Inside Mohamed Salah’s life in Trabzon after surprise summer move
Mohamed Salah has scored 10 goals in 15 games for Turkish club Trabzonspor since signing a two-year deal in the summer of 2026, immediately becoming a focal figure in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.
Salah’s arrival in Istanbul in August drew thousands to the airport after he flew in from a holiday in Mykonos wearing Trabzonspor’s burgundy and blue home strip; that kit sold out almost instantly and the club president Ertugrul Dogan later advised him to wear the black away kit, which also sold out. "I went to the airport to see him in Istanbul and it was surreal," says Nisa Dumangoz. Season ticket sales rocketed after his arrival and the club have surpassed their merchandise revenue from last year in three months since Salah joined.
The city has embraced his image: his face appears on walls inside fishmongers, on scarves, magnets, keyrings and even Egyptian Nemes headdresses in Trabzonspor colours, while a rock in the Trabzon highlands has been renamed Salahtasi and become a tourist spot. New flights have been introduced from Cairo, Dubai and Riyadh, and on one flight from Istanbul an Egyptian family of 10 travelled from Cairo for Trabzonspor’s UEFA Conference League game against Freiburg. "He is our ambassador and our Egyptian King, and with how many people want to come to Turkey now, he is their ambassador too," says Mahmoud.
On the field, Salah has 10 goals and five assists in all competitions as Trabzonspor chase the Turkish Super Lig title, trailing leaders Galatasaray by three points after winning seven of their first 10 games including victories against the table-toppers and Besiktas. For context, the Istanbul "big three" — Galatasaray (26), Fenerbahce (19) and Besiktas (16) — have won the league on 61 occasions combined, compared with Trabzonspor's seven titles. "In Turkey, he is the biggest football star after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," says Kerim Tonyali of the supporters' group Gurbetci Gencler.
Salah’s move has commercial teeth as well as on-field impact: he is earning about £14.6m per year and receives 20% of official merchandise sold with his name on. Besiktas had been considered as an option after the 2026 World Cup, but Salah chose Trabzonspor after multiple calls and a preference for a life away from the hustle of Istanbul; he now lives in nearby Yomra, has his own security detail, employs a private chef and has a street named after him.
Team-mates and staff describe his contribution beyond goals. "Everyone wants to work with a star like Mohamed Salah," said Trabzonspor's Paul Onuachu. "He adds so much and helps all of us and he contributes positively. I am grateful for him. It's a blessing to play with him." Observers at the Conference League game against Freiburg noted his pace has "gone down a notch compared with his peak but the touch, quick feet and sheer quality is still there," while his defensive duties are more limited.
Salah says he still has ambitions for both club and country, with aspirations to play in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup. No decision has been made about how long he will stay in Turkey, but there is growing belief among sources in the Middle East that he will move to Saudi Arabia when his two-year Trabzonspor deal expires in 2028; by then, he will be 36.
