GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin will be leaving Bundesliga champions Dortmund for Real Madrid this summer

Record ID: 1533562

  • Title: GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin will be leaving Bundesliga champions Dortmund for Real Madrid this summer
  • Date: 10th May 2011
  • Summary: DORTMUND, GERMANY (FILE - APRIL 2011) (REUTERS) NURI SAHIN AND OTHER PLAYERS RUNNING COACH JUERGEN KLOPP WALKING VARIOUS OF NURI SAHIN TRAINING TILT DOWN SAHIN
  • Embargoed: 24th May 2011 20:32
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA4ZF0CF2E4YW2VPGL7T2LMIS30
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Real Madrid signed Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year contract on Monday (May 9) as coach Jose Mourinho began strengthening his squad for next season.
    Twenty-two year-old playmaker Sahin helped steer Dortmund to this season's Bundesliga title and will join the La Liga giants as they seek to end Barcelona's grip on the domestic title and chase a 10th Champions League triumph.
    While the clubs did not disclose how much Real agreed to pay, his contract with Dortmund included a clause that allowed him to leave if there was an offer of 10 million euros (USD14.4 million) or more from outside Germany.
    A very moved Sahin told reporters that it was very hard for him to leave Dortmund team. "It was three very important years for me and my career. With a team that I might never be able to experience. It is not just any normal team that I leave. It is a team that did everything for each other and will do so, of that I am certain. And I tried to tell the boys yesterday that they must appreciate themselves and that I miss them already."
    Sahin, who has missed his team's last three matches through injury and is expected to be out for six weeks, said he was very proud to make the move to the Spanish capital.
    "There were not many teams for me to consider, I have to admit. Because all of this here is too important to me. And Real Madrid is the largest club in the world, when I heard of their interest I said yes, ok, I will do that, or I can do that."
    German-born Sahin is both the youngest ever Bundesliga player, making his debut in August 2005 aged 16 years and 355 days, and the youngest scorer, netting against Nuremberg three months into his top-flight career.
    He made his Turkey debut in 2005 in a 2-1 win over Germany in Istanbul, becoming the youngest player to score for his country when he made it 2-0.
    Sahin played 135 matches for the German side and scored 13 goals, including six this season as Dortmund claimed their first Bundesliga title since 2001-02.
    Spanish media reported on Monday that Real were also looking to buy Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop, another Turkish international.
    Sahin's arrival and the possible purchase of Altintop could mean that Real midfielders Fernando Gago, Sergio Canales and Pedro Leon, little used this season, will move on.
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