Ex-Liverpool defender Abel Xavier has revealed he decided to join Galatasaray after experiencing the atmosphere at the club while playing for the Reds.
The former defender turned pundit has been speaking to Fanatik about his career and the time he spent playing for the Turkish side.
He joined the Turkish side on loan from Liverpool in January 2003, just a year after a highly controversial move across Merseyside from Everton.
He remains the last player to have transferred directly between the two old rivals, but his time at Anfield did not prove to be a happy one as he managed just a year at the club before being moved on.
The first of those was a 0-0 draw at Anfield before they met again six days later in Turkey, a game which ended 1-1.
Xavier played in both and admits the atmosphere in that second game convinced he had to join Galatasaray at some point in future.
“I’ll never forget the excitement and energy I felt from the first minute,” he said.
“As soon as I stepped on the pitch I thought, ‘I have to play for Galatasaray one day!’ When we went out to warm up as a team, we saw such an atmosphere that we had never experienced anything like it before.
“Imagine, I’m only talking about the warm-up, the stadium was full. The banner on the north stand still haunts me. It said, ‘Welcome to Hell’.
“This atmosphere, this banner affected all the footballers. Of course, there was a bit of fear there too!”
