Arda Turan wanted to confront Jordi Alba during Galatasaray vs Barcelona

Barcelona’s midweek win over Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League was a fierce encounter, to say the least. It was a tense game at the notorious Nef Stadium, which is considered as one of the loudest and most hostile stadiums in Europe.

In what was by far the most controversial part of the game, Jordi Alba found himself on the end of bottles and various objects hurled by a section of Galatasaray fans when trying to take a throw-in.

The incident delayed the proceedings for a minute or two before Alba tried to retake the throw-in. However, the fans continued to hurl bottles at him, prompting the Barcelona left-back to kick the ball towards the Galatasaray supporters.

Unsurprisingly, the incident caused a furore among the fans and even a few Galatasaray players. And according to Dinçer Azaphan, a Turkish businessman who has major stakes at Galatasaray, one of them was former Barcelona player Arda Turan.

“When Jordi Alba kicked the ball into the stands, I had a hard time holding Arda Turan. He wanted to go on the pitch,” he was quoted saying by Toni Juanmarti.

Turan and Alba were teammates at Barcelona for many years, having played for the Catalans for five years.

During his time at Barca, the winger had featured in 55 competitive matches, scoring 11 goals while chipping in with 15 assists. He eventually left the club in 2020, joining Galatasaray on a free transfer.