Mohamed Salah dazzled by Trabzonspor welcome as Egypt captain targets trophies

Mohamed Salah says he has never experienced an airport reception like the one that greeted him in Turkey as he prepared to complete his move to Trabzonspor.

About 25,000 supporters gathered to welcome the Egypt captain after his arrival, with Salah describing the scenes as overwhelming.

“There are 25,000 people here, I do not remember seeing anything like this before at an airport,” Salah told reporters in Trabzon.

“Seeing this love and attention makes me extremely happy, to the extent that I find it difficult to express it in words.”

Salah, who has agreed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, will earn 17m euros per season, plus additional clauses and bonuses.

He said his immediate focus was on working with his new team and competing for silverware.

“I am very happy and looking forward to training with the team. I always aim to win something wherever I go, and I hope we can achieve good results in the league and in Europe,” he added.

Salah arrived in Turkey earlier on Tuesday as preparations continued for the formal completion of his transfer to Trabzonspor. He wore the club’s shirt for the first time on the plane after arriving at Istanbul Airport.

Trabzonspor have announced that the official presentation and signing ceremony for their new player will take place at Papara Park at 19:30 on Thursday, 6 August.

The club said in an official statement: “The signing ceremony for our new player Mohamed Salah will be held at Papara Park tomorrow, Thursday 6 August, at 7:30pm.”

His first fixtures with Trabzonspor are scheduled to come quickly, beginning with an away trip to Kasımpasa in the opening round of the Turkish league on 15 August.

Trabzonspor will then host the winner of the tie between Hungary’s Ferencvaros and Poland’s Gornik Zabrze in the Europa League on 20 August. Their second league match follows three days later, at home to Basaksehir.

The return leg against either Ferencvaros or Gornik Zabrze is scheduled for 27 August, in the Europa League play-off round. Trabzonspor will then travel to Amed Sportif Faaliyetler for their third Turkish league fixture on 30 August.

The club’s league schedule continues with a home match against Genclerbirligi on 6 September and an away game at Konyaspor on 13 September.

If Trabzonspor qualify, their Europa League group-stage campaign is due to begin on 17 September. Four days later, Salah is scheduled to face one of the biggest tests of his early Trabzonspor career when Galatasaray visit for the sixth round of the Turkish league.

The Egyptian forward’s move has generated significant excitement among Trabzonspor supporters, who turned out in large numbers to welcome him. Salah said the scale of the reception had left him deeply moved as he began his new chapter in Turkish football.