Freiburg's Jordy Makengo on marking Mohamed Salah: "I always used to play as him on PlayStation!"
SC Freiburg defender Jordy Makengo enjoyed a rather unusual encounter during Thursday's 1-0 Conference League victory over Trabzonspor. The 25-year-old left-back found himself competing against former Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah, a player he had previously spent considerable time controlling on his PlayStation.
Makengo played an important role in Freiburg's impressive away victory, helping Julian Schuster's side contain the Egyptian international as the Bundesliga representatives secured their third consecutive competitive win. Asdetailed inGet German Football News' match report and player ratings, Salah became increasingly dangerous as the match progressed, forcing goalkeeper Mio Backhaus into a crucial intervention in the 61st minute.
Freiburg's defensive unit largely succeeded in limiting the former Liverpool star's influence. Makengo, supported by Vincenzo Grifo and Philipp Lienhart, played a particularly important role in closing down the spaces available to Salah on Trabzonspor's right flank.
Makengo: "I always used to play as him on PlayStation" Speaking in the mixed zone following the victory, Makengo revealed just how extraordinary he found the experience of lining up against one of global football's biggest stars. "I'm a big FIFA gamer on PlayStation," Makengo said.
"I always used to play as him, and now I'm playing against him in real life. That's simply incredible, and I'm really happy about it.
Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster, apparently less enthusiastic about video games than his young defender, nevertheless saw the amusing side of the situation. If the PlayStation has something positive to offer, perhaps this is it," Schuster joked.
The lighthearted exchange followed what Schuster described as Freiburg's best performance of the season. The Sport-Club's aggressive first-half pressing and disciplined defensive work after the restart enabled the Bundesliga side to overcome a Trabzonspor team that had won seven consecutive matches.
Makengo's Freiburg development continues to gather momentum Beyond the amusing PlayStation anecdote, Thursday's performance represented another encouraging milestone in Makengo's development. The left-back endured a difficult 2025/26 campaign, struggling to establish himself consistently and making several costly defensive mistakes.
Asexamined inGGFN's extensive Freiburg preseason tactical preview, Makengo entered the summer facing considerable competition from long-serving captain Christian Günter and returning youngster Berkay Yilmaz. The prospect of losing further ground in Freiburg's defensive hierarchy appeared entirely plausible.