Former Scotland international Ryan Jack is helping Turkish club Esenler Erokspor to their first ever top-flight promotion
Former Scotland international Ryan Jack is on the verge of helping Turkish club Esenler Erokspor to their first ever promotion to the country’s top division. The Istanbul-based club have played in the amateur leagues for most of their history and count Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan amongst their former players.
Former Rangers and Aberdeen star Jack is in his second season with Esenler Erokspor. Last season they consolidated their place in the second tier and they are currently on course for promotion to the Turkish Super Lig.
With two games to play, Erokspor sit second and have their fate in their own hands as two teams are automatically promoted. Should they be overtaken on the home stretch, there is still the possibility of earning promotion via the playoffs.
This season, Jack has been a stalwart in the team, often wearing the captain’s armband. The Aberdonian has made 28 league appearances so far in 2025/26, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
An unlikely move but a historic opportunity
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Jack, 34, joined Erokspor in 2024 after seven seasons with Rangers, where he won one Scottish Premiership title and one Scottish Cup. As a free agent, most expected him to remain in the UK and he had numerous offers from clubs in Scotland.
However, Jack opted to take the road less travelled, joining a team who had been professional for little more than a decade. Now, his name could go down in history as one of the key players in achieving Erokspor’s first ever promotion to the top flight.
Esenler Erokspor have a famous past
Erokspor play at the 5,000-capacity Esenler Stadium in Istanbul and were founded in 1959. It was not until the 2010s, however, that they broke into professional football.
As recently as 2013, Erokspor won the Istanbul Amateur League and then went on to win the Regional Amateur League in 2017, securing promotion to the national fourth tier. In 2022, they reached the third tier and in 2024 they arrived in the second tier.
While Erokspor don’t yet have an illustrious list of former players who have perhaps gone on to greater things in football, they can count several famous figures in their past.
Turkish president Erdoğan is perhaps the best-known figure related to the club, but other Turkish politicians, such as former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Mehmet Ali Şahin and former Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak have also turned out in the club’s yellow and green kit.
