Players - Nuri Sahin

Nuri Sahin
Birthdate: 5 September 1988
Birthplace: Lüdenscheid, Germany
Nationality: Turkey
Other clubs: Borussia Dortmund (2001-11), Feyenoord (loan 2007-08), Real Madrid (2011-14), Borussia Dortmund (2 / loan 2013-14), Borussia Dortmund (3/ 2014-18), Werder Bremen (2018-20), Antalyaspor (2020-21)
Signed from: Real Madrid (on loan)
Signed for LFC: loan, 25.08.2012
International debut: 08.10.2005 vs. Germany
International caps: 51/2 (5/0 at LFC) - 06.10.2017
Liverpool debut: 02.09.2012
Last appearance: 06.12.2012
Debut goal: 26.09.2012
Last goal: 29.09.2012
Contract expiry: 11.01.2013
Win ratio: 50% W:6 D:5 L:1
Games/goals ratio: 4
Games/assists ratio: 6
League games / goals / assists: 7 / 1 / 1
Total games / goals / assists: 12 / 3 / 2

Player Profile

Although Sahin was born in Germany, he is of Turkish descent and Turkey is the country that he represented at various age-groups until he became a senior international for the first time in 2005. Earlier that year he and his teammates won the 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championships in Italy where he was voted the best player of the tournament. When he was 16 the midfielder joined Borussia Dortmund and he quickly became not only the youngest player to appear in the Bundesliga but also its youngest-ever scorer. But despite this sensational start he did not progress as quickly as had been expected, but benefited from a loan-move to Feyenoord, where he was reunited with the Dutch coach who had signed him for Dortmund in 2005, Bert van Marwijk. On his return to Germany Sahin played in 88 out of a maximum 102 Bundesliga matches over the next three seasons. The third of those seasons, 2010/11, brought Dortmund their first domestic championship for nine years and Sahin was voted the Bundesliga’s best player. It wasn’t a major surprise that after weeks of intense speculation that he signed a lengthy six-year contract with Real Madrid in 2011. His first season in Spain was something of a letdown. Sidelined by injury, he was unable to make his Real debut until November and although his new club won the La Liga title by nine points from their fierce rivals Barcelona, Sahin only appeared in four of the 38 La liga matches.

With a promising career at a kind of stalling-point, a move to Liverpool where he would hopefully get more playing-time seemed to be beneficial to both the player and his new club. In a space of three days the supposed defensive midfielder showed his skill in arriving late into the box to a devastating effect, netting three goals in a space of four days. He desperately needed games to build up his match fitness and seemed bemused at the pace of the Premier League. He was virtually invisible in a few games as if he was hiding on the field, but hope remained he would prove a valuable member of the team when fully fit. After remaining firmly on the bench for three games running he got a start against Udinese in the final game of the Europa League group stage, but had to bow out in the twelfth minute with a broken nose. This turned out to be his final appearance for Liverpool as he returned to his parent club in January 2013 to be loaned to his first club, Borussia Dortmund, for the remainder of the season.

After returning to Germany Sahin played in fifteen Bundesliga matches in the second half of the 2012/13 season, scoring three times. He also appeared three times in the Champions League as Dortmund progressed to the Wembley final.

Sahin was a regular member of the Dortmund team in 2013/14 playing in all 34 Bundesliga matches, 9 Champions League matches, 4 German Cup-ties plus the German Super Cup match against Bayern Munich at the very start of the season. Borussia won that pre-season fixture 4-2 but finished a massive 19 points behind champions Bayern in the league table at the end of the season. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League but were beaten at that stage by eventual winners Real Madrid. Sahin scored two league goals during the season, against Schalke and Augsburg. Towards the end of the season Borussia Dortmund were able to activate a clause in the player's contract that allowed him to move permanently back to the German club but his 2014/15 campaign was ravaged by a knee injury which has kept him out of the game for the first half of 2015/16 as well. He managed just twelve appearances in all competitions, one of them against Liverpool as a second half substitute of the Europa League tie in Dortmund.

2016/17 was another injury ravaged season, but in 2017/18 he did manage to stay fit and appeared 25 times in all competitions. In August 2018 he moved to fellow Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on a free transfer, scoring once in twenty appearances in his first season there. In 2019/20 he fell out of favour in the second half of the season and after his contract expired joined Turkish side Antalyaspor. H was a regular during his first season there, only missing games through illness. After the opening eight games of 2021/22 when he was captain, he was surprisingly appointed as head coach after the dismissal of Ersun Yanal. Sahin immediately called time on his playing career and led the side to a seventh place finish. In December 2023 he left Turkey to return to Dortmund as an assistant coach, telling the club's website  "It was not an easy decision to give up the position of director of football at Antalyaspor after more than two years, as we have built something special. When BVB come calling, I can't say no."

Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 7 0 1 4 0 12
2012-2013 7 0 1 4 0 12
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
2 180 Young Boys
1 90 WBA
1 90 Anzhi Makhachkala
1 79 Stoke City
1 74 Newcastle United
1 67 Arsenal
1 66 Norwich City
1 63 Reading
1 60 Chelsea
1 46 Everton
1 12 Udinese
Total Started/substitutions
12 Started
9 On the bench
0 Substitute
8 Substituted
Total Venue
6 Away
6 Home
Total Competition
7 Premier League
4 Europa League
1 League Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
12 6 5 1 50% Brendan Rodgers
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 2 0 0 3
2012-2013 1 0 2 0 0 3
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
2 WBA
1 Norwich City
Total Started/substitutions
3 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
2 League Cup
1 Premier League
Total Goal minute period
1 16-30 minutes
1 46-60 minutes
1 76-90 minutes
Total Goal origin
3 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 0 1 0 2
2012-2013 1 0 0 1 0 2
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Total Opponent
1 Norwich City
1 Young Boys
Total Competition
1 Premier League
1 Europa League
Total For player
1 Luis Suarez
1 Andre Wisdom
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 02.09.2012 Arsenal Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 17 26.09.2012 WBA The Hawthorns League Cup
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Borussia Dortmund 2005-2006 Germany 1 23 1 23 1
Borussia Dortmund 2006-2007 Germany 1 24 0 25 0
Feyenoord 2007-2008 Holland 1 29 6 30 6
Borussia Dortmund 2008-2009 Germany 1 25 2 28 2
Borussia Dortmund 2009-2010 Germany 1 33 4 36 6
Borussia Dortmund 2010-2011 Germany 1 30 6 40 8
Real Madrid 2011-2012 Spain 1 4 0 10 1
Borussia Dortmund 2012-2013 Germany 1 15 3 18 3
Borussia Dortmund 2013-2014 Germany 1 34 2 48 2
Borussia Dortmund 2014-2015 Germany 1 7 1 9 1
Borussia Dortmund 2015-2016 Germany 1 9 0 12 0
Borussia Dortmund 2016-2017 Germany 1 5 0 9 1
Borussia Dortmund 2017-2018 Germany 1 18 2 25 2
Werder Bremen 2018-2019 Germany 1 20 1 23 1
Werder Bremen 2019-2020 Germany 1 16 0 17 0
Antalyaspor 2020-2021 Turkey 1 36 0 42 0
Antalyaspor 2021-2022 Turkey 1 8 0 8 0
Total 336 28 403 34