Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah set to receive Turkish citizenship and state medal

Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah is set to be granted Turkish citizenship along with his wife and three children, according to reports in Turkey, three months after he joined Super Lig club Trabzonspor on a deal worth €17 million ($19 million) a season.

Salah, 34, is also expected to receive the State Medal for Distinguished Service, a Turkish state honor, at a large ceremony recognizing his contribution to the country's sport and tourism, the reports said. Neither the Turkish government nor Trabzonspor has confirmed the plans, and no official announcement has been made on the citizenship process.

The former Liverpool forward signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor on Aug. 6, after leaving the English club at the end of the 2025-26 season. The Black Sea club disclosed the terms to Borsa Istanbul, where its shares trade. The guaranteed pay is made up of a €10 million ($11.2 million) annual salary and a €7 million ($7.8 million) yearly signing payment, plus performance bonuses. A separate image-rights agreement gives him 20% of the proceeds from club merchandise bearing his name.

He played in Trabzonspor's 2-0 win over Gaziantep in the 10th round of the league, which left the club third with 22 points, three behind leaders Galatasaray.

Move to Turkey followed failed Besiktas talks

Istanbul club Besiktas had been the early favorite to sign him after he became a free agent. Talks stalled in July over his financial demands, and his lawyer denied reports that Salah had reached a verbal agreement with the club. Trabzonspor moved in weeks later and completed the deal in early August.

The move ended nine years at Liverpool, where Salah became one of the club's all-time leading scorers. He won two Premier League titles, in 2019-20 and 2024-25, and the Champions League in 2018-19, along with the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Club World Cup. He announced in March that he would leave Anfield, and played his final game on May 24 against Brentford.

He then captained Egypt at the 2026 World Cup in North America, where the team won its first matches at the tournament and reached the round of 16 for the first time. He has scored 68 goals in 122 games for his country.

One of the world's best-paid athletes

Salah earns an estimated $40 million a year before tax from his salary and endorsements, ranking 10th on Forbes' latest list of the world's highest-paid football players and second among Africans, behind Senegal's Sadio Mané. His commercial partners include Adidas, Pepsi and Vodafone.

Born in Nagrig, a village in Egypt's Gharbia province, Salah began his professional career at Cairo club Al Mokawloon before moving to Europe with Basel in Switzerland. He later played for Chelsea, Fiorentina and Roma before joining Liverpool in 2017.