Argentine striker Mauro Icardi has brought his spell at Galatasaray to an end after four highly successful seasons, as officially announced by the club in a post on its social media channels, following the expiry of the player’s contract. Icardi ends his time with the Istanbul side as the top foreign goalscorer in the club’s history and having been a key figure in the Lions’ recent successes, with six titles won over four seasons.
Turkish media reported that the Turkish club announced the departure of the 33-year-old player via an emotional farewell message: “Dear Mauro, today we are not talking about a farewell, but about a legacy. The fact that you will no longer be wearing the Galatasaray shirt will not change the place you hold in our hearts. Because you have earned the affection of all Galatasaray fans, from the youngest to the oldest,” the message began.
“Beyond the goals you scored, the top scorer titles you won, the records you broke and the trophies you lifted, you lived and instilled a passion for Galatasaray in millions of people. You are no longer just someone who wrote his name in gold in the club’s history, but a symbol that will live on forever among the unforgettable legends of Galatasaray,” the text continued, concluding with these words: “Our beloved captain, who made Galatasaray the team of an entire generation. If children today proudly say ‘ I’m a Galatasaray fan ’, it is largely thanks to you.”
77 goals scored whilst wearing the Galatasaray shirt
During his time at Galatasaray, the Argentine striker played a total of 134 competitive matches: 96 in the Süper Lig, 16 in the Champions League, 6 in the Champions League qualifying rounds, 6 in the Europa League, 6 in the Turkish Cup and 4 in the Turkish Super Cup. Over that period, Icardi scored a total of 77 goals.
With that tally, the Argentine striker has surpassed the 72 goals scored by Galatasaray legend Gheorghe Hagi, becoming the club’s all-time leading foreign goalscorer across all competitions. Most of his goals were scored against Beşiktaş, Alanyaspor, Antalyaspor and İstanbulspor. Furthermore, Icardi also holds the record for Galatasaray’s top foreign goalscorer in the Turkish league, with a total of 65 goals.
Throughout his professional career, this footballer born on 19 February 1993 in Rosario (Argentina) played for internationally renowned clubs such as Sampdoria, Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and finally Galatasaray, making 517 competitive appearances in which he scored a total of 280 goals and provided 68 assists.
His most prolific spell was at Inter Milan, where he scored 124 goals in 219 matches; he subsequently scored 38 goals in 92 matches for Paris Saint-Germain, whilst his 77 goals for Galatasaray rank third.
An eight-time international for Argentina, for whom he has scored one goal, at the height of his footballing career he reached a market value of 100 million euros, although he is currently valued at €4 million. Following the expiry of his contract with Galatasaray on 1 July 2026, the player is currently a free agent.
Since his arrival at Galatasaray, Icardi became a legend of the Turkish club
Icardi arrived in Turkey on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2022 and, after playing his first season with Galatasaray, was signed by the Turkish club, which paid 10 million euros to the French side for his transfer. He scored his first goal for the team on 23 October 2022 against Alanyaspor, in Istanbul, whilst his last goal for Galatasaray came on 18 April 2026 against Gençlerbirliği in Ankara, just a few weeks before Galatasaray were crowned league champions for the 26th time. His best season in the red-and-yellow shirt was 2023–2024, when he played 34 Turkish league matches and scored 25 goals, finishing as the league’s top scorer.
But beyond his statistics and achievements, Mauro Emanuel Icardi Rivero became a much-loved figure not only amongst Galatasaray fans, but also amongst many football fans in Turkey, thanks to his unique way of celebrating goals, his distinctive blond hair and his gestures of warmth towards the crowd. Many Galatasaray supporters even went so far as to dye their hair blonde to look like him, whilst the iconic song “Aşkın Olayım” by Turkish singer Simge Sağın – which played over the stadium’s loudspeakers every time Icardi scored a goal – topped the country’s charts for a long time. And the fact is, even though he may never play for the team again, Icardi is now forever part of Galatasaray’s history.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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