After scoring the goal that made it 2-0 against Beşiktaş, Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor) posted “Yüzde otuz beş” on social media, an apparent reference to the 35% commission mentioned by president Serdal Adalı.
On 20 October, Trabzonspor’s Egyptian forward posted a message in Turkish on his social media: “Yüzde otuz beş” (Thirty-five per cent). According to Hürriyet and Milliyet, the message is aimed directly at Beşiktaş and refers to summer comments by president Serdal Adalı. He claimed to have given up on signing Salah because of an agent’s commission of 35%. Salah did not explain his post.
On the pitch, Salah stood out against Beşiktaş at Papara Park. He scored Trabzonspor’s second goal in the 71st minute, after Ozan Tufan had opened the scoring in the 21st, in a 2-0 win. Thanks to that goal, he leads the Süper Lig scoring charts outright with 8 goals and 3 assists in 8 matches, according to Daily Sabah and Türkiye Today.
A reference to Serdal Adalı’s comments
According to Hürriyet and Milliyet, the message targets the Beşiktaş president’s remarks this summer: “The agent pushed his commission up to incredible sums, reaching around 35%. For our part, such a percentage was in no way acceptable.”
Salah did not clarify the meaning of his message. The Turkish press’s reading therefore remains an interpretation, one the 34-year-old forward has not endorsed.
A striker in fine form
On the pitch, the Egypt international is living up to his status. With 8 goals in 8 matches, he is one ahead of Nigeria’s Gift Orban (Amed SF), Eldor Shomurodov (Başakşehir) and Vedat Muriqi (Fenerbahçe), all stuck on 7, according to Daily Sabah. His efficiency comes mainly at home: 7 of his 8 league goals have been scored at Papara Park. He also scored in the Conference League in the 4-2 win over Finland’s KuPS Kuopio.
The win over Beşiktaş is Trabzonspor’s fourth in a row under coach Thomas Reis. The club sits 4th with 16 points, ahead of Beşiktaş (15 points), according to Türkiye Today. In goal, Cameroon goalkeeper André Onana kept a clean sheet against the Istanbul side’s attacks.
European trips for both clubs
Both teams return to Europe on Thursday 22 October. Trabzonspor travel to Hearts in the Conference League, while Beşiktaş face Crystal Palace in the Europa League.