Egyptian star Mohamed Salah received widespread praise in Turkish media, following his standout performance leading Trabzonspor to a 4-0 win over visitors Galatasaray yesterday, Saturday, in the sixth round of the Turkish football league, scoring 3 goals (a hat-trick) and setting up the fourth.
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Nihat Kahveci, the former Turkish national team star and sports analyst, described Salah as "Leo Salah," a reference to Argentine Lionel Messi, saying on the YouTube channel "Kontra Spor" after the match: "I don't think there's anything left to say about Salah: Leo Salah, for those who understand. He takes the ball from midfield and dribbles, and you say he's going to score, and he does."
Kahveci added: "In a 4-0 win, there are stars and good players, but there are also world-class stars. Today Salah said, 'I am a world star,' and he deserves the applause; he's a great player."
For his part, Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan praised Salah after his outstanding performance, saying: "Salah is a world star. He also has the personality of a star. His character is wonderful, and he's a very humble person."
Doğan added: "Salah represents an extremely important role model for the development of our young players. Salah isn't just a signing, he's a contribution to the city's vision, and a message to Trabzonspor's youth. Since the day he arrived, he's delivered what's expected of him, and we thank him for that."
Doğan also spoke about Salah's impact off the pitch, saying: "His only concern right now is adapting to the city. Fortunately, he's also introducing others to the city. He's a respectful and very good person."
Trabzonspor coach Thomas Reis praised Salah's performance, saying: "We have a distinguished group of experienced players like Fabinho and Mohamed Salah. They've delivered a great performance, and I feel we've accomplished remarkable work in a short period."
Brazilian Fabinho, Trabzonspor's midfielder, stressed the importance of having Salah in the squad, saying: "I'm used to this from him, he gives the team great confidence, and big matches need players of Salah's caliber, who can make the difference."
Fabinho, who played alongside Salah for years in Liverpool's shirt, continued: "He's a hardworking player, and the team's threat grows with him on the pitch, he represents the team's strength, and I'm very happy for him, and I congratulate him on his first hat-trick in the Turkish league."
Serkan Akan, a journalist at the Turkish newspaper Fanatik, said Salah is "one of the greatest miracles to happen to Trabzonspor; the Egyptian star delivered one of the most exceptional performances in the history of top-tier matches," having ended the first half with two goals and an assist.
Akan added: "Salah is one of the biggest stars to come to our country. In his 9-year career at Liverpool, he worked with only two coaches, Jürgen Klopp and Arne Slot, but during his two months at Trabzonspor, he's already had a third coach. For a player with this level of continuity, that's a lot, but Salah's performance seems to remain the same regardless of coaching changes."
Another Fanatik journalist, Olcay Çakır, affirmed: "Salah was the man of the night, not just for his talent, but also for his energy and desire to control the match."
Çakır added that Salah "carried the weight of his name" in the match, at a time when new coach Thomas Reis succeeded in making impactful decisions from the start of the game.
Former Kayserispor coach Marcus Gisdol also praised the way Trabzonspor capitalized on Salah's speed, saying the team focused from the outset on exploiting the spaces behind Galatasaray's defense, adding: "In the 4th minute, the goal Salah scored after a pass from Mustafa Eskihellaç revealed the match's tactical story early on."
Gisdol continued: "The real difference lay in the quality of transitions. In the 39th minute, Savio made it 2-0 with a pass from Salah, and in the 44th minute, the Egyptian star appeared again and scored the third goal. He ended the first half with two goals and an assist."
Former Beşiktaş Anadolu coach Gökhan Karaaslan explained that "Trabzonspor found Salah and built its attacks around him, while Galatasaray couldn't get Rafael Leão involved in the match."
Resource: Al-Ghad.
