The Egyptian star has become an instant commercial hit in Turkey. Shirt sales and season ticket sales exploded immediately after the transfer was announced, and the club president has announced legal action over false claims about financing.
Mohamed Salah hasn't played a single minute for Trabzonspor yet, but his arrival has already sparked complete euphoria at the Turkish club. Within just three days of the announcement that the Egyptian forward was arriving as a free agent, Trabzonspor generated more than €12 million in revenue from shirt sales and season ticket subscriptions.
The biggest interest is in shirts bearing the name of the former Liverpool star. According to data reported by Turkish outlet HT Spor, around 15,000 Salah shirts have been sold so far, and that number is expected to rise to as many as 25,000 once all pending orders are fulfilled.
Season ticket sales have been no less impressive. The club has already sold approximately 17,000 subscriptions, which clearly reflects the scale of interest sparked by the arrival of the 33-year-old Egyptian.
Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan told HT Spor that season ticket sales alone generated nearly 550 million Turkish lira in just three days, equivalent to around $11.5 million. That figure does not include revenue from shirt sales, which the club has yet to tally.
Doğan emphasized that subscriptions alone have already covered more than half of the annual cost of the entire deal. The club's ultimate goal is to reach 25,000 season tickets sold, which would fully cover the financial outlay for this transfer.
"We didn't expect a reaction of this magnitude and at this speed. I thank the fans who have not let us down," Doğan said.
The club president firmly refuted speculation that Trabzonspor received state money to bring in Salah. He stressed that the club's coffers have not received "a single lira" from state bodies.
He called those claims "a big and unethical lie" and challenged those spreading them to provide evidence. He also addressed rumors on social media about a garnishment of Salah's salary, stating that it is legally impossible. The club, he revealed, has already taken legal action and filed a lawsuit against individuals who spread that information, saying such posts damage the image of Turkish football.
For context, Salah spent nine years at Liverpool before moving to Turkey, where he made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals since 2017. With the Anfield club, he won two English Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League. Prior to that, he played for Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, and Roma. Trabzonspor announced late last week that he would sign a two-year contract.
