Trabzon: Mohamed Salah has been reunited with young Liverpool supporter Isaac Kearney after the Egyptian forward's new club, Trabzonspor, flew the boy and his family to Trkiye for a surprise visit. Trabzonspor documented the family's journey in a video shared Wednesday on its official social media accounts.
According to Anadolu Agency, Kearney and his parents were shown boarding a Turkish Airlines flight and receiving several gifts, including a new Trabzonspor jersey bearing Salah's name. The video later showed Kearney arriving at Trabzonspor's training ground and surprising his football hero. Salah appeared stunned before embracing the boy and introducing him to several of his new teammates.
Kearney was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects growth and development. He became widely known among football fans through social media videos in which he played a toy guitar and sang Liverpool chants.
In November 2024, Salah and then-Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk surprised Kearney at his school before taking him and his family to the club's AXA Training Centre. Kearney watched Liverpool train, met the squad, and was later named a matchday mascot for the Premier League game against Manchester City at Anfield. Liverpool said the video documenting the experience was viewed more than 122 million times worldwide and generated over 12 million social media interactions, while also raising awareness of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.
Salah, 34, joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer earlier this month after nine seasons with Liverpool. He made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals for the English club, helping the Reds win two Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, and two League Cups. The Egypt captain made his Trabzonspor debut as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 Super Lig draw with Kasimpasa on Saturday.
Trabzonspor will next host Hungarian side Ferencvaros on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie, with the return match scheduled for Aug. 27. Salah has made 98 Champions League appearances for Basel, Chelsea, Roma, and Liverpool, scoring 50 goals to become the competition's leading African goalscorer. He played in three Champions League finals with Liverpool and won the competition in 2019, scoring from the penalty spot in a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.