Trabzonspor

The Egyptian forward, who joined the Turkish club on a free transfer, came off the bench early in the second half.

Ex-Liverpool star Mohamed Salah made his competitive ⁠debut for ⁠Trabzonspor on Saturday, coming off the bench in their Turkish Super Lig opener as Kasimpasa rallied from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw.

Trabzonspor took the ⁠lead in the first half through Noah Saviolo before Kasimpasa’s Adrian Benedyczak levelled from the penalty spot in the second half.

Salah, who joined ‌Trabzonspor on a free transfer after nine seasons at Liverpool, was introduced in the 58th minute shortly after Kasimpasa scored the equaliser.

The Egypt forward, deployed on the right wing, helped create a number of ⁠openings for the visitors ⁠but Trabzonspor were unable to find a winner.

“It’s a sad start today,” Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke said.

“It was a game we had to ⁠be victorious in, but we couldn’t succeed.”

“Thursday is really ⁠important; we play a ⁠match in Europe, and the opponent is far better than us,” Tekke added, referring to Trabzonspor’s Europa League playoff with Hungarian side Ferencvaros on August 20.

Trabzonspor, seven-time Turkish champions, finished third ‌in the Super Lig last season and won the Turkish Cup.

Earlier this month, Salah, 34, signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, shortly after guiding Egypt to a historic last-16 run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Widely known as the “Egyptian King” among his fans, Salah established himself as a Premier League great with Liverpool, winning two league titles and the Champions League among eight major honours at the Anfield club.

The forward is considered among the greatest players of all time and the best from the African continent in recent years.

Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has been greeted by hundreds of fans upon arriving in Istanbul wearing Trabzonspor’s burgundy-and-blue kit ahead of his expected move to the Turkish Super Lig club.

Ex-Liverpool star Mohamed Salah arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday to complete his move to Turkiye club Trabzonspor.

Mohamed Salah arrived at an Istanbul airport on Wednesday, smiling and wearing Trabzonspor’s burgundy and blue kit before his expected move to ⁠the Turkish top-tier side, as hundreds of fans jostled to get a glimpse of the Egyptian forward.

Trabzonspor announced a day earlier they were in negotiations with Salah, who left Liverpool at the end of last season, and club chairman Ertugrul ⁠Dogan said they expected to sign the 34-year-old on a free transfer at a ceremony in the Black Sea city on Thursday.

“Trabzon, are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon,” Salah said in a video posted by the club on X.

“Everywhere is Trabzon to us,” he added, referring to the club’s motto while wearing a Trabzonspor ‌kit.

Upon arriving at Ataturk Airport, Salah was met by hundreds of fans. He waved at supporters and initiated a traditional chant with them, before departing for a medical check and a later planned flight east to Trabzon.

Salah spent nine years at Liverpool, scoring 257 goals in 442 appearances and winning the Premier League twice and the Champions League once.

In the 2024-25 season, Salah scored 29 Premier League goals and provided 18 ⁠assists, equalling the league record for most goal involvements in a single ⁠season and setting the record for a 38-game campaign.

He was named Premier League Player of the Season and won the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award, becoming the first player to take all three in one campaign.

His output waned last season, with ⁠seven goals and seven assists in 27 league matches, and he was left on the bench in Champions League games, leading to a public ⁠spat with Liverpool’s then-manager Arne Slot.

Salah started his career in Europe ⁠at Swiss side Basel in 2012 and later joined Chelsea. He also had brief stints at Fiorentina and AS Roma between 2015 and 2017 before joining Liverpool.

Trabzonspor – generally considered to be the fourth biggest team in Turkiye after Istanbul sides Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, ‌and Besiktas – finished third in the Super Lig last season and will enter the Europa League playoff round. The club’s last league championship was in the 2021-22 season.

Salah had been close to joining Besiktas, ‌but ‌negotiations had stalled over financial and image-rights demands, according to local media.

Details of the contract Salah is expected to sign have not been disclosed yet.

Turkish club Trabzonspor say they have begun negotiations to sign Mohamed Salah.

The 34-year-old Egypt forward left Liverpool at the end of last season and is in talks to join as a free agent.

In a statement, Trabzonspor said Salah will arrive in Istanbul on Wednesday.

“The player is planned to reach Trabzon in the evening of the same day,” it said.

“The time and other details regarding the welcome program in Trabzon will be shared with the public through our club’s official communication channels during the day.”

Nicknamed the Black Sea Storm, Trabzonspor have won seven league titles, six of which came between 1976 and 1984.

In 2022, they claimed their most recent league success, ending a 38-year wait.

Based in the north-eastern city of Trabzon, they are one of only six teams to have won the Turkish Super Lig.

Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in June 2017 and won numerous honours with the club during a nine-year spell.

He helped the Reds to win two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, FA Cup and two EFL Cups, as well as the Community Shield.

During his time in England, the Egyptian won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions and was named the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year three times – in 2018, 2022 and 2025.

In the process, he scored 257 goals and provided 120 assists from 442 appearances for Liverpool.

Salah was part of the Egypt side that reached the 2026 World Cup last 16 before losing 3-2 to eventual finalists Argentina.