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For a football player, injuries are a transcendental problem in their professional development. Nuri Sahin experienced this first-hand in 2011 when he arrived at Real Madrid . For the Turkish player, "it was the most difficult year of his life" after making the leap from Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish team. He only played ten official matches and scored one goal due to a knee injury.
"As a player, I was sure I could play for Madrid, I was a top player. But that's not enough there. You also have to be mentally strong. Training never stops, and with the injuries I had, I wasn't prepared," he said in an interview with Tuttomercato.
Regarding the rigors of playing for Real Madrid, he expressed that injuries were a trigger for his continuity with the team. His impatience led him to change teams and miss the opportunity to continue his career in Spain.
"I trained with world-class players and I had quality, but after the injuries, I couldn't handle the pressure and tension. I was impatient, looking back, I should have been patient. Everyone told me: 'You're in Madrid, you should be happy.' But that's not enough," added the former Turkish midfielder.
The conversation with José Mourinho
In 2011, José Mourinho took over as coach of the team and coincided with Sahin. For this reason, now as a coach, he left him a message: "The day I left, we spoke and what I love about Mourinho is that he is honest. Direct. He looks you in the eye and tells you everything. If you're good, you're good, if you're not, you're not."
"I was young and I felt guilty and wondered, 'Why is he doing this?' Now that I am a coach, I understand that, I don't see anything wrong with it," Sahin said. At 34 years old, Sahin now enjoys coaching Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super League in his early steps as a strategist.
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