Mohamed Salah led his team Trabzonspor to a commanding 4-0 win over visitors Galatasaray on Saturday in the sixth round of the Turkish football league, scoring three goals and setting up the other.
Turkish praise for Salah after outstanding display
The Egyptian star’s performance drew widespread praise across Turkish sporting and media circles, from his club’s management and coaching staff to former players, managers and journalists. Nihat Kahveci, the former Turkey international and sports analyst, dubbed the Egyptian player ‘Leo Salah’, in reference to Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Speaking on the Contra Sport channel on YouTube after the match, he said there was little more to add when discussing Salah. He explained that the player carries the ball from the halfway line and dribbles, and when viewers expect him to score, he does exactly that. Kahveci added that the 4-0 victory featured several stars and good players, but also showed the difference made by players ranked among the world’s stars.
He said Salah had announced his status as a world star with his performance, adding that he deserved applause and describing him as a great player. Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan also praised Salah’s display, saying the Egyptian forward was a world star who also possessed the personality of one, while commending his character and humility.
Dogan said Salah’s presence provided a highly important role model for young players and contributed to their development. The club president said Salah represented more than a signing; he contributed to the city’s vision and conveyed a message to Trabzonspor’s young people. He added that the player had done what was expected of him since the day he arrived, thanking him for it.
Trabzon management and manager highlight Salah’s impact
Dogan also discussed Salah’s presence off the pitch, explaining that his current focus was adapting to the city while also introducing it to others. He described him as a very respectful and very good person, speaking about his influence and relationship with his new surroundings. Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis said the team had a distinguished group of experienced players, singling out Fabinho and Mohamed Salah.
He praised what the two players had produced against Galatasaray, saying the coaching staff and team had managed to do an excellent job in a short period. Brazilian midfielder Fabinho also stressed the importance of having Salah in Trabzonspor’s line-up, saying he was used to seeing such displays from his former Liverpool team-mate.
He added that Salah gave the team a great deal of confidence and that big matches needed players of his calibre who could make the difference. Fabinho, who played alongside Salah for years at Liverpool, said the Egyptian star was a hard-working player and that Trabzonspor became more dangerous when he was on the pitch because he represented one of the team’s strengths. He said he was pleased for him, congratulating him on scoring his first hat-trick in the Turkish league.
Turkish journalists praise Salah’s energy and decisiveness
Turkish journalist Serkan Acan of Fanatik described Salah as one of Trabzonspor’s greatest gains, saying the player had produced one of the most exceptional displays in the history of big matches. The Egyptian had finished the first half with two goals and an assist. Acan said Salah was one of the biggest stars to have come to Turkey.
He noted that during his nine-year career with Liverpool, the player had worked under only two managers, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, while Thomas Reis became his third manager during the two months he had spent in Trabzon. He said that was a high number for a player whose career had been marked by continuity, but Salah’s performance had remained unchanged despite the managerial changes.
Olcay Cakir, a journalist at Fanatik, said Salah had been the man of the match, not only because of his talent but also because of his energy and desire to impose his authority on the game. He added that the Egyptian had shouldered the responsibility associated with his name and status, as new manager Thomas Reis also succeeded in making influential decisions from the start of the contest.
Salah’s pace settles transitions against Galatasaray
Former Kayserispor manager Markus Gisdol offered a tactical reading of the match, praising the way Trabzonspor exploited Salah’s pace. He said the team had focused from the outset on the space behind Galatasaray’s defence, and that Salah’s fourth-minute goal, following a pass from Mustafa Eskihellac, had revealed the match’s tactical story at an early stage. Gisdol added that the real difference lay in the quality of the attacking transitions.
Gokhan Karaaslan, the former manager of Beykoz Anadoluspor, said Trabzonspor had succeeded in finding Salah and building its attacks around him. By contrast, he said Galatasaray had been unable to bring Rafael Leao into the match, which ended with the home side dominating and winning 4-0.
