Drogheda United's Historic Friendly Against Trabzonspor

Drogheda United are heading into uncharted territory – and they might just run into Mohamed Salah when they get there.

The League of Ireland club have confirmed a glamour friendly against Turkish giants Trabzonspor at Papara Park on 1 October, the first time the Louth side will play a game on Turkish soil.

The date is no accident. The fixture drops neatly into the build-up to the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Turkey in 2026 and leans heavily on a relationship that stretches far beyond football.

A sister-club story rooted in famine aid

Drogheda are one of three official sister clubs of Trabzonspor, alongside Sanlıurfaspor and Siirt Provincial Special Administration Sport, but the bond predates any modern memorandum or marketing plan.

Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer podcast in 2020, former Drogheda PRO Roisin Philips outlined how deep those roots go.

"It goes back far longer than 2011 when they announced that we'd become their sister club," she said.

"In fact it goes back to the Great Famine in 1845. Drogheda had links with Turkey as a result of the Sultan at the time sending aid over to the Irish people. Boats came up the Boyne in Drogheda. He also sent £1,000 at the time.

"There's been a long history of co-operation between the two countries, from the Turkish side to Ireland."

That remarkable chapter will sit at the heart of a new documentary to air on Turkish television around the game. Titled An Gorta Mór – The Star & The Crescent, it will explore the story of Ottoman humanitarian assistance during the Irish Famine and the symbolic bridge it built between Drogheda and Turkey.

Salah on the horizon – but will he play?

On the pitch, all eyes naturally turn to one name. Salah, now the headline act in a star-studded Trabzonspor squad, could be the marquee attraction if he features.

The Egyptian forward joined the Super Lig club after drawing a line under his glittering spell with Liverpool. He is part of a heavyweight dressing room that also includes his former Anfield team-mate Fabinho and ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.

There is, however, a significant caveat. Salah’s Egypt face South Sudan in African Cup of Nations qualifying on 27 September. With the international break running across that period and Drogheda’s visit falling within a three-week pause in domestic action, his involvement in the friendly is far from guaranteed.

Trabzonspor’s Super Lig campaign restarts the following week, with a trip to Samsunspor on the agenda. Any decision on Salah’s minutes against Drogheda will be weighed against international fatigue and league priorities.

A mini-camp with meaning

For Drogheda, the timing is perfect. The international window turns the journey into more than a one-off exhibition; it becomes a late-season mini-camp, a chance to sharpen fitness and test themselves against a squad packed with Champions League and Premier League experience.

It is also a rare opportunity. A League of Ireland side stepping out in Papara Park, potentially facing one of the world’s most recognisable forwards, under the banner of a 19th-century act of generosity that still echoes today.

A friendly on paper. A meeting of history, politics and football in reality. And if Salah does walk out under the Trabzon floodlights that night, Drogheda’s first game in Turkey will be remembered far beyond the scoreline.