Eight-year-old Liverpool fan Isaac Kearney got the surprise of a lifetime after travelling to Turkey to meet his football idol, Mohamed Salah.
Isaac, who lives with the rare genetic condition Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, was flown to Trabzon with his family for the special meeting, thanks to Salah’s new club, Trabzonspor, and Turkish Airlines, according to a post shared on Isaac’s Instagram account.
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The trip was documented by Isaac’s mother, who shared a vlog showing the family’s journey with Turkish Airlines.
The footage captured the excitement of the trip, from their travel to Turkey to the warm welcome they received along the way, with Isaac and his family appearing to be thoroughly looked after as they made their way to meet the football star.
But the highlight of the trip came when Isaac finally came face-to-face with Salah.
Surprise meeting with his idol
Footage released by Trabzonspor shows Isaac approaching Salah during a training session before the two share a warm embrace.
Salah appeared visibly delighted to meet the young fan, smiling as Isaac ran towards him. For Isaac, the moment was clearly overwhelming as he stood on the training pitch with the player he has long looked up to.
The youngster also got the chance to meet other members of the Trabzonspor squad. Among them was Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, whom Isaac excitedly called out to as he made his way around the training ground.
The meeting gave Isaac the chance to experience a side of football that goes far beyond watching his favourite players on television; he was suddenly standing alongside them, greeting them and sharing the pitch with them.
Special moment at Papara Park
The surprise continued when Isaac later accompanied Salah onto the pitch at Papara Park, Trabzonspor’s home stadium in the north-eastern Turkish city of Trabzon.
The pair walked onto the pitch together hand in hand, with Isaac taking in the moment inside the stadium.
According to a post on Isaac’s Instagram account, the youngster described the experience as being alongside his “friend, the Egyptian King” in a stadium holding around 40,000 fans.
The special visit came as Salah prepared to play for Trabzonspor at Papara Park on August 20, giving Isaac the chance to see his idol not only during training but also at the stadium where the former Liverpool forward now represents his new club.
For Isaac and his family, the trip was more than a football experience. It was a carefully arranged surprise that gave a young fan the chance to meet the player he has admired for years, and to create a memory with his football hero that he is unlikely to forget.
This is not the first time Isaac has met his football idol. The young Reds superfan previously met Salah when the Liverpool star, alongside then-captain Virgil van Dijk, surprised him at school in 2024.
The heartwarming encounter was captured on video and later shared by Liverpool, where it went viral, surpassing 122 million views worldwide.
Source: Khaleej Times