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28) Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Turkey)
Capacity: 76,092
Opened: 2002
Tennant(s): Istanbul BB (2007-2014), Galatasaray S.K. (2003-2004), Turkey National Team & Besiktas (2013-2016)
Constructed initially as a venue for the 2008 Olympics, only for Turkey’s bid to fail and the games to be awarded to Beijing, the Atatürk Olympiyat or Olympic Stadium is the nation’s largest.
Arguably its greatest claim to fame is the 2005 Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool, in which the Merseyside outfit trailed 3-0 at half time, only for a Steven Gerrard header to inspire a dramatic comeback. After clawing their way back to 3-3, the Reds defeated the Italian side on penalties to win one of the most enthralling European finals of all time.
Both Besiktas and Galatasaray have used the Atatürk as a make-shift ground during recent seasons while their stadiums underwent renovation and at present it has no permanent tenant.
27) Veltins-Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany)
Capacity: 62,271
Opened: 2001
Tennant(s): Schalke
Having superseded Schalke’s former, slightly outdated home venue ‘Parkstadion’ fifteen years ago, the Veltins-Arena is loaded with gadgets and is symbolic of the technological advances we are seeing more and more in football stadiums today.
Spanning the entire stadium, a fiberglass, retractable roof is one chic feature, while the inclusion of a centrally-positioned, cube scoreboard adds an American touch, acting as testament to the stadium’s occasional use as an ice hocky venue.
Most impressive of all though is the slide-out pitch that takes approximately four hours to draw out, enabling the Veltins-Arena to be both an iconic football stadium but also an effective music venue; Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Robbie Williams are among big artists to have performed there. Close to the changing rooms a chapel can also be found and to date there have been well over 200 weddings carried out at the home of Die Königsblauen.
