Big challenge. At 35, the former Real Madrid player will coach Dortmund even though he has only the minimum of experience

The year was 2011. Borussia Dortmund was selling one of its jewels to Real Madrid. But he never quite fulfilled his potential. Yet he has a solid playing career behind him and now his coaching career is taking off. His experience is minimal. At the age of 35, Nuri Sahin is the new coach of BVB.

Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Werder Bremen and Antalyaspor. Nuri Sahin has a decent resume as a player, although a little more was expected from his career. Injuries have been his main problem.

However, he became a Spanish champion, won two German Super Cups with BVB as a player, one Bundesliga and one DFB-Pokal, and enjoyed winning the Dutch Cup. Despite all the health woes, a decent calling card.

He ended his career at the age of 33 and immediately threw himself into coaching. In Antalyaspor, Turkey, he was not only the head coach but also the sporting director. In the top Turkish league. No easy task. But he’s risen to the occasion.

But he returned to Borussia at the beginning of 2024. Dortmund hired him as assistant coach to Edin Terzic, who led the club to the Champions League final. Terzic, however, tendered his resignation, which was accepted. His successor is Sahin. At the age of 35.

Leading Dortmund is a dream come true

For Nuri Sahin, leading Borussia Dortmund is a huge career challenge. From the club’s side, it is again a huge risk. However, already as a player, the former Turkish international stood out for his intelligence. He was a great reader of the game, which will come in handy now.

“I’m thrilled to be entrusted with this honour and responsibility and to lead Dortmund. It means the world to me. I have a strong connection with the club and the city. Coaching BVB is not something that happens automatically. But for the last few years I have been doing everything I can to become a good coach and to be able to fulfil this dream one day. Now I have this opportunity,” he told the club’s website.

During his six months as an assistant, he said he had a lot of freedom to get to know the whole club. Edin Terzic, in his words, opened the door to everything for him. He had access to analysis, data, everything.

He started thinking about coaching in 2015, when he was badly injured: “ It changed my life. It ignited a passion in me to become a coach. I was inspired to do it by the coaches I worked with. I realized that this was the path I wanted to take. I didn’t think I would ever have that passion again after my playing career, but I’m excited.”

His goal is clear. He wants Dortmund to produce attractive, offensive and dominant football. He wants the players to be willing to suffer, to be united, to work hard, but to have an atmosphere in the team that doesn’t lack laughter.

“Possession of the ball is great, but it doesn’t help you win. We have to defend as well. We must always score one more goal than the opponent. I want the football we will present to fit this city. BVB and the city of Dortmund represent something and I want every home game to be clear that Borussia Dortmund are playing,” Sahin let it be known.

Source: Borussia Dortmund, Transfermarkt