Nuri Şahin (born 5 September 1988) is a German and Turkish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager and former player who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He was most recently head coach of

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

. He began his playing career at Dortmund, spending six years there – including a year-long loan at

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

– and winning the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

before signing for

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

in 2011 for €10 million. In August 2012, Şahin agreed to a one-year loan deal with

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, 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 Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional multi-sport club based in Antalya, southern Turkey. The club's colours are red and white. The association football, football side play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the cl ...

in the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

. Born in Germany, Şahin represented

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

at international level and did so since the under-16 level. He made his senior international debut in 2005 and earned 52 caps over a 12-year career, being selected for UEFA Euro 2016. After retiring as a player, Şahin began managing Antalyaspor in 2021, later leading Dortmund but getting sacked on 22 January 2025.

Personal life

Şahin was born to Turkish parents in Lüdenscheid and grew up in nearby Meinerzhagen. He became a German citizen in 2011. He has been married to his cousin Tuğba Şahin (née Emeni) since November 2007. In September 2011, she gave birth to a son, Ömer, in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. Şahin is fluent in five languages: Turkish, German, English, Dutch and Spanish. In April 2018, Şahin enrolled at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Club career

Early career

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

in 2001.

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

(this was later surpassed by Youssoufa Moukoko on 21 November 2020 at the age of 16 years and 1 day). On 25 November of the same year, Şahin became the youngest player to score a goal in the Bundesliga, scoring for

against 1. FC Nürnberg (this was later surpassed by Florian Wirtz on 6 June 2020 at the age of 17 years and 34 days). On 5 July 2007, Şahin was transferred to

in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

on a one-year loan agreement, where he was reunited with Bert van Marwijk, his former coach at Borussia Dortmund. 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. Şahin won the Bundesliga title with Dortmund in the 2010–11 season. After a strong season, in which he scored six goals and had eight assists, he was voted the Bundesliga player of the season.

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

. The transfer fee paid to Dortmund amounted to €10 million. He stated the main reason to join them was because of

José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...

, and the chance of playing for a club as prestigious as Real Madrid. He made his official debut as a substitute in a 7–1 thrashing of

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...

at the Santiago Bernabéu on 6 November 2011, 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 The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

. 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.

Liverpool (loan)

On 25 August 2012, Real Madrid agreed to loan Şahin to

on a season-long deal, where he was given the number 4 shirt. On 2 September 2012, Şahin made his Liverpool debut in the 2–0 home defeat to Arsenal in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. 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. Three days later, he scored his first

goal and set up two goals in a 5–2 win against Norwich City. 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, though he was happy to get a chance to play with captain Steven Gerrard.

Return to Borussia Dortmund

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. 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." His return move delighted manager

Jürgen Klopp Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...

. Prior his debut in the friendly match against Mainz, in which Dortmund won on penalties, Şahin said he was quite nervous for his return. 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. On 27 July 2013, Şahin won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund 4–2 against rivals Bayern Munich. On 26 October 2013, Şahin scored a goal for Dortmund in the

Revierderby The Revierderby () is the name given to any association football match between two List of football clubs in Germany, clubs in the Ruhr region – also known in German as the ', a contraction of ''Bergbaurevier'' (mining area) – in North Rhine- ...

against rivals

Schalke Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a Professionalism in association football, professional sports club from the Gelsenkirchen-Schalke, Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, N ...

in a 3–1 win for Dortmund. 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. 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. In September 2014, inflamed tissue was removed from Sahin's left knee. After the surgery, he was out for around nine weeks, and returned to team practice on 12 November 2014. 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. After a break of almost a year, he made his comeback in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

game against

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on 18 February 2016. After İlkay Gündoğan's move to Manchester City, Şahin received his old shirt number 8 back. On 25 April 2017, Şahin extended his contract with Dortmund by another year until 2019.

Werder Bremen

On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, Şahin joined Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen. According to media reports, he signed a two-year contract moving to the club on a free transfer. 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.

Antalyaspor

In August 2020, Şahin moved to Turkish

club Antalyaspor, where he signed a two-year contract. He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 September, the first matchday of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, replacing Bünyamin Balcı in the 68th minute of a 2–0 victory against Gençlerbirliği. The following week he made his first start for Antalyaspor, featuring 77 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Beşiktaş. Şahin made 42 appearances during his first season at the club, helping the club to seventh place in the league table. On 5 October 2021, he was appointed head coach after the club had previously dismissed former manager Ersun Yanal. 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.

International career

Şahin won the bronze ball prize at the 2005 Under-17 World Cup in Peru after

finished in fourth place. In August that year, he was tracked by the

German Football Association The German Football Association ( ; DFB ) is the governing body of Association football, football, futsal, and beach soccer in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and ...

but declared himself as feeling more Turkish than German. Şahin made his senior international debut for

on 8 October 2005 in a 2–1 friendly win over

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the country he was born in. He came on as an 85th-minute substitute for Selçuk Şahin and scored three minutes later; at 17 years, 1 month and 3 days he remains the youngest player and goalscorer for Turkey. Şahin played no international games between June 2014 and March 2016, when he was recalled for a friendly against

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. He was chosen for the final squad of UEFA Euro 2016 in France, his only senior tournament. He made a substitute appearance in a 3–0 loss to reigning champions

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in a group-stage elimination, for his 50th cap. Şahin declared his retirement from international football at age 29 in November 2017, after Turkey missed out on a place at the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

. He had played 52 games and scored twice for the country.

Managerial career

In May 2015, Şahin became assistant coach at his childhood club RSV Meinerzhagen, with his brother Ufuk playing for the Oberliga team.

Antalyaspor

On 5 October 2021, Şahin, who had been a player of

until then, was appointed head coach of the

club following the dismissal of Ersun Yanal, who had only managed two wins in the first eight games of the

. In December 2021, Şahin and his team handed the undefeated Turkish title contender of the 2021–22 season, Trabzonspor, their first league loss. 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.

Borussia Dortmund

On 29 December 2023, Şahin left Antalyaspor. 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. In the summer of 2024, he was named the head coach of Dortmund. He was sacked from his managerial role in January 2025 after a run of poor results.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Şahin goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Feyenoord *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

: 2007–08 Borussia Dortmund *

: 2010–11 * DFB-Pokal: 2016–17 * DFL-Supercup:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

runner-up: 2012–13 Real Madrid *

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

: 2011–12 Turkey U17 * UEFA European Under-17 Championship:

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Individual * UEFA European Under-17 Championship Golden Player:

* FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Ball:

* FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Shoe:

* VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2010–11 *'' kicker''

Player of the Season: 2010–11 *'' kicker''

Team of the Season: 2010–11 * ESM Team of the Year: 2010–11