Everyone said the same thing when Mohamed Salah left Liverpool for Turkey in August: this is where big careers go quiet. Six league games later, nothing about him is quiet. On Saturday night in Trabzon, Salah scored three goals and set up the fourth as Trabzonspor beat Galatasaray 4-0 — the champions' first league defeat of the season, and the loudest night the Black Sea coast has had in years.
It was his first hat-trick in the Turkish Süper Lig, it came in the first match of a brand-new coach, and by the end of it a former Liverpool manager sitting in Germany said he got out of his chair to clap.
Four minutes in, the night was already his
Galatasaray came to Trabzon top of the table and unbeaten. They were behind before most of the ground had settled. In the 4th minute, Salah picked up a loose ball cleared out of the Trabzonspor half, ran at the defence and slid a low finish past goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır.
Galatasaray pushed forward to level, and that was exactly the mistake. In the 39th minute Salah turned provider, releasing Saviolo to make it 2-0. Five minutes later, Franculino Dju stole the ball from Davinson Sánchez deep in Galatasaray's half and squared it — Salah finished calmly for 3-0 before half-time.
The third goal, in the 80th minute, was the one that travelled around the world. Fed by Ozan Tufan, Salah ran more than half the length of the pitch without a single defender getting close to him, then placed the ball in the corner with the side-footed finish Liverpool fans watched for nine years. He dropped into sujood in front of a full stand.
📊 The efficiency is the story: Trabzonspor had seven attempts all night and scored with all four that were on target. Salah took four shots, put three on target, and all three went in — from 1.33 expected goals.
Klopp: "I stood up and applauded"
Jürgen Klopp — Salah's manager for most of his Liverpool years, and now head coach of the German national team — was asked about the performance and did not hold back. He said talking about Salah always feels special to him, and admitted he sometimes asks himself how the Egyptian is still this good at this age.
"I stood up and applauded."
Klopp added that Salah is a winger outscoring most centre-forwards, that this is only his first Trabzonspor hat-trick and more are coming, and that you can never write him off while the game is still running.
— Jürgen Klopp, Germany head coach, via Turkish mediaThe new coach had two training sessions — and a plan
This was the first match in charge for German coach Thomas Reis, appointed only days earlier after Fatih Tekke left the club following a rough start to the season and an early European exit. Reis had two intensive training sessions with the squad before walking into a derby against the champions.
His plan was simple and brutal: press high, win the ball in Galatasaray's half, and let the fastest man on the pitch run into the space behind their defence. Reis called having a player of Salah's class a privilege, but pointed straight at the rest of the team for creating those spaces.
"This win has to be the benchmark for the coming weeks."
Salah said the new coach had given the squad a lot of tactical security in a short time, and that the players knew Galatasaray were exposed the moment they lost the ball — so they attacked that weakness without mercy.
— Mohamed Salah, after the matchWhy Erdogan's daughter was trending after the third goal
The clip that spread fastest on Turkish and Arabic social media was not even a goal — it was the reaction to one. Cameras found Esra Albayrak, daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the stands with her husband Berat Albayrak, the former Treasury and Finance Minister, jumping up at every Salah goal. Esra was filmed joining the crowd in chanting the Egyptian's name.
According to the Turkish business site Patronlar Dünyası, the couple travelled to Trabzon with their children, and it was Berat Albayrak's first notable public appearance after months out of the spotlight. Trabzonspor's president, Ertuğrul Doğan, has said recently that Albayrak has supported the club on some projects.
⚠️ Worth separating fact from noise: some Turkish outlets have described Albayrak as a figure behind Salah's move to Trabzonspor. That is commentary, not a confirmed or official account of the transfer. What is confirmed is that he and his wife attended the match and celebrated in the stands.
"Leo Salah" — how Turkey reacted
Turkish pundits spent Sunday competing over who could praise him hardest. Former Turkey international Nihat Kahveci nicknamed him Leo Salah, a nod to Messi, saying there is nothing left to argue about: he takes the ball in midfield, you know he is going to score, and he scores.
From Anfield to the Black Sea in six weeks
Salah joined Trabzonspor on 6 August 2026 after nine years at Liverpool, and the move was criticised immediately as a step down. The club's own start did nothing to help that argument: they were knocked out of the Europa League play-offs by Ferencváros, Tekke walked, and by round five they had two wins, one draw and two defeats.
Then came the first meeting with one of Istanbul's big three — and the same player who built a career on scoring against the Premier League's biggest clubs did it again in a different country.
| Salah's Süper Lig start | Number |
|---|---|
| League appearances | 6 |
| Goals | 7 (league top scorer) |
| Assists | 2 |
| Hat-tricks | 1 (vs Galatasaray) |
| Age | 34 |
What this changes
Galatasaray are still top with 13 points. Trabzonspor are fifth with 10, three behind, and now have a coach whose first result was a 4-0 win over the champions. The international break arrives next, which gives Reis real training time for the first time.
For Salah personally, the message travelled further than the league table. A move that was written off as a retirement plan has produced seven goals in six games and the best individual performance the Süper Lig has seen this season.
The bottom line
Salah, at 34, scored three and made one to end Galatasaray's unbeaten run, on the debut of a coach who had barely met the squad. Klopp applauded from Germany, Turkish television called him "Leo Salah", and the president's daughter sang his name in the stands. Whatever the Turkish league was supposed to be for him, it is not a quiet retirement.
Frequently asked questions
How many goals did Mohamed Salah score against Galatasaray?
Three — in the 4th, 44th and 80th minutes — plus an assist for Saviolo's goal in the 39th. It was his first hat-trick for Trabzonspor.
What was the final score of Trabzonspor vs Galatasaray?
Trabzonspor won 4-0 at Papara Park on 19 September 2026, in round six of the Süper Lig. It was Galatasaray's first league defeat of the season.
Who is Trabzonspor's coach now?
German coach Thomas Reis, appointed days before this match after Fatih Tekke's departure. This 4-0 win was his first game in charge.
What did Jürgen Klopp say about Salah?
Klopp, now Germany's head coach, said he stood up and applauded, questioned how Salah is still performing at this level at 34, and said more hat-tricks will follow.
Why was Erdoğan's daughter in the news after the match?
Esra Albayrak, President Erdoğan's daughter, was filmed in the stands with her husband Berat Albayrak celebrating each Salah goal and chanting his name with the home crowd.
How many goals does Salah have in the Turkish league this season?
Seven goals and two assists in six league games, which puts him top of the Süper Lig scoring charts.
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