A. Cham

Alieu Cham went from İstanbulspor's under-19 side to a professional contract in six months. The Gambian forward joined the youth squad in July 2024 and signed his first professional contract in January 2025. He is a product of the club's football academy, so no transfer fee was involved.

The first-team appearances came quickly. He played three league matches in the 2024/25 season without scoring. He also appeared in the Turkish Cup, and by the end of the following season he had seven cup outings across the two campaigns. He did not score in any of them.

The 2025/26 season was his first as a regular in the league. He made 24 league appearances and scored four goals. İstanbulspor were playing in the TFF First League, the second tier of Turkish football, so those matches were against experienced professionals.

He has carried that form into the current campaign. In eight league matches of 2026/27 he has scored twice and set up another goal. Cham is left-footed and plays up front, and he was born in 2006.

He has not yet won a team trophy or an individual award. Some sources describe him as a Gambian international, but his career so far has been built at İstanbulspor, where the club's academy has given him his professional start.