Mohamed Salah Aims for Europa League Success After Quiet Trabzonspor Debut

Mohamed Salah may have endured an underwhelming start to life at Trabzonspor, but he will soon get the chance to fire the Turkish club into the league phase of the Europa League on Thursday. Salah signed for the Super Lig side on a free transfer earlier this month following nine trophy-laden years at Liverpool. The 34-year-old started on the bench for the Super Lig season-opener against Kasimpasa before being introduced as a second-half substitute.

Despite creating several chances for teammates, Salah could not help his side find a second goal, and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Trabzonspor get the chance to put that right on Thursday when they face Hungary’s Ferencvaros in the first leg of a Europa League play-off at home.

Salah is most associated with playing in the Uefa Champions League, having featured in Europe's top competition 98 times for Basel, Roma, and Liverpool. He played in three finals, winning the competition in 2019 when he scored from the penalty spot as Liverpool beat English rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final in Madrid. Salah last played in the Europa League in April 2024, scoring from the penalty spot in Liverpool’s 1-0 quarter-final second leg against Atalanta, though it was not enough to keep them in the competition as the Italian side advanced 3-1 on aggregate.

Throughout his career, Salah has made 37 appearances in Uefa’s second-tier competition for Basel, Roma, Fiorentina, and Liverpool, contributing 10 goals and as many assists. His best finish in the tournament was reaching the semi-finals with Swiss club Basel in 2013 and again two years later during a loan spell at Italian side Fiorentina.

Trabzonspor hold a balanced record in the Europa League. The Turkish club have recorded 24 wins, 24 losses, and 11 draws since the competition was rebranded from the Uefa Cup, though they have only made it out of the group phase twice, during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons.

“Thursday is really ⁠important; we play a ⁠match in Europe, and the opponent is far better than us,” Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke said following Saturday’s disappointing draw away to Kasimpasa.

Club president Ertugrul Dogan noted that Salah’s signing has gone beyond football, creating a wave of joy and excitement among supporters and residents of the city. Dogan told Egypt's ON Sport channel that people in Trabzon have been waking up and going to sleep to the name of Mohamed Salah, while praising the Egyptian World Cup star's immediate positive impact in the dressing room.

Meanwhile, a potential reunion between Salah and former Liverpool teammate Darwin Nunez appears to be off. The Al Hilal striker is reportedly considering a move to Saudi Pro League rivals Al Diriyah after negotiations regarding a loan move broke down because Trabzonspor were unwilling to cover the cost of the Uruguayan's wages.

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