Salah-mania grips Turkey after soccer star joins Trabzonspor club

TRABZON, Turkey (AP) — Ever since soccer star Mohamed Salah posted a photo of himself last month sitting on a small boulder in a remote highland more than an hour from the city of Trabzon in northeastern Turkey, fans have flocked to the spot to pose in the same position.

The unlikely tourist attraction is not the only sign of the Salah-mania sweeping Turkey since the Egyptian star signed with the Trabzonspor club in August after leaving England’s iconic Liverpool club.

His arrival came as a much-needed boost to Turkish soccer fans’ spirits, which had been dashed months earlier when Turkey’s national team played in its first World Cup in 24 years only to exit the tournament without scoring any goals.

“God willing, we will win the championship title with him this year,” said Sinan Mor, who attended a match hosted by Trabzonspor Monday against Besiktas, one of Turkey’s most popular football clubs, which was in talks to sign Salah before he went to Trabzonspor. Mor wore a traditional thobe and a shemagh head wrap in the team's colors with sunglasses that had “MO SALAH” written on them.

Ahead of the match, Associated Press journalists who visited the “Salah rock” counted 46 visitors within two hours.

“If you can bring a global superstar to one of the most remote highland villages in Trabzon, that means something to us,” said Mustafa Bektas, a 44-year-old Trabzon supporter who travelled from Sakarya in western Turkey for the game and made the trek to pose on the boulder.

In the city, Salah-themed merchandise and art have popped up everywhere. Muralist Yildiray Yildirim said he's received multiple requests for Salah-themed murals outside local businesses after he painted an image of him wearing his Trabzonspor jersey on a wall outside a park.

On Google Maps, the club’s stadium is already marked as Mohamed Salah Camii — or mosque — in a nod to his fans’ almost religious fervor.

The move of a world record-breaking football star from the English Premier League to a lower tier European league team would usually mark the twilight of their career.

But for Salah, transferring from Liverpool to Turkey’s Trabzonspor at the age of 34 marked a new dawn.

Salah made a name as the third-highest goal scorer in Liverpool’s history and the world record holder for the most left-footed Premier League goals, but his latest campaign was disappointing. He scored only 12 goals, had a public falling out with coach Arne Slot, and in March announced he would leave.

Since his transfer to Trabzonspor, fans and commentators say Salah rediscovered his scoring touch, with teammates who bolster his strengths and an entire city that is turning into a fan club.

Nearly all the seats in Trabzonspor’s stadium, with capacity for more than 41,000 people, were full Monday. The stands roared every time Salah touched the ball. In the 71st minute, Salah scored one of the goals that won his team the derby and made him the leading scorer in the Turkish Super League.

The chants “Allah Allah Allah, Mohamed Salah” and “Trabzonlu (from Trabzon) Mohamed Salah” rose from the stands following the goal.

“He is a top player and a very good guy," Nigerian defender Chibuike Nwaiwu, Trabzonspor’s centre-back, told reporters. "He brings a lot of quality to the team.”

Representatives of Salah did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Trabzon, a city of nearly a million people on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, is known for its green valleys, steep hills, a Byzantine-era monastery and head-strong locals with punchy accents.

The local economy runs on agriculture and tourism, and its team, where Istanbul’s jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu was a board member before stepping into politics, is the city’s crown jewel.

Trabzonspor’s social media accounts gained a million new followers after signing Salah, according to local news reports, and new direct flights were launched between Cairo and Trabzon in August, anticipating a demand from Egyptian tourists.

Travel agent Ibrahim Eyupoglu said he has been selling packages with a ticket to a Trabzonspor match, a trip to the rock, and team merchandise.

“Before Salah, even derby games were played with empty stands. Now they’re always full,” he said.

Mustapha Sabbagh has been following Salah for 15 years from Lebanon. He signed up for the package and flew to Trabzon for two days. Then the 73-year-old jumped through a small river to sit on the “Salah rock.”

“Salah is the love of my heart. He has the magic touch,” Sabbagh said as he looked at his soaking-wet shoes and trousers with a big smile. “It’s worth it.”

Even Besiktas fans admitted their admiration. Salah’s talks with Besiktas collapsed over disagreements about his agent’s commission fee, according to Besiktas President Serdar Adalı.

“Unfortunately, I like his football a lot. The man is a star,” says Muhammed Mert Murat, 22, a Besiktas fan from Trabzon. He believes that Besiktas, which ranks fifth, just under Trabzon, would be leading Turkey’s Super League if Salah was playing for them.

Murat works in a tea shop next to a housing complex where locals believe Salah lives, and dreams about asking him why he didn’t choose Besiktas.

Still, he acknowledged, “There is a beautiful love for him here.”