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Liverpool legend Graeme Souness previously confessed to regretting his notorious flag celebration as Galatasaray manager. The Reds are scheduled to meet the Turkish side at Rams Park in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Souness, who is poised to join Gary Lineker on a new TV show, had not managed for over a year following his departure from Liverpool before taking charge at Galatasaray in 1995. The Scotsman brought in three former Reds - Dean Saunders, Barry Venison and Mike Marsh - and also snapped up future Liverpool keeper Brad Friedel during his year at the club.
The domestic season proved disappointing for ex-Sky Sports analyst Souness and Galatasaray, who could only manage a fourth-place finish as rivals Fenerbahce claimed the league title. However, Souness' team did redeem themselves in the Turkish Cup final.
The two-legged cup final had seen both matches finish 1-0, forcing extra time in the second leg. Former Liverpool striker Saunders delivered the winning goal in the 116th minute, but Souness believed he had unfinished business with a Fenerbahce official. As the team celebrated its trophy win, the manager's choice to plant a Galatasaray flag at the heart of Fenerbahce's pitch caused chaotic scenes.
"One of their [Fenerbahce's] vice-presidents had said, 'What are Galatasaray doing signing a cripple?' He was referring to the open-heart surgery I had," Souness previously recalled to Goals on Sunday.
"We win the trophy and after the game, all of our players ran down to one end where our supporters were and that great big flag was handed over. All the players took turns to wave it and then it's my turn, I give it a few waves and then turned to hand it to someone. They had all ran off to the halfway line.
"I'm jogging up to the halfway line with this flag and I'm looking into the emptying stands and I can see this guy's face who had called me a cripple. 'I'll show you who's a cripple.'
"I turn around and I realize all the supporters are now climbing over the fence and I'm thinking, 'Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.'
"Then I get under the perspex shields of the police, I'm in the tunnel and saying to myself, 'Got away with that one.' Just as I thought that, I got clumped on the side of the head. Some supporter had got into the tunnel!"
Souness has since regretted his questionable decision-making, even though the incident is still considered an iconic soccer moment. "It's one of them things that you wish you hadn't done, but at the time, it seemed like a good idea," he admitted.
Souness might have grown to rue his behaviour, yet he continues to be adored by Galatasaray supporters. In 2023, the Liverpool legend repeated his flag celebration when Galatasaray clinched the league title with a match to spare after a 3-0 home victory over Fenerbahce.
The original incident has gone down in soccer history. Former Liverpool forward Saunders, who netted 21 goals for the Turkish club that season, remembered the outrage in the stadium, years later.
"Not only were 62,000 people devastated they had lost to Galatasaray, he then picked the flag up and ran past me to the centre circle, but he couldn't get it in," Saunders recounted to talkSPORT in 2023. "He ran past me on his way back and I just said 'all the best'.
"This Fenerbahce fan has tried to get to him by the tunnel and he's gone bang, right hook. He's hit the fan and he's gone down. All the riot police with the shields, they were Galatasaray fans and were saying 'how dare you break Graeme Souness' hands with your jaw'. They were roughing him up."
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