Mohamed Salah has reached a milestone few players in modern European football can claim. The Egyptian forward has become only the third player on record to score and provide an assist in each of UEFA's three major men's club competitions - the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League - after a decisive display for Trabzonspor on Thursday, October 15.
Salah's goal and assist came in Trabzonspor's 4-2 win over Finnish club KuPS, the Turkish side's opening fixture in the 2026/27 Conference League campaign. According to Opta statistics circulated by football media, the 34-year-old now joins Dutch international Cody Gakpo and Germany's 2014 World Cup winner Mario Götze as the only players to have achieved the feat across all three tournaments.
A Decisive First-Half Display
Salah set the tone inside three minutes, teeing up Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu for Trabzonspor's opening goal to put the home side in control early. He then added his own name to the scoresheet in the 44th minute, finishing from inside the box to double the lead before the break. His involvement in the match ended there, as he was substituted in the 55th minute having already delivered the goal contribution that completed the rare statistical set.
Trabzonspor went on to close out a 4-2 victory, with substitute Franculino Djú scoring twice in the second half to see off a late fightback from KuPS, who replied through Petteri Pennanen and Gustav Engvall. The result gave the Turkish club a winning start to their European campaign.
Joining Gakpo and Götze in Rare Company
The Conference League, introduced in the 2021/22 season as UEFA's third club competition alongside the Champions League and Europa League, has given more players the chance to feature across all three tiers of European football. Even so, few have managed to both score and assist in each one. Gakpo, now at Liverpool, and Götze, best remembered for his World Cup final winner for Germany in 2014, were previously the only names on that list.
Salah's move to Trabzonspor, who are competing in this season's Conference League, effectively completed his set. Much of his European reputation was built in the Champions League and Europa League during spells at Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma and, most prominently, Liverpool, where he became one of the defining attackers of his generation and a central figure in the club's major honours over the past decade.
What It Means Going Forward
The milestone is a reminder that Salah, even after leaving the Premier League for Turkish football, remains capable of shaping matches at a high level. For Trabzonspor, the win offers an encouraging platform in Group play, and Salah's early influence suggests he could remain central to the club's European ambitions this season.
- Trabzonspor beat KuPS 4-2 in their Conference League opener on October 15.
- Salah assisted Onuachu's third-minute goal and scored himself in the 44th minute.
- He joins Cody Gakpo and Mario Götze as the only players to score and assist in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
