Trabzon: Mohamed Salah, nicknamed the "Egyptian King," is preparing to wear Turkish club Trabzonspor's claret-and-blue colors next season. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players produced by Egyptian football, the winger is set to become one of the most decorated footballers ever to play in the Turkish league.
According to Anadolu Agency, Salah joined Liverpool from Italian club Roma in the summer of 2017 for a reported transfer fee of £42 million ($48.5 million) and went on to establish himself as one of the club's all-time greats during his nine-year spell at Anfield. Under former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Salah became a cornerstone of one of the club's most successful teams. Between 2017 and 2026, he scored at least 30 goals in five different seasons.
He broke Liverpool's single-season scoring record by netting 44 goals in his debut campaign, becoming only the third player in the club's history, alongside Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, to score 40 or more goals in a season. With 193 Premier League goals, Salah ranks fourth on the league's all-time scoring list.
Salah finished his Liverpool career as the club's third-highest scorer in all competitions. Of his 257 goals for Liverpool, 191 came in the Premier League, 48 in the UEFA Champions League, eight in the FA Cup, five in the UEFA Europa League, four in the League Cup, and one in the Community Shield. He also won two Premier League titles and two League Cups with Liverpool, along with one UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup trophy. Individually, Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot four times and was named the league's Player of the Year twice.
Born on June 15, 1992, in Nagrig, Gharbia province, Egypt, Salah began his football career in the youth academy of Al Mokawloon. He made his professional league debut at the age of 17 against Al Mansoura. His career took a dramatic turn following the Port Said Stadium disaster on Feb. 1, 2012, during a match between Al Ahly and Al Masry, in which dozens of people were killed, and more than 1,000 fans were injured. After the tragedy, the 2011-12 Egyptian Premier League season was canceled, leaving Salah and other Egyptian players without competitive football for a period. His breakthrough came in a friendly match between Swiss club Basel and Egypt's Under-23 national team, organized to support Egyptian football.
Introduced in the second half, Salah scored twice in Egypt's 4-3 victory, attracting Basel's attention. Following a successful trial, the Swiss club signed him to a four-year contract. Salah won two league titles during his two seasons at Basel before moving on to Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma and, ultimately, Liverpool.
Recognized as one of the most gifted players of his generation, Salah has become a source of national pride in Egypt. The 34-year-old played a key role in ending Liverpool's 30-year wait for a Premier League title and helped the club win the 2019 UEFA Champions League after reaching three finals in five seasons. Off the field, Salah has earned widespread respect for his charitable work, frequently supporting disadvantaged communities in Egypt.
He has also spoken publicly about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli attacks, continuing to express support on social media during a period when some footballers backing Gaza reportedly faced exclusion from their squads or contract terminations. Rami El-Nazar, executive director of the Egyptian Red Crescent, also announced that Salah had made financial donations to support the people of Gaza.