Mohamed Salah Sets New Record With Trabzonspor Wages

Mohamed Salah has become the highest-paid player in the history of the Turkish Süper Lig after putting pen to paper on his contract with Trabzonspor.

Galatasaray broke the mold last summer when they agreed to pay striker Victor Osimhen a base salary of €15 million ($17.3 million), but Salah’s earnings have a new record in Türkiye.

Upon confirming his arrival on Thursday, Trabzonspor confirmed Salah will take home a whopping €17 million ($19.6 million), made up of €10 million in salary and a €7 million annual bonus, while a handful of extra incentives can take his earnings even higher.

How Salah’s Salary Compares to His Liverpool Wage

Mohamed Salah — Salah walked away from the final year of a bumper contract at Liverpool. | Jack Thomas/Getty Images

It is worth remembering that Salah still had one year left to run on his Liverpool contract, which he agreed to terminate in favor of a fresh start this summer.

During his final season at Anfield, Salah was reported to be taking home a weekly wage of £400,000, which equates to an annual salary of £20.8 million (€24.3 million, $28 million).

Such wages were unlikely to be offered anywhere else in Europe or North America. A bumper proposal from Saudi Arabia was on the table that could have eclipsed those earnings, but Salah quickly made it clear he wanted to continue competing in Europe.

He has had to accept a drop in salary to land his move to Trabzonspor, although the deal is believed to include several incentives that will take his earnings far higher.

Alongside conditional bonuses based on Salah’s on-field performances, the Egyptian winger will also receive 20% of any merchandise sold using his brand through the official club store. As a result, Salah’s total earnings from his time with Trabzonspor will actually end up being very similar to his salary from his final year with Liverpool.

Jamie Carragher Questions Salah’s Choice

While his disappointing form last season took its toll on Salah’s reputation, he is still widely hailed as one of the finest wide forwards around. That being said, the list of his suitors was not particularly long.

Saudi Arabia seemed like a likely destination, with Salah having admitted he would have joined in 2025 had he not been offered a new Liverpool contract, while there were offers from Major League Soccer. In Europe, however, most of the speculation revolved around Türkiye.

It was Beşiktaş that were initially expected to land Salah’s signature, but Trabzonspor swooped in to strike a deal that left Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher particularly surprised.

“I never believed he was going to go to Saudi, because number one, he’s too good for that,” Carragher told Football Ramble. “I think he can be playing in Serie A. Türkiye for me feels a level too low.

“I was convinced he’d end up at an AC Milan or Juventus or somewhere like that, maybe his wages were a problem. Looking at him—I don’t know him, obviously have never spoken to him—but he’s like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he’s so driven, his numbers mean so much to him. I thought—he can still do this in Türkiye, by the way—but I thought he’d want to play at a real prestigious club.

“Obviously his wage demands have put a few people off but I thought he might almost curb those demands a little bit to almost get a better club. To go to an AC Milan or Juventus or whoever it may be, play at the San Siro, still playing in big games, still playing in Europe...

“Türkiye just feels like ... I just think he’s better than that.”

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