Drogheda United to Face Trabzonspor in Historic Friendly
Drogheda United are heading into uncharted territory – and they might just run into Mohamed Salah along the way.
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 ever play a game on Turkish soil.
The fixture drops into a three-week international break and will double as a late-season mini-camp for Drogheda, a rare chance to test themselves against one of Europe’s emerging heavyweight squads.
History, politics and football collide
This isn’t just a football match dropped randomly into the calendar. It arrives as Ireland and Turkey build towards the 75th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations in 2026, and it leans heavily into a relationship that stretches far beyond the modern game.
Drogheda are one of three official sister clubs of Trabzonspor, alongside Sanlıurfaspor and Siirt Provincial Special Administration Sport. That bond has roots far deeper than a 21st-century partnership agreement.
Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer podcast back in 2020, former Drogheda United PRO Roisin Philips traced the connection all the way back to the Great Famine.
"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 story will sit at the heart of a new documentary, ‘An Gorta Mór – The Star & The Crescent’, to be broadcast on Turkish television around the time of the game, exploring Ottoman humanitarian assistance to Ireland during the Famine and how it still echoes today.
Will Salah play?
The headline question writes itself: will Drogheda’s players actually share a pitch with Mohamed Salah?
The Egyptian star, who joined Trabzonspor after bringing his glittering Liverpool spell to an end, is currently the face of a squad packed with big names. Former Anfield team-mate Fabinho is there, as is ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, underlining how aggressively the Turkish club have built a star-studded group in recent seasons.
Timing may work against the Irish visitors. Salah’s Egypt are scheduled to face South Sudan in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 27 September. With that game so close to the friendly date and Trabzonspor’s Süper Lig campaign resuming the following week with a trip to Samsunspor, the forward may be rested or absent altogether.
Even if he does not feature, the scale of the occasion remains. Drogheda will walk into a major Turkish stadium, representing a small Irish town whose links to Turkey were forged not by football, but by famine, aid and a Sultan’s gesture more than 175 years ago.
Now those old ties will play out under floodlights, in front of cameras, with one of Europe’s most star-laden squads on the other side of the halfway line.
