The group was founded by
Alpaslan Dikmen and around 60 others on 20 January 2001, following Galatasaray's success in the
1999–2000 UEFA Cup and
2000 UEFA Super Cup. Various smaller groups of Galatasaray fans had decided that the team needed a large, organised fan group, which eventually led to the establishment of ultrAslan. The founders held their first meeting at the
InterContinental hotel in
Taksim Square, where they exchanged ideas about the group's development and future aims. ultrAslan displayed its first major tifo on 14 February 2001, during a
UEFA Champions League match against
Deportivo La Coruña at
Ali Sami Yen Stadium. A banner reading "Only You" was displayed in the stands, in reference to
Valentine's Day and the fans' devotion for the club. Over the following years, ultrAslan continued to display tifos and banners at Ali Sami Yen Stadium as well as at
away games, including during fixtures against
Fenerbahçe,
Beşiktaş and
Bayer Leverkusen. Dikmen served as the leader of ultrAslan until his
accidental death in a
traffic collision on 27 September 2008. Following his death,
Sebahattin Şirin took over as leader of the group and has held the position since. In recent years, ultrAslan has gained recognition through large scale choreographies at key fixtures, including a match in 2023 against
Manchester United, where a stadium-wide tifo displayed the slogan "Welcome to Hell". The slogan was popularised in 1993, originating from a banner used to greet the Manchester United squad at
Atatürk Airport ahead of their Champions League tie against Galatasaray. after the team won its 25th
Süper Lig title. == Name ==