşiktaş put an end to their poor performances in 1982 with a surprise Turkish championship, earning another in 1986. They finished the league as runners-up four times in the second half of the decade. Hooliganism was a major problem that had started in Europe and had also spread throughout Turkey. Beşiktaş fan hooliganism had been an issue with many fights inside and outside the stadium, although this has become less of an issue in more recent years.

Beşiktaş had their most successful run in the Süper Lig with three consecutive championships under the management of Gordon Milne in the early 1990s. Three players of the squad – Metin Tekin, Ali Gültiken and Feyyaz Uçar – were notable for significant contributions to the team during this period. These players had been called Metin-Ali-Feyyaz ("MAF") and they formed the front of the team's line-up. The supporters composed various chants for the trio devoted to their delighting style on the pitch, their goals, and above all for their friendship and modesty. The trio is regarded by supporters as the best ever attacking line of the club.

The only three-in-a-row title term in club history occurred in the 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. Most notably, Beşiktaş became the first and only undefeated champions in Süper Lig history.[13][14]

Under Milne, the team adopted the 4–4–2 system. By playing down the lines, crossing and winning balls in the air, the team were in fine form and scored many goals. On 15 October 1989, Beşiktaş broke the Süper Lig record for the biggest winning margin in a game with a 10–0 victory over Southern Turkey team Adana Demirspor.[15] This match was designated as one of the 16 biggest matches in club history.[16]

Team at 2015–16

Beşiktaş won the 1994–95 1.Lig with the German coach Christoph Daum. Their next league title was in 2002–03 with the Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu, they also reached the quarter-finals of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup. In 2008–09 season, Beşiktaş won the league with coach Mustafa Denizli.

Later on, Beşiktaş won the league twice in 2015–16 and 2016–17; in addition, they reached the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals for the second time, and the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League round of 16 for the first time in their history.[17]

• Turkish Super League
  • Winners (15): 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2008–09, 2015–16, 2016–17
  • Runners-up (14): 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2006–07
• Turkish National Division
  • Winners: 1941, 1944, 1947
  • Runners-up: 1938, 1945, 1946
• Turkish Football Championship
  • Winners: 1934, 1951
  • Runners-up: 1941, 1946

Photo of the 2006–07 Turkish Cup, won by Beşiktaş.

• Turkish Cup
  • Winners (9): 1974–75, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (6): 1965–66, 1976–77, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1998–99, 2001–02
• Turkish Super Cup
  • Winners (8): 1967, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2006
  • Runners-up (12): 1966, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2007, 2009, 2016, 2017
• Atatürk Cup
  • Winners: 2000
  • Runners-up: 1998

• Alpen Cup
  • Winners (1): 2004
• Efes Cup
  • Winners (1): 2006
• Soma Tournament
  • Winners (1): 2014
• Royal Cup
  • Winners (1): 2015

• European Cup/UEFA Champions League
  • Quarterfinals: 1986–87
• UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
  • Quarterfinals: 2002–03, 2016–17

• Turkish Amateur Football Championship
  • Winners: 1985, 1988
• TSYD Cup
  • Winners (12) (shared-record): 1964–65, 1965–66, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1996–97
• Prime Minister's Cup
  • Winners (6): 1944, 1947, 1974, 1977, 1988, 1997
  • Runners-up: 1987, 1996
• Istanbul Football League
  • Winners (13): 1923–24, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54

As of 25 August 2020[19]

Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

As of 26 July 2020[20]

Rank	Team	Points
41	AC Milan	33.000 (+14.666 National Association Contribution)
42	PSV Eindhoven	40.000
43	Beşiktaş JK	38.000
44	KRC Genk	37.500
45	Inter Milan	30.000

As of 3 February 2021[21][22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  FRA Valentin Rosier (on loan from Sporting CP) 4 DF  ESP Francisco Montero (on loan from Atlético Madrid) 5 MF  BRA Souza 7 MF  FRA Georges-Kévin Nkoudou 10 MF  TUR Oğuzhan Özyakup (Vice-captain) 12 DF  TUR Erdoğan Kaya 13 MF  CAN Atiba Hutchinson (Captain) 14 FW  CMR Vincent Aboubakar 17 FW  CAN Cyle Larin 18 FW  ALG Rachid Ghezzal (on loan from Leicester City) 19 MF  BIH Ajdin Hasić 20 MF  TUR Necip Uysal 21 DF  COD Fabrice N'Sakala

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 MF  SRB Adem Ljajić 23 DF  BRA Welinton 24 DF  CRO Domagoj Vida (Vice-captain) 26 MF  TUR Dorukhan Toköz 28 DF  TUR Bilal Ceylan 29 FW  TUR Cenk Tosun (on loan from Everton) 30 GK  TUR Ersin Destanoğlu 33 DF  TUR Rıdvan Yılmaz 43 MF  GHA Bernard Mensah (on loan from Kayserispor) 61 GK  TUR Emre Bilgin 70 MF  TUR Gökhan Töre 97 GK  TUR Utku Yuvakuran

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  TUR Alpay Çelebi (at Alanyaspor until 30 June 2022) — DF  TUR Ahmet Gülay (at Alanyaspor until 30 June 2022) — DF  TUR Kerem Kalafat (at Giresunspor until 30 June 2021) — MF  TUR Mertcan Açıkgöz (at Eyüpspor until 30 June 2022) — MF  TUR Erdem Seçgin (at İnegölspor until 30 June 2021) — MF  NED Jeremain Lens (at Fatih Karagümrük until 30 June 2021) — FW  TUR Güven Yalçın (at U.S. Lecce until 30 June 2021)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  TUR Emre Yıldız (at 24 Erzincanspor until 30 June 2022) — FW  TUR Oğuzhan Akgün (at Altınordu until 30 June 2021) — FW  TUR Umut Nayir (at Hajduk Split until 30 June 2021) – MF  TUR Kartal Yılmaz (at Ümraniyespor until 30 June 2021) – MF  TUR Atakan Üner (at Ümraniyespor until 30 June 2021) – FW  USA Tyler Boyd (at Sivasspor until 30 June 2021)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  BRA Douglas

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  TUR Muhayer Oktay