At the World Cup with Turkey
It was BVB’s turn to Real-Star – who decided against the Bundesliga
April 25, 2026 – 2:04 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
As the coach at the time, Nuri Şahin wanted to bring a top talent to Dortmund – but the plan failed. Instead, the offensive player decided to take a different route.
Things didn’t go as hoped for Nuri Şahin at Borussia Dortmund – although the current coach of Başakşehir Istanbul had big plans. One of them concerned a possible transfer of a talent to BVB who is now the focus of Real Madrid.
On the YouTube channel KAFA Sports, Şahin looked back on this phase – and talked about a change that didn’t happen. This is about Arda Güler. Şahin about the 21-year-old: “I really wanted Arda to come to Dortmund.” He made the Turkish international an offer and tried to convince him to move to the Bundesliga.
But Güler decided otherwise. The then very young player wanted to assert himself at Real Madrid and therefore rejected the offer. According to Şahin, he made this abundantly clear. “No matter what happens, I will get this jersey,” Güler is said to have said – meaning the “Royal” jersey.
Şahin showed understanding for this attitude and accepted the decision. Looking back, this step seems logical from the player’s perspective. After a difficult initial phase with injuries, Güler has now established himself in Madrid. With two goals in the Champions League duel against FC Bayern, he increasingly became the focus of attention.
Recently, however, there was a setback: the offensive player was injured and will be out for the rest of the season. However, Türkiye’s participation in the World Cup should not be in danger.
