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In June 2001, Rovers manager Graeme Souness made arguably the most impactful signing of his time at the club, along with the signing of Brad Friedel, by spending £1.3m to bring in Tugay from Glasgow Rangers.
The experienced Turkish International's arrival at Rovers initially caused some surprise among the fan base, as many were expecting Eyal Berkovic to be signed on a permanent deal instead.
Berkovic had enjoyed a successful loan deal at the club the previous season, helping Rovers to win promotion back to the Premier League and the expectation was that he would be the creative midfielder that Souness would sign.
Needless to say, the fans quickly forgot about Eyal, once they saw the Turkish maestro in action at Ewood Park. His eye for a pass, his stunning collection of goals and the respect shown by opposition managers, players and fans alike, showed that Graeme Souness had made the right decision.
Tugay would spend the next 8 years providing Rovers fans with many golden memories and moments that won't ever be forgotten by those lucky enough to have seen them. He is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the best ever midfielders to put on a Rovers shirt.
Despite being into his 30's as Rovers player, opposition managers and coaches would often ask Souness and later, Mark Hughes, where they had found Tugay from, so impressed were they by his displays against them.
An underrated player, who is rarely mentioned in Premier League midfielder debates among football fans, there is no better way to illustrate how well he was thought of in the game than the words of Sir Alex Ferguson himself. The former United manager stating that Tugay would have been playing for his side had he been 10 years younger.
Tugay will always be special for fans of Blackburn Rovers, and it is likely that Rovers won't have a player of such quality again for a long time.
Tugay spent eight seasons as a Blackburn Rovers player and retired in May 2009, aged 38, with his final game coming against West Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park.
Making 293 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals. Here are those goals.
Tugay,
Thanks for the memories.