Mohamed Salah was never the problem at Liverpool, says Thierry Henry

Dubai: Mohamed Salah made a statement on his first major night for Trabzonspor, scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist in a stunning 4-0 victory over 10-men Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig.

The Egyptian captain was involved in all four goals at Papara Park, scoring in the fourth, 44th and 80th minutes while setting up Noah Saviolo for the second goal. The performance took Salah to seven league goals in six appearances for Trabzonspor.

The display also drew a strong reaction from former Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry, who praised Salah’s performance and used it to defend the 34-year-old over his Liverpool departure.

“Imagine scoring your first hat-trick in the Turkish league against one of Turkey’s biggest clubs. Its name and its achievements must be respected,” Henry said, according to Turkish newspaper “Sabah”.

Henry also argued that Salah was not the problem during his final period in the Premier League club, saying: “It is clear that Mohamed Salah was never the cause of the problem at Liverpool.”

Salah left Liverpool in the summer after nine years at Anfield, joining Trabzonspor as a free agent. His departure followed months of uncertainty over his future and came after Liverpool confirmed in March that he would leave at the end of the 2025-26 season.

He departed as Liverpool’s third-highest scorer with 257 goals in 442 appearances and eight major trophies, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Now, his explosive start in Turkey has given Salah another stage to show that he remains capable of deciding the biggest games.