Mohamed Salah grinned and gestured to the thousands of amped-up fans in the stands at Papara Park. He pressed the flesh with star-struck club officials and stridently declared: “I am here to win.”
It was the type of unveiling more commonly associated with the Santiago Bernabeu or the Camp Nou, except Salah was in Trabzon, a far-eastern outpost of Turkey, closer to the Armenian border than to the bright lights of Istanbul, and even further still from the stadiums he once electrified on Champions League nights. As if to emphasise the point, it was also a Thursday.
In the days leading up to Salah's grand introduction as perhaps the most famous player ever to ink a contract in the Turkish Super Lig, there had been much dismay and a fair bit of snobbery, particularly back in his homeland, that the once all-conquering 'Egyptian King' had stooped so low as to sign up for Europa League football with Trabzonspor.
It begs the question: How did this once coveted serial winner end up in the Turkish provinces, among the Russian holidaymakers on the Black Sea, and a long, long way from Anfield?
First, you must start with Salah's financial demands. Throughout the summer, the reported numbers fluctuated, but it was clear he was looking for something similar to the £400,000 per week that Liverpool agreed to pay him after his stellar 2024/25 campaign, a season so good that it stands alone as his opus among the many other years overflowing with individual brilliance.
That ruled out any top European club with a serious or realistic football strategy. After all, who, in the age of financial fair play, would sanction a move for a 34-year-old whose physical decline seemed to cruelly and immediately kick in amid the highs of his second Premier League title-winning campaign?
Spanning the global football ecosystem, what does that leave you with? The Saudi Pro League, the MLS and the Turkish Super Lig – the three destinations Salah was persistently linked with after his Liverpool exit.
Salah signs for Trabzonspor – in pictures
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Trabzonspor unveil new signing Mohamed Salah at Papara Park, Trabzon, Turkey. Reuters -
Salah takes photos of the crowd as they greet him. Reuters -
Salah waves from the pitch. Reuters -
A fan wears a nemes inside the stadium ahead of the unveiling of the Egyptian striker. Reuters -
Trabzonspor fans with a flare inside the stadium. Reuters -
A Trabzonspor fan wears a Mohamed Salah mask. Reuters -
Salah arrives in Turkey ahead of his move to Trabzonspor. Reuters -
Trabzonspor fans wait for the arrival of the former Liverpool star. Reuters -
Trabzonspor fans at the airport. Reuters -
Salah waves at fans as he arrives in Turkey. Reuters -
Salah will sign for the Turkish side after a successful World Cup with Egypt. Reuters -
He left Liverpool after a mutual agreement to end his contract. AFP -
A Trabzonspor supporter shows his excitement. AFP -
Salah was known as the 'Egyptian king' at Liverpool. AFP -
Fans wait at Trabzon Airport. AFP -
Mohamed Salah is accompanied by Trabzonspor President Ertugrul Dogan as he arrives in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. Reuters -
Salah will join Trabzonspor on a free transfer. AFP -
He will sign a two-year contract, with an official ceremony due to take place soon. EPA
Let's take those in order. Twelve months ago, Al Ittihad were willing to put $150 million on the table to lure Salah to Jeddah, if reports are to be believed.
However, as has been the case with Saudi football since the start of the gold rush in 2023, such key moves are executed centrally, in collaboration with the PIF, the nation's sovereign wealth fund.
Observers of Saudi football will be aware by now that the days of SPL largesse are in the past. The strategy in the kingdom has shifted decisively towards acquiring emerging talents who represent a return on investment. It's a trend that has even manifested at PIF-owned Newcastle United this summer.
So, with Saudi Arabia out of the picture, where next? The MLS? Without delving too deep into the intricacies of US soccer finances, that's another tall order given Salah's demands.
The highest-paid player in the MLS is, of course, Lionel Messi. However, his $30m annual salary is offset by a chunky contribution from Apple, the league's broadcast partner.
Would such a deal be available to soften the blow of Salah's hefty financial package? It's highly doubtful. And there is also the widely reported fact that Salah and his family weren't keen on a move to the US.
So, with Salah's options diminishing rapidly, it's back across the Atlantic to that well-trodden path for seasoned world stars entering the twilight of their careers – the Turkish Super Lig.
Typically, such a move could see a player land in either Europe or Asia, with Galatasaray (occasionally Besiktas) or Fenerbahce, on the other side of the Bosphorus, the established importers of name-brand talent.
Except this time, Galatasaray's A-list cravings have been more than satisfied – and their budget suitably stretched – by the presence of €75m striker Victor Osimhen, perhaps the most elite and prime player to grace a Super Lig pitch in its modern context.
Head over the bridge, and a similar situation has unfolded at Fenerbahce, following the €45 million club-record capture of Mason Greenwood from Marseille.
Then there's Besiktas, very much the third club in Istanbul, who, if reports are to be believed, did everything within their power to sign Salah before eventually conceding they lacked the financial muscle to get a deal over the line.
So, what was a 34-year-old out-of-work megastar footballer to do? As it turned out, the answer was to dispatch agent Ramy Abbas to the Black Sea.
None of this is to denigrate Trabzonspor, who through a combination of circumstance and their own ambition have grasped the opportunity to sign a player that previously operated in a different galaxy to them.
For fans everywhere, the summer transfer window can feel like a reset where anything is possible – the truth is that the market will usually decide where players end up.
For Mohamed Salah, that place is Trabzonspor.
