Thierry Henry backs Mohamed Salah after Trabzonspor hat-trick and criticises Liverpool

Thierry Henry has defended Mohamed Salah after the Egypt captain inspired Trabzonspor to a 4-0 victory over Galatasaray, saying it is now clear the forward was never the source of Liverpool’s problems.

The match, played at Babara Park on Saturday in the sixth round of the 2026/2027 Turkish Super Lig season, was Salah’s first major derby appearance in a Trabzonspor shirt. He responded with a decisive performance, scoring his first hat-trick in the Turkish league and creating his side’s second goal.

Salah was directly involved in all four of Trabzonspor’s goals as they produced a significant surprise by defeating their historic rivals on home soil.

The performance drew praise from Henry, the French football great and Premier League analyst, in comments reported by Turkish newspaper Sabah.

“Imagine scoring your first hat-trick in the Turkish league against one of Turkey’s biggest clubs, Galatasaray,” Henry said. “His name and achievements must be respected.”

Henry went on to use the occasion to defend Salah over the circumstances surrounding the player’s departure from Liverpool. His comments also carried a message to Arsenal, the former club with which he is associated, and Liverpool.

“Thierry Henry: You can now clearly see that Mohamed Salah was never the source of what happened at Liverpool,” the former forward said. “There may have been some problems among the club’s executives, but this certainly had nothing to do with the King of Egypt.”

Henry’s comments were published in a post by Sabah Spor on 22 September 2026.

Salah’s contribution against Galatasaray marked the biggest individual display of his early Trabzonspor career. His hat-trick and assist ensured that every goal in the emphatic victory either came directly from him or was created by him.

The result also gave Trabzonspor a memorable success in one of the Turkish Super Lig’s most prominent fixtures, with Galatasaray unable to respond to the hosts’ attacking performance.