He began his playing career at Dortmund, spending six years there – including a year-long loan at Feyenoord – and winning the Bundesliga in 2011 before signing for Real Madrid in 2011 for €10 million. In August 2012, Şahin agreed to a one-year loan deal with Liverpool, which was terminated in January 2013 to allow him to return to Dortmund on an 18-month loan. This was then made permanent, and he stayed at Dortmund until his transfer to Werder Bremen in August 2018. He retired from football in 2021, after one season at Antalyaspor.
Born in Germany, Şahin represented Turkey at international level and did so since the under-16 level. He made his senior international debut in 2005 and earned 52 caps before retiring in 2017.
After retirement, Şahin transitioned to coaching, and he was named the manager at Süper Lig club Antalyaspor in October 2021.
Şahin began his football career at the age of six for RSV Meinerzhagen. After spending seven seasons at the club, he was signed by professional club Borussia Dortmund in 2001.[11]
Borussia Dortmund
On 6 August 2005, at the age of 16 years and 334 days, Şahin set a record by becoming the youngest player to have played in the Bundesliga (this was later surpassed by Youssoufa Moukoko on 21 November 2020 at the age of 16 years and 1 day).[12] On 25 November of the same year, Şahin became the youngest player to score a goal in the Bundesliga, scoring for Borussia Dortmund against 1. FC Nürnberg (this was later surpassed by Florian Wirtz on 6 June 2020 at the age of 17 years and 34 days).[13][14]
On 5 July 2007, Şahin was transferred to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie on a one-year loan agreement, where he was reunited with Bert van Marwijk, his former coach at Borussia Dortmund.[15]
Şahin returned to Dortmund, where he played an important role in the 2009–10 season, starting 33 out of 34 matches. He ended the season with four goals and eight assists.[16] Şahin won the Bundesliga title with Dortmund in the 2010–11 season.[17] After a strong season, in which he scored six goals and had eight assists, he was voted the Bundesliga player of the season.[18]
Real Madrid
On 9 May 2011, after weeks of speculation, Şahin announced his departure from Dortmund in a press room at Signal Iduna Park, and soon after signed a six-year contract with Spanish club Real Madrid.[19] The transfer fee paid to Dortmund amounted to €10 million.[20] He stated the main reason to join them was because of José Mourinho, and the chance of playing for a club as prestigious as Real Madrid.[21] He made his official debut as a substitute in a 7–1 thrashing of Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu on 6 November 2011,[22][23] as he had been sidelined by injury problems since August earlier that year. On 20 December, he scored his first goal for Real Madrid as they thrashed Ponferradina 5–1 in the Copa del Rey.[24] On 27 March 2012, he was named in the starting XI to face APOEL in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, where his performance was praised by various newspapers.[25][26]
On 25 August 2012, Real Madrid agreed to loan Şahin to Liverpool on a season-long deal, where he was given the number 4 shirt.[27] On 2 September 2012, Şahin made his Liverpool debut in the 2–0 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League. On 26 September, Şahin scored his first and second goal for Liverpool in the third round of the League Cup against West Bromwich Albion as the game ended in a 2–1 win.[28] Three days later, he scored his first Premier League goal and set up two goals in a 5–2 win against Norwich City.[29] In his five-month loan spell at Liverpool, Şahin managed to get three goals and three assists in 12 matches. After leaving Liverpool, Şahin said he was never happy at either Real Madrid or Liverpool,[30] though he was happy to get a chance to play with captain Steven Gerrard.[31]
On 14 January 2013, Liverpool announced that they had in agreement with all parties terminated the loan agreement with Real Madrid and Şahin, and that this would now allow Şahin to join Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season.[32] Şahin spoke about the deal saying, "I realised that as a footballer and a human being, I belong here 100 per cent." Şahin also said "I noticed quickly that I only want to play for Dortmund."[33] His return move delighted manager Jürgen Klopp.[34] Prior his debut in the friendly match against Mainz, in which Dortmund won on penalties, Şahin said he was quite nervous for his return.[35] Eight days later, he made his first league appearance, since leaving Dortmund, coming on as a substitute in a later minute, as Dortmund defeated Werder Bremen 5–0. On 16 March 2013, Şahin scored two goals in a 5–1 Dortmund victory over SC Freiburg.[36]
On 27 July 2013, Şahin won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund 4–2 against rivals Bayern Munich.[37] On 26 October 2013, Şahin scored a goal for Dortmund in the Revierderby against rivals Schalke in a 3–1 win for Dortmund.[38]
On 10 April 2014, Borussia Dortmund activated a clause in Sahin's contract that allowed him to return permanently for a fee reported to be in the region of €7 million.[39]
The preparation for the 2014–15 season was marked by injuries; he was sidelined early on due to an irritation in the joint capsule of his knee and tendinitis.[40][41] In September 2014, inflamed tissue was removed from Sahin's left knee. After the surgery, he was out for around nine weeks,[42] and returned to team practice on 12 November 2014.[43] After playing seven league games, Şahin was diagnosed with tendon irritation in the upper adductor area in March 2015, whereupon he was sidelined for the rest of the season and for the entire first half of the 2015–16 season.[44]
On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, Şahin joined Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen.[48] According to media reports, he signed a two-year contract moving to the club on a free transfer.[49] As a defensive midfielder, he was originally intended to be the successor to the departed Thomas Delaney, but initially alternated in this position with Philipp Bargfrede and made 23 appearances in his first season, in which he was able to both score and assist a goal. In the DFB-Pokal, Şahin was knocked out in the semi-finals with Werder to eventual winner Bayern Munich. In the first half of the 2019–20 season, Şahin appeared regularly, but lost his place in the team in February 2020 in favor of the duo Davy Klaassen and Maximilian Eggestein. After 17 games that season for Bremen, in which he assisted four goals, he suffered a hip injury in early-June which would again sideline him for a long while.[50]
Antalyaspor
In August 2020, Şahin moved to Turkish Süper Lig club Antalyaspor, where he signed a two-year contract.[51] He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 September, the first matchday of the season, replacing Bünyamin Balcı in the 68th minute of a 2–0 victory against Gençlerbirliği.[52] The following week he made his first start for Antalyaspor, featuring 77 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Beşiktaş.[53] Şahin made 42 appearances during his first season at the club, helping the club to seventh place in the league table.[54][55]
On 5 October 2021, he was appointed head coach after the club had previously dismissed former manager Ersun Yanal.[56] He was offered the opportunity to serve as a player-manager. However, on 16 October 2021 it was announced that Şahin would exclusively take on the role of the head coach, thereby ending his playing career.[57][58]
International career
Şahin won the bronze ball prize at the 2005 Under-17 World Cup in Peru after a successful tournament with Turkey, finishing in fourth place. Şahin is the youngest player to have played and scored for Turkey. Notably, he scored during his debut which was a match against Germany, the country of his birth.
In May 2015, Şahin became assistant coach at his childhood club RSV Meinerzhagen, with his brother Ufuk playing for the Oberliga team.[59][60][61]
Antalyaspor
On 5 October 2021, Şahin, who had been a player of Antalyaspor until then, was appointed head coach of the Süper Lig club following the dismissal of Ersun Yanal, who had only managed two wins in the first eight games of the season.[56][57]
In December 2021, Şahin and his team handed the undefeated Turkish title contender of the 2021–22 season, Trabzonspor, their first league loss.[62] Throughout the rest of the season, Şahin's team embarked on a streak of undefeated matches in the league from the 23rd matchday until the end of the season, securing the team's top-flight status and finishing in seventh place.[63][64]
Borussia Dortmund
On 29 December 2023, Şahin left Antalyaspor.[65] On the same day, he and past teammate Sven Bender were appointed as assistant managers to Edin Terzić at their former club Borussia Dortmund, signing a one-year contract.[66] In the summer of 2024, he was named the head coach of Dortmund.[67][68]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Metzger, S., & Özvatan, Ö. (2020). Games of Belonging: Football, Boundaries and Politics between Germany and Turkey. Nationalities Papers,48(4), 737-751. doi:10.1017/nps.2019.4
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