Canada left-back Sam Adekugbe has joined Galatasaray on loan from Hatayspor.
Hatayspor has withdrawn from the Turkish Super Lig for the remainder of the season after the devastating earthquake struck the city on Feb. 6. Midfielder Christian Atsu and the club's sporting director Taner Savut remain unaccounted for. Over 40,000 people are reported dead in the two earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria.
In an introductory video posted to Galatasaray's English Twitter account, a visibly upset Adekugbe thanked both clubs and pleaded for more help for those affected by the earthquake.
Sam Adekugbe: “Önemli olan yardım edip kenetlenmemiz çünkü biliyoruz ki biz beraberken daha güçlüyüz.”
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) February 16, 2023
Hayatını kaybeden vatandaşlarımızı saygıyla anıyoruz, kalbimizdesiniz! ∞
ℹ️ Nef Stadyumu’ndaki yardım merkezimizde, afet bölgesine yapacağınız yardımlarınızı bekliyoruz. ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/ex2apxCfg9
"I'm thankful for Hatay and Galatasaray for giving me this opportunity, but, of course, we understand the situation that has occurred in the last week or so," Adekugbe said. "Many lives have been affected - many people that I know and many people that we all know. And I think it's important at this time to highlight the fact that people need our help."
Adekugbe praised the solidarity of footballers in Turkey for rallying together after the disaster.
"It's amazing to see how the country can come together in different ways," Adekugbe said. "We have players from different teams combining together to help support what's going on and I think it shows the solidarity this country has and it's important to understand the fact that people need our help in any way that they can. We can help with money, we can help with donations, we can help in any way, but it's important that we help and stick together because ultimately we know that when we are together, we are stronger. At this moment, it's not about teams, it's not about competitions. It's about coming together."
Born in London and raised in Calgary, the 27-year-old Adekugbe is a product of the Vancouver Whitecaps academy and made his senior debut in 2013. He signed for Norwegian side Valerenga on a permanent deal in 2018 after loan spells at Brighton and Swedish side IFK Goteborg.
Adekugbe signed for Hatayspor in 2021. This season, he's made 19 appearances across all competitions.
Internationally, Adekugbe made his senior debut in 2013 and has been capped 37 times by the CanMNT. He was a member of the squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Galatasaray currently sits atop the Super Lig table on 54 points, nine points clear of second-place Fenerbahce.
