Drogheda United's Historic Match Against Trabzonspor

Drogheda United are heading into uncharted territory this autumn – 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 match on Turkish soil.

The game drops neatly into a broader story. Ireland and Turkey will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, and Drogheda’s trip is part of a long, unlikely connection that stretches all the way back to the 19th century.

A sister-club bond born from famine relief

Drogheda are one of three official sister clubs of Trabzonspor, alongside Sanlıurfaspor and Siirt Provincial Special Administration Sport. That relationship is no recent marketing gimmick.

Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer podcast in 2020, former Drogheda United PRO Roisin Philips detailed how the link took root.

"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 history will be front and centre around the match. A documentary, An Gorta Mór – The Star & The Crescent, will air on Turkish television, telling the story of Ottoman humanitarian assistance during the Irish Famine and how it helped forge a bond that still echoes today.

Salah factor adds star power

On the pitch, all eyes will inevitably turn to one name. Salah, now the marquee attraction at Trabzonspor after his trophy-laden spell with Liverpool, could line up against the League of Ireland side if scheduling and fitness allow.

There are no guarantees. Salah’s Egypt face South Sudan on 27 September in African Cup of Nations qualifying, and that international commitment may rule him out of the friendly. Trabzonspor’s Super Lig campaign restarts the following week with an away trip to Samsunspor, another factor in any decision over minutes for their leading lights.

Even if he sits it out, the scale of the challenge for Drogheda is clear. Trabzonspor have pieced together a star-studded squad, with Salah joined by his former Liverpool team-mate Fabinho and ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana among the headline names.

Mini-camp with a twist

For Drogheda, the fixture falls during a three-week international break and will double as a late-season mini-camp. The trip offers valuable preparation time, a high-level test, and a rare chance for players and staff to step inside one of Turkey’s most intense football environments.

It is a friendly on paper. In reality, it is a meeting layered with history, politics, and modern football glamour – a League of Ireland club walking into Papara Park, under the gaze of a fanbase used to Champions League nights, with the possibility that one of the game’s global superstars could be waiting on the other side of the tunnel.