Hamit Altıntop on the final and Istanbul

This article also appears in the official UEFA Champions League final programme. Get your copy here!

When does a player begin to feel nerves at a Champions League final? When the famous anthem rings out before kick-off? When the coach delivers his final speech in the dressing room? On the team bus winding its way to the stadium? For Hamit Altıntop, the first big lump in the throat came even earlier than that.

One of only three Turkish players to have graced a European Cup showpiece (though chances are that Inter's Hakan Çalhanoğlu is about to add to that number), Altıntop knows how the teams will feel in tonight's decider. He experienced the same tension and excitement when he started for Bayern München against Inter in the 2010 final at the Bernabéu – but it was the previous day that the scale of the occasion hit him. "It was when we trained for the last time before the final," he says. "There were so many cameramen and it was so hot. While we enjoyed it, it was that training session when we realised the importance of the final."

Just picture that for a moment. Bayern, world famous juggernauts of the German game, had just wrapped up yet another domestic double a week earlier – but this was on another level. "I truly realised what global reach, what power, what publicity the Champions League has," notes the 40-year-old, who was the second Turkish footballer to play in the final after Yıldıray Baştürk and Leverkusen faced Real Madrid in 2002. "It was beautiful and a great experience. Even today, those feelings still resonate with me."

Pain figures high among those feelings because Bayern lost 2-0, Diego Milito grabbing both goals for Inter. But despite the outcome, Altıntop has no regrets. "I also grew up thanks to that final," says the retired midfielder. "It was disappointing not to lift the trophy but that day Inter were the better team, with their experience and preparation."

Bayern gradually amassed the know-how, losing another final in 2012 before triumphing the following season, when Borussia Dortmund's Nuri Şahin became the third Turkish player to feature in the trophy match – and the third runner-up. By that point, Altıntop had joined Galatasaray from Real Madrid, enjoying his first and only stint with a Turkish club.

Indeed, like Baştürk and Şahin, Altıntop was born in Germany. His early years were spent in Gelsenkirchen, the city where he later went on to flourish with Schalke. It was there too that he first developed his connection with the country he would represent 82 times at senior level, making his debut in 2004 after rising through the youth ranks.

"We always used to follow the national team's matches and Turkish clubs' games in European competitions," he says of his childhood. "We knew the positions, personalities and performances of the Turkish players very well. When you set the goal for yourself of being a national team player, you start to track your opponents and team-mates."

Eventually he would face his old club Schalke with Galatasaray in 2012/13, a poignant and memorable tie for a player who scored just twice in the Champions League. Gala had been held 1-1 at home and the pressure was on as he returned to his birthplace. "It was the round of 16, the second leg, a match that could open the doors to the quarter-finals in the city where I was born and grew up," he says.

"That season, I'd developed a strange relationship with the posts: if I'm not mistaken, I had nine shots denied by the woodwork. I just couldn't convert them. We should have won the first leg – and in that game I'd again hit the post. We started the second match nicely, although we fell 1-0 behind. The minutes were passing and the score was not in our favour. Then Selçuk İnan passed the ball to my feet. I thought about a long-range shot and eventually struck it from 35 metres out because we didn't have much to lose. My inner voice said, 'In the worst case, it will hit the post again.' This time, the ball hit the post and went in off it."

Already 1-0 winners at home to Manchester United in the group stage, Galatasaray went on to win that match 3-2. And they gave Madrid an almighty scare in the last eight, leading 3-1 at one point after having lost 3-0 in Spain. "We almost knocked them out," says Altıntop. "José Mourinho revealed the fear they felt in the second half. I know José from my Real Madrid days and for Mourinho to confess that, he must have been seriously worried."

Mourinho was far from the first overseas star to experience the Istanbul effect. Few cities can compete in terms of the raw excitement that football inspires, and Altıntop is thrilled to be welcoming the biggest game in the club calendar back to Istanbul as Champions League final ambassador. The wait has been worth it, after the 2020 and then the 2021 final were ultimately switched to other venues.

"Obviously we were upset about the postponement of our turn to host the Champions League final due to the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic," he says. "But now we feel proud to be able to welcome our guests this year to our home, Istanbul. Hopefully everything will go as planned."

Judging by the city's renowned football fervour, Istanbul will relish its moment in the spotlight. "Matches in Istanbul are brilliant," says Altıntop, also a board member of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). "Every time there's a derby, all the fans gather round the TV or they go to the stadium. What's great is they talk about it in the week prior to the game and the week after the game. They live and breathe football."

That public ardour is even more acute when the cream of European football is in town. "The passion and excitement our fans have for this type of match is hard to describe. I'll just give an example: the opposition players were always, like, 'Wow!' They always said it was really different, incredible and special to play there."

In part that can be explained by Istanbul's location as the crossroads between Europe and Asia, literally connected across the Bosphorus Strait. Altıntop describes the city as "the capital of culture in the world", and its frontier status often lends an exotic edge to high-stakes European football nights. "It's a big city, a buzzing and dynamic one. We've always proved we can host such events and show our true credentials, and hopefully we'll show that again."

Not that he is overly concerned. Like everyone else, Altıntop was left breathless by the 2005 final between Liverpool and AC Milan, a night of wild, improbable drama that also unfolded at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Playing for Schalke at the time, Altıntop is rooting for "a similarly crazy game that reminds every fan of our beautiful city and our beautiful people".

"There was a great atmosphere for that match," he adds. "I hope this final will be as good as that one or, hopefully, better. And for all those who love and watch football, or for those who are coming to Istanbul specifically to watch the game – we'll have a great time."