Volkan Agir
1. Servet Cetin (Galatasaray) The important part of a team is the duo in the middle of the defence. After the Song – Tomas partnership fell apart Galatasaray bought Servet as cover. When he signed everyone thought that he could not cover the place of Stjepan Tomas because it is a hard thing to return from an Anatolian team to one of the big Istanbul clubs. But at Sivasspor, where Servet played before Galatasaray, he improved himself and with this performance , he returned to the national team too. The 27 year-old played 33 games in the league, 11 games for the national team and 10 games in Europe. Servet was surely one of the most consistent players in the Super Lig.
2. Roberto Carlos (Fenerbahce) Roberto Carlos needs no introduction and nobody in Turkey really thought that he would transfer to Fenerbahçe. Carlos could well have remained in Madrid, but he wished to fulfil a childhood dream and play for a team coached by his idol Zico. Despite being 35 years old, Roberto Carlos often changed games just by his presence. His experience was also a big factor in helping Fenerbahce to get so far in the Champions League.
3. Gökhan Gönül (Fenerbahçe) Gökhan Gönül is a product of the famous Gençlerbirliği youth factory. Fenerbahce are a team who like to transfer young players and develop them into household names, Gökhan Gönül is going to be one of them. When Gençlerbirliği OFTAŞ gained promotion to the Super Lig, Gönül was a huge part of this. At first he couldn’t get a game for Fenerbahce, but Zico gave him a chance in one match, and he never gave his jersey back. He played 24 times in the Turkcell Super Lig and 10 in Europe. With his growing performances, big clubs like Milan,Tottenham and Real Madrid have shown an interest in him and he has also graduated to the national team.
4. Mile Sterjovski (Gençlerbirliği OFTAŞ) The Australian international who joined Gençlerbirliği Oftaş from Basel of Switzerland, was a surprising signing, and one that really went unnoticed by a lot of people. He played 14 games for the team, scored 3 goals and made 4 assists. Sterjovski arrived in Turkey on a free transfer and in the mid-season break he was sold to Derby County for €400,000 – a glorious transfer for the Anatolian Team.
5. Rodrigo Tello (Beşiktaş) Beşiktaş fans expected another big name to go alongside Ricardinho and Matias Delgado. This Chilean player hasn’t got a big name like them but he produced better and more consistently good performances than either of them. With his pace, banana crosses and free-kick shots, he became a favourite of the Beşiktaş fans. The fact that he cost the club nothing makes him an even better signing. He played 37 games for his team, scored 6 goals and made 11 assists. His goal against Marseille from a free-kick was unforgettable, a firm contender for strike of the season.
6. Barış Ozbek (Galatasaray) This player was snapped up from Rot-Weiss Essen, from the third tier of German football. With Karl-Heinz Feldkamp’s advice he came to the Galatasaray. In friendly games before the season Ozbek showed that he had great potential. His big advantage was “Kalli” (Feldkamp), who is never afraid to give chances to young players. It wasn’t long before the Galatasaray fans believed in him just as much as “Kalli” and his hard shots from long range, pinpoint crosses and defensive abilities made him an important first team player. He played 38 games for Galatasaray, scored 2 goals but made 7 assists, and that must go down as a good season for such a young player and new signing, too.
7. Shabani Nonda (Galatasaray) When he signed for Monaco from Stade Rennes earlier in his career, Monaco paid €20M for him, but Galatasaray paid just €1.3M to sign him from Roma. In the first game he started against Konyaspor, Nonda announced his arrival with a double salvo. Also he showed his first class style in European competition and he scored 3 goals in 6 games. He was also the only Galatasaray player, along with Arda Turan, to score a hat-trick in the Super Lig. With this hat-trick he scored 11 goals and his last goal made Galatasaray champions, seeing off rivals Fenerbahçe.
8. Filip Holsko (Beşiktaş) This skilful striker was discovered by former national team and Trabzonspor coach Ersun Yanal and joined him at Vestel Manisaspor in 2006. He showed solid performances for that team and in January of 2008 Beşiktaş signed him for €5 million. Holsko proved his worth by scoring 7 goals and providing 6 assists in just half a season at Beşiktaş. In total he scored 13 goals and made 11 assists. He was the player who we can say affected Beşiktaş’s finishing position in the league the most, especially with his 2 late goals in the Sivasspor game.
9. Antoino De Nigris (Ankaraspor) In my opinion the most exciting player in the Turkish Super Lig. The Mexican international signed for Gaziantepspor in 2006. In the middle of last season he was bought by Ankaraspor in their bid to avoid relegation. De Nigris was a key player in changing the performances of Ankaraspor. He assisted in a Fenerbahce game and they got one point. Then he scored against Genclerbirligi twice, and in the two last games, before the last game of the season, he made one assist and scored one goal and Ankaraspor won both games by a single goal.
10. Razundara Tijikuzu (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi) A player of great experience from the Bundesliga. With his performances last season he got everyone’s attention. Before his move to Istanbul he played for another Turkish side, Rizespor, and for them he did not excel. Abdullah Avci’s arrival at İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor made him an important first team player. He played 30 games in the Super Lig and made two assists. It is a really good statistic for a midfielder but what was most important was his defensive effectiveness.
