Egyptian star, Mohammed Salah joins Gakpo, Götze in new European football record

Spread the word Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has become only the third player 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. The 34-year-old achieved the rare milestone on Thursday, October 15, when he scored and assisted in Trabzonspor's 4-2 victory over Finnish side KuPS in their opening match of the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League campaign.

Blueprint reports According to Opta statistics reported by football media, Salah joins Dutch international Cody Gakpo and German World Cup winner Mario Götze as the only players to have recorded both a goal and an assist across all three competitions. The achievement adds another distinction to Salah's European career, which has included years of starring performances in the Champions League and Europa League before his move to Turkish football.

His contribution against KuPS was decisive, as he helped Trabzonspor establish an early advantage and then scored himself before the interval. Salah delivers goal and assist against KuPS Salah wasted little time making his presence felt against the Finnish outfit, setting up Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu for Trabzonspor's opening goal in the third minute.

The Egyptian supplied the pass that allowed Onuachu to finish and give the Turkish side an early lead, putting them in control of the contest. Salah then doubled Trabzonspor's advantage in the 44th minute, finishing from inside the penalty area to cap an influential first-half performance.

The goal and assist completed his contribution to the match before he was substituted in the 55th minute. Trabzonspor went on to secure a 4-2 victory, with Franculino Djú scoring twice after coming on as a substitute.

KuPS responded through Petteri Pennanen and Gustav Engvall, but the Finnish side could not overturn the deficit. The result gave Trabzonspor a winning start to their Conference League campaign, while Salah's individual performance attracted attention for the historical record it produced.

Gakpo and Götze previously achieved the feat Before Salah, Gakpo and Götze were the only players reported to have scored and assisted in all three of UEFA's principal men's club competitions. Gakpo, the Netherlands international who plays for Liverpool, has featured in both the Champions League and Europa League during his career and also registered a goal and an assist in the Conference League.

Götze, meanwhile, is best known for scoring Germany's winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina. The attacking midfielder has also played in all three European competitions during his club career.

The Conference League was introduced in the 2021/22 season, creating a third major pathway into UEFA club competition alongside the Champions League and Europa League. Players who have spent most of their careers competing at the highest European level do not necessarily get the opportunity to feature in all three tournaments.