Lionel Messi looks on while playing for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi looks on while playing for Inter Miami
Brett Davis/Getty Images
Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah is now ahead of Lionel Messi in an ELO ranking of the top 50 players competing outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Salah departed Liverpool last summer after spending nine years at Anfield, bringing his long association with the Premier League club to a close before moving to Turkey.
The 34-year-old joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with the Turkish Super Lig side as he embarked on a new chapter in his career away from English football.
Add Inside Futbol as a preferred source on Google.
The attacker has been in outstanding form for Trabzonspor, registering eight goals and three assists in just eight league appearances.
A former midfielder recently admitted his surprise at seeing the Liverpool legend turn out for Trabzonspor while continuing to deliver impressive performances.
📊 Top 50 players by Elo outside the top 5 leagues — weekly update Mohamed Salah moves from fourth to first. Messi climbs to second place. 🥇 🇪🇬 Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor) — Elo 1797 🥈 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) — 1784 🥉 🇲🇽 Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah) — 1782 4️⃣ 🇵🇹 Diogo Costa (Porto) — 1777 4️⃣ 🇳🇬 Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray) — 1777 6️⃣ 🇧🇪 Leandro Trossard (Beşiktaş) — 1775 7️⃣ 🏴 Ollie Watkins (Al-Hilal) — 1774 8️⃣ 🇳🇱 Tijjani Reijnders (Al-Qadisiyah) — 1746 9️⃣ 🇳🇴 Patrick Berg (Bodø/Glimt) — 1738 🔟 🇵🇹 Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal) — 1736 … 5️⃣0️⃣ 🇳🇴 Jostein Gundersen (Bodø/Glimt) — 1646 🆕 In top 50 🇨🇭 Yann Sommer (Club Brugge) 🇩🇿 Anis Hadj-Moussa (Feyenoord) 🇳🇴 Jostein Gundersen (Bodø/Glimt) 📉 Out of top 50 🇧🇷 Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo) 🇶🇦 Akram Afif (Al Sadd) 🇦🇷 Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors) ⭐ At their peak Elo 🇨🇴 Luis Suárez (Sporting) — 1731 🇳🇴 Fredrik Sjøvold (Bodø/Glimt) — 1724 🇭🇷 Dion Beljo (Dinamo Zagreb) — 1701 🇺🇾 Maximiliano Araújo (Sporting) — 1686 🇵🇹 Tomás Araújo (Benfica) — 1672 By club: 6️⃣ 🇳🇴 Bodø/Glimt 5️⃣ 🇸🇦 Al-Hilal 4️⃣ 🇵🇹 Benfica 3️⃣ 🇵🇹 Porto, 🇵🇹 Sporting, 🇧🇪 Club Brugge, 🇹🇷 Galatasaray 2️⃣ 🇸🇦 Al-Qadisiyah, 🇹🇷 Beşiktaş, 🇺🇸 Inter Miami, 🏴 West Ham, 🇹🇷 Fenerbahçe, 🇳🇱 PSV 1️⃣ 🇹🇷 Trabzonspor, 🇸🇦 Al-Nassr, 🇬🇷 Panathinaikos, 🇭🇷 Dinamo Zagreb, 🇸🇦 Al-Ahli, 🇺🇸 Orlando City, 🇳🇱 Ajax, 🏴 Watford, 🏴 Wolves, 🇬🇷 AEK Athens, 🇳🇱 Feyenoord By league: 1️⃣0️⃣ 🇵🇹 Primeira Liga 9️⃣ 🇸🇦 Pro League 8️⃣ 🇹🇷 Süper Lig 6️⃣ 🇳🇴 Eliteserien 4️⃣ 🏴 Championship, 🇳🇱 Eredivisie 3️⃣ 🇺🇸 Major League Soccer, 🇧🇪 Jupiler Pro League 2️⃣ 🇬🇷 Super League 1 1️⃣ 🇭🇷 HNL By confederation: 🌍 3️⃣5️⃣ UEFA 🌎 7️⃣ CONMEBOL 🌍 5️⃣ CAF 🌎 3️⃣ CONCACAF By nationality: 7️⃣ 🇵🇹 🇳🇴 4️⃣ 🏴 3️⃣ 🇧🇷 🇧🇪 🇳🇱 2️⃣ 🇲🇽 🇨🇴 🇬🇷 🇵🇱 🇫🇷 1️⃣ 🇪🇬 🇦🇷 🇳🇬 🇲🇦 🇭🇷 🇹🇷 🇺🇾 🇩🇪 🇸🇳 🇺🇸 🇨🇭 🇭🇺 🇩🇿 📊 For more stats, league sims and European competitions → https://t.co/gqmsS2MDV3
— Football Ranked (@footballrankedx) October 20, 2026
To further improve his attacking output, manager Thomas Reis is suggested to be developing ‘special tactical plans’ for the Egyptian.
And Salah’s impressive performances have now helped him secure another achievement.
Club played for
Al-Mokawloon Basel
Chelsea Fiorentina
Roma Liverpool
Trabzonspor
In a top 50 players ranking by ELO outside the top five league by X account Football Ranked, Salah has topped the charts.
The former Liverpool star has overtaken legendary Messi by 13 ELO points.
The ELO rating system ranks players based on their performances and the strength of their opponents, awarding points for strong displays against tougher opposition and updating rankings according to changes over the previous seven days.
Salah’s Trabzonspor are currently fourth in the Turkish Super Lig and have won their last three games.
The 34-year-old will hope to carry his impressive form into upcoming games, with a journalist suggesting that the Egyptian wants to achieve something significant in Turkey.
Messi meanwhile will surely look to hit back by turning on the style in the MLS with Inter Miami.