# 21-year-old Russian soccer star Aleksey Batrakov is tearing up the Champions League for Galatasaray. Turkish fans are even serenading him with ‘Kalinka.’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/21-year-old-russian-soccer-star-aleksey-batrakov-is-tearing-up-the-champions-league-for-galatasaray-turkish-fans-are-even-serenading-him-with-kalinka/
- Published: 2026-11-11T06:08:46+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T06:49:27+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/11/11/21-year-old-russian-soccer-star-aleksey-batrakov-is-tearing-up-the-champions-league-for-galatasaray-turkish-fans-are-even-serenading-him-with-kalinka
- Topics: AI, Celebrity, Entertainment, Europe, Football, Music, Sport, Technology, Trending, Weird & Viral, World

## Key points

- Batrakov has scored four goals in four Champions League appearances.
- Galatasaray fans have embraced the 21-year-old Russian midfielder.
- His summer move followed a 17-goal, 12-assist season at Lokomotiv.

## Summary

Aleksey Batrakov, a 21-year-old Russian midfielder, has made an immediate impact since moving from Lokomotiv to Galatasaray at the end of the summer. His Champions League goals have made him a fan favourite in Turkey and drawn attention across European football, at a time when Russian players rarely feature for top European clubs.

Batrakov has scored four goals in four Champions League appearances, including a brace in Galatasaray’s 2–0 win over Stuttgart; he also scored against Barcelona and Lille. The tally matches Andrey Arshavin’s total across his Champions League career, and makes Batrakov the youngest Galatasaray player to score twice in a Champions League match. In Turkey’s league, he has added two goals and three assists in nine appearances, bringing his overall record for the club to six goals and three assists. His move nearly fell through, despite Galatasaray’s reported €25 million offer, after an outstanding season at Lokomotiv in which he scored 17 goals and made 12 assists in 36 matches.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.