Why Mohamed Salah chose Trabzonspor: Europe, passionate fans and a historic deal

Mohamed Salah's long-running contract saga has come to an end. On Thursday, the former Liverpool winger signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor after his Anfield contract expired, bringing the curtain down on one of the most successful careers in Premier League history. The choice surprised many. Saudi Arabian clubs had chased him for years, Al-Ittihad made a late approach, and Sporting Kansas City were among the MLS clubs hoping to take him to the United States. In the end, money was not the deciding factor. Salah chose to remain in European football. Trabzonspor confirmed the terms in a stock exchange filing: Salah will earn £14.5m per season and take a 20% share of revenue from Salah-branded merchandise. The club finished third in the Turkish Super Lig last season, earning a spot in this month's Europa League playoffs. Win the two-legged tie and they reach the league phase; lose it and they drop into the Conference League. For a player who helped Egypt reach the knockout stage of this summer's World Cup and delivered one of his finest individual campaigns in 2024-25, European competition still carries real significance. Turkey's traditional giants have usually dominated this market. Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas are the names most often linked with big arrivals, and Besiktas did push to sign Salah before the deal collapsed over its financial structure. That opened the way for Trabzonspor. They are seven-time Turkish champions, won the Super Lig in 2021-22 and lifted last season's Turkish Cup. Fatih Tekke's side may lack the global profile of the Istanbul clubs, but this is the biggest signing in their history. Supporters have already shown what it means. Hundreds gathered to welcome Salah before he travelled on to Trabzon. Ryan Jack, the former Scotland midfielder who won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers in 2021 and has spent the last two seasons in Turkey, understood the reaction. "That's one thing about Turkish football - the fans are incredibly passionate," he told sources. "The big clubs have huge support and they really get behind their teams." Salah's unveiling had a local touch: he briefly wore the symbolic number 61 shirt, a reference to Trabzon's vehicle registration code and a number fans celebrate in the 61st minute. For the 2026-27 season, however, he will wear the number 10 he uses for Egypt, after team-mate Ernest Muci agreed to hand over the jersey. The move also underlines Turkish football's growing pulling power. The Super Lig now includes Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Nathan Ake and Leandro Trossard, while Trabzonspor's squad already has Andre Onana, Ruslan Malinovbroadcasteri and Stefan Savic. Last summer the league recorded the third-highest net transfer spend in world football, trailing only the Premier League and the Saudi Pro League. With European income coming in euros and many domestic costs in Turkish lira, the economic gap helps explain why the Super Lig keeps attracting elite names.