Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah posted a picture on social media that has led Trabzonspor fans to create a new tourist attraction as they followed in his footsteps
Mohamed Salah celebrates with the Trabzonspor fans after his hat-trick against Galatasaray.
Mohamed Salah celebrates with the Trabzonspor fans after his hat-trick against Galatasaray.(Image: Ferda Demir/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah has caused quite the stir on the field at Trabzonspor so far — though the Liverpool legend has been creating just as many waves off it too.
The Egyptian netted a hat-trick over the weekend as his new side hammered Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. He also set up a goal for one of his teammates in a 4-0 rout, with the ex-Reds man firing his team to a famous win.
But off the pitch, Salah also created a lot of attention for a local landmark, which has become a much-used tourist attraction in the wake of him posting pictures of it on social media.
Salah visited Kurtdere Yaylasi and also spent time along the route to the famous Sumela Monastery. He later shared some snaps online, including one of himself sitting on a rock.
After he did that, Trabzonspor fans attempted to find the exact place where he was pictured, as they tried to recreate the image on the newly nicknamed "Salah's rock."
Turkish media have reported that queues have formed at the rock as people wait to sit in the same place that Salah did. It seems, then, that his impact in Turkiye is already being felt.
The Turkish media was suitably impressed by Salah's performance against Galatasaray. He "put on a show in Trabzon," according to the website Fanatik.
It said the ex-Liverpool man "dominated" the game in Trabzon, which was the first under new head coach Thomas Reis. Meanwhile, Turkiye Today said that the "super" Salah "set the tone" for the victory.
Salah became the first Egyptian to score in this fixture, the website Sozcu noted, and added that he is the first foreign Trabzonspor player to score in each of his first three home matches.
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It hasn't been all positive, however. After Trabzonspor failed to qualify for the Europa League, crashing out in the qualifiers, Salah took to social media to deliver a message to fans. He had done at similar Liverpool during a few bad times.
"Bad nights and disappointments are part of football, and I have learned to turn them into motivation and into trophies," he wrote.
"Trabzonspor is my club, and I am part of this project, body and soul. Last night will not change that.
"I know expectations are high, and I truly believe we can and will deliver. 'I came here to win' is not just a slogan to me."