"Leo Salah": Great Turkish appreciation for the Egyptian star

For his part, Ertugrul Dogan, president of Trabzonspor, 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 is a very humble person."

Dogan added: "Salah represents a very important role model for the development of our young players. Salah is not just a signing; he is a contribution to the city's vision and a message to the youth of Trabzonspor. Since the day he arrived, he has delivered what is expected of him, and we thank him for that."

Dogan also spoke about Salah's impact off the pitch, saying: "His only concern right now is to adapt to the city. Fortunately, he is also introducing others to the city. He is a respectful and very good person."

Thomas Reis, Trabzonspor's coach, praised Salah's performance, stating: "We have a special group of experienced players like Fabinho and Mohamed Salah; they performed wonderfully, and I see that we have accomplished something special in a short period."

Brazilian midfielder Fabinho emphasized Salah's importance to the team, saying: "I am used to this from him; he gives the team great confidence, and big matches need players like Salah, who can make a difference."

Fabinho, who played alongside Salah for years at Liverpool, continued: "He is a hardworking player, and the team's threat increases with him on the pitch; he represents the team's strength, and I am very happy for him, and I congratulate him on his first hat-trick in the Turkish league."

Journalist Serkan Akan in the Turkish newspaper "Fanatik" noted: "Salah is one of the biggest miracles that happened to Trabzonspor... The Egyptian star delivered one of the most exceptional performances in the history of derby matches," after finishing the first half with two goals and two assists.

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, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, but during the two months he spent at Trabzon, he now has a third coach. For a player with this level of consistency, that's a lot, but it seems that Salah's performance remains the same despite the change of coaches."

Another journalist from "Fanatik," Olgay Cakir, commented: "Salah was the man of the night not only for his talent but also for his energy and desire to control the match."

Cakir added that Salah "carried the weight of his name" in the match, while new coach Thomas Reis succeeded in making impactful decisions from the start of the match.

Marcus Gisdol, former coach of Kayserispor, also praised how Trabzonspor benefited from Salah's speed, noting that the team focused from the beginning on exploiting spaces behind Galatasaray's defense, adding: "In the fourth minute, Salah's goal after a pass from Mustafa Eskilach revealed the tactical story of the match early on."

Gisdol continued: "The real difference was in the quality of the transitions. In the 39th minute, Savioulo 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 finished the first half with two goals and two assists."

Gokhan Kara Salan, former coach of Beykoz Anadolu, explained: "Trabzonspor found Salah and shaped their attacks around him, while Galatasaray could not involve Rafael Leao in the match."