Galatasaray star Patrakov draws brutal retirement comparison between Salah and Osimhen

Galatasaray midfielder Alexei Patrakov has sparked controversy in Turkish football after making a striking comparison between Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah and Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, suggesting the two forwards have different motivations for playing in the Turkish Super Lig.

Patrakov claimed that while Osimhen did not move to Turkey to wind down his football career, Salah’s decision to join Trabzonspor could be viewed as a move towards the latter stages of his professional journey.

Salah joined Trabzonspor during the summer transfer window after bringing his nine-year spell at Liverpool to an end, while Osimhen has continued his career with Galatasaray following his permanent move to the Istanbul-based club.

Speaking in an interview published by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Patrakov discussed the presence of several high-profile footballers in the Turkish league and insisted that players do not necessarily move to the country simply to conclude their careers.

“I cannot say that they come to the Turkish league just to conclude their careers,” he said.

However, the Galatasaray midfielder made a pointed exception when discussing Salah, suggesting that the former Liverpool forward’s move to Trabzonspor could be different from Osimhen’s decision to continue his career in Turkey.

“Perhaps this was true in the case of Mohamed Salah, but a player like Osimhen is certainly not like that, he is a fighter,” Patrakov remarked.

His comments have attracted attention because of the contrasting assessments of the two African stars, particularly given their status and achievements in European football.

Despite suggesting that Salah may have moved to Turkey at a different stage of his career, Patrakov acknowledged that the Egyptian has already begun demonstrating his quality at Trabzonspor through his impressive goalscoring performances.

“At the same time, Salah has already begun to prove his worth with Trabzonspor, scoring goals at a high rate and showing how effective he is,” he added.

Salah’s arrival at Trabzonspor followed nine memorable seasons at Liverpool, where he established himself as one of the club’s greatest attacking players, winning major domestic and European honours.

Osimhen, meanwhile, has continued to attract attention with his performances for Galatasaray, having established himself as one of the leading forwards in European football.

Patrakov also spoke positively about the atmosphere within the Galatasaray dressing room, revealing that he had been impressed by the number of established stars at the club and how easily he integrated into the squad.

“I was surprised by the number of stars in Galatasaray, but communicating with all of them is very easy,” he said.

The midfielder added that he initially worried about adapting to the team but encountered no difficulties with Osimhen, Leao or his other teammates.

Meanwhile, Salah has reportedly scored nine goals in 11 Turkish league appearances for Trabzonspor, helping the club occupy second position in the standings, nine points behind leaders Galatasaray.

With both African superstars making their mark in Turkey, Patrakov’s remarks have added another talking point to the growing rivalry and debate surrounding the two high-profile transfers.