Record Sport's Scott Burns is on the Black Sea coast where the presence of one man is never far away

Trabzonspor is so much more than Mo Salah.

Hearts are in town but it is not all about the Egyptian superstar.

Salah has been their marquee summer signing.

More than a few eyebrows were raised when he swapped Anfield for Trabzon.

It is a major coup for a club based on the shore of the Black Sea.

When I arrived in the city I fully expected to walk into Salah-mania.

Similar to how Cristiano Ronaldo is lorded in Portugal.

But it has been nothing like it.

Yes, Salah is Trabzonspor’s kingpin, but it is very much about the collective.

You hear the regular calls to prayer.

The Turks have their religion but their football faith is just as strong.

You saw that at the start of the week when Trabzonspor beat Besiktas.

Their jubilant fans took to the streets, to let off flares and celebrate that win in their masses.

Their local club means everything to them, especially if they can upset one of the established Istanbul giants in the process.

There is a real unity between the football club and the city.

The 500 or so Jambos who have been in and around the city would have witnessed that themselves.

You walk around the streets and the kerbs are painted in their trademark sky blue and claret - more akin to the streets of Burnley.

Yet, the avenues are packed and buzzing with people - in sharp contrast to many of our main city centres in Scotland.

There are massive Trabzonspor murals painted on the walls and club shops splattered right across the city centre.

In fact the only evidence of Salah was advertising above a local mobile phone shop and, of course, the countless counterfeit shirts that decorate the entrances of many of the local bazaars.

The club shops also have their own official ‘Salah 10’ range.

They are looking to maximise their signing of the Liverpool legend on and off the pitch.

Trabzonspor is hoping he can lead them to success domestically and in Europe.

Even in the pre-match home press conferences, there was more talk of Salah than Hearts.

Trabzonspor Thomas Reis insisted it is all about his team rather than individuals - having the quality of Salah and Fabinho certainly helps.

He admitted: “I have a really good team, a really good team spirit and that helps a lot.

“We have experience, we have young players who accept decisions and accept that we are always talking about Mo Salah and maybe Fabinho.

“These are guys who are really important but the team is good, maybe there is more media for other players but they can learn and hopefully we can keep going on and having success.

“It is not about me, the team plays on the pitch and after the game they have to celebrate if they win.

“We have games every three days so you can’t enjoy it so much but I hope we enjoy another good performance tomorrow and we will all be happy.”

Trabzonspor right-back Wagner Pina waxed lyrically about playing behind Salah.

Pina said: “Playing whenever on the pitch with Salah is good but behind is better because you can have more contact with him than with other players.

“I need to keep enjoying this and doing the things I have been doing. He shows us so many things, like how to be a good professional on and off the pitch.

“He tells us the most important thing is to be confident in what you do and don’t be afraid, just be confident in the game you play.”

The big thing for Hearts is trying to spring a Conference League shock. This will be a test of character for this squad, especially after their weekend dismantling at Celtic.

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is confident his team can rise to the occasion and the might of Mo.

The Belgian claimed: “For sure, it has to be a team effort. “You cannot only focus on Salah because he is not the only one with quality, they will have 11 quality players on the pitch. Yes, Salah is a world class player.

"We will try and do something to nullify him, so he won’t stick out easily. “At the same time we need to believe in what we are doing. We have done it in the past in games where we have shown a real team effort in tough environments and that will be necessary again tomorrow.”

Hearts youngster James Wilson admitted Salah is one of the players he looks up to and he saw him first-hand destroy his English favourites, Manchester United, 7-0 three years ago.

The Scotland international said: “I’ve grown up watching some of these players and it's an exciting opportunity to play against them.

“I am a Manchester United fan. I went down for a Manchester United versus Liverpool game. It was the 7-0 game. I don't remember if any of them were there, but I'm looking forward to this occasion. It's going to be amazing.”

It would be even more amazing if Hearts could put on a performance and get a result against all odds.

That is what all those in maroon and white rather than maroon and light blue will be hoping and praying for.