Sahin has played an integral role in Dortmund's success (image: news-realmadrid-football.blogspot.com)
Having signed German World Cup starlets Mesut Ösil and Sami Khedira last summer, Real Madrid have yet again dipped in to the Bundesliga’s astonishingly deep pool of talent with the signing of midfield ‘general’ Nuri Sahin.
The pride of the Borussia Dortmund youth system that constantly churns out high quality players, Nuri Sahin made his debut for Die Schwarzgelben in 2005 at the age of only 16 years and 334 days, becoming the youngest player to ever feature in the Bundesliga. Over the next couple of seasons he flitted in and out of the Dortmund squad without really being able to cement a place in the heart of the midfield. This prompted a loan move to Dutch side Feyenoord at the beginning of the 2007/2008 season where Sahin was reunited with former Borussia Dortmund manager Bert Van Marrwijk, who originally gave Sahin his first start in the Borussia team. Having played the majority of the Eredivisie season, many thought that there would be an early exit from Dortmund for Turkish wonderkid. However, this was not the case and the reinvigorated Sahin stuck with the Westfalen side to battle for his place in the centre of the midfield.
This season Nuri Sahin has been a revelation for Borussia, who won their first Bundesliga title since 2002. He has consummately broken up play and created numerous offensive opportunities for the likes of Lucas Barrios, Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa.
His battling paid off in the 2008/2009 season where he featured increasingly for the first team – which in turn culminated in gaining more international recognition from his parents’ homeland, Turkey, having already turned his back on the country of his birth back in 2005 when he ironically made his debut against Germany. The 2009/2010 season was a defining one for Sahin, as he played the majority of the campaign in the heart of Jürgen Klopp’s midfield – only missing one Bundesliga game which subsequently secured his position as one of the first names on Borussia’s team sheet. This season Nuri Sahin has been a revelation for Borussia, who won their first Bundesliga title since 2002. He has consummately broken up play and created numerous offensive opportunities for the likes of Lucas Barrios, Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa.
Now with his €10 million move to the Spanish capital, the ambitious 22 year old is brimming with excitement - having said that he feels it is the “highest achievement for a footballer” to play for Los Blancos. Where he will fit in within the Madrid system is tough to answer, due to their abundance of midfield talent, but he could potentially become a perfect addition to Jose Mourinho’s side. With his Fabregas-esque style of play Sahin is very much a box-to-box midfielder with an exquisite range of passing that could become the perfect foil for Cristiano Ronaldo and co. Only time will tell as to whether this young Bundesliga starlet can make it to the big time in Madrid.
By Niall Taylor
Fancy a glimpse of the ability of Madrid-bound Sahin? Click here to check this video out on youtube.
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