In Turkish football, Istanbul’s Big Three – Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas – have long held monopoly on the Super Lig’s marquee signings. Yet the football-crazy port city on the eastern Black Sea coast lacks the cosmopolitan lifestyle Istanbul offers. View image in fullscreen An excited Trabzonspor fan decked in traditional claret and sky blue colours sports sunglasses decorated with new signing Mohamed Salah. Trabzonspor have played the role of disruptors in Turkish football – the Black Sea rebels who broke Istanbul’s stranglehold in the 1970s and most recently won the league title in 2021–22. Within 24 hours of Salah landing, Trabzonspor sold more than 17,000 season tickets, generating £11m.