Leroy Sané has credited Galatasaray's Champions League campaign with showing the club's strength on the European stage.
The 29-year-old German winger, who joined Galatasaray from Bayern Munich on a free transfer in July 2025, made the assessment in an interview with Turkish media. They come at the end of his first season in Istanbul, which saw Galatasaray win the Turkish Süper Lig and reach the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in 12 years.
The Istanbul club recovered from an opening 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt to advance from the league phase. In the knockout play-offs, Galatasaray defeated Juventus 5-2 at home before losing 3-2 in extra time in Turin, progressing 7-5 on aggregate.
The run ended in the round of 16 against Liverpool, who won the return leg 4-0 at Anfield to overturn a first-leg deficit. Sané featured in nine Champions League matches, logging 678 minutes and providing two assists while maintaining strong passing accuracy throughout the campaign.
Sané said the results proved Galatasaray's quality. "With our performance in the Champions League, we showed the whole world how strong and tough an opponent we are," he said. "Next year, we should strive to do even better and demand more from ourselves."
The winger remains under contract with Galatasaray until 2028. The club is expected to build on this season's domestic title and European progress as it prepares for another Champions League campaign next autumn.