Nuri Sahin talks Real Madrid, Liverpool & building Antalyaspor: Klopp was perfect for me

It's a stormy day in Antalya and the city is hiding inside, hoping for better weather. After more than a week of heavy rain, the sun is having a tough time making its way through the dense cloud cover. And so is our car in its attempts to avoid the large puddles created on the asphalt leading to Antalyaspor's HQ just outside the city. It's an impossible day for outdoor training but Nuri Sahin (35), the former Real Madrid, Liverpool and Dortmund midfielder, is not taking a day off. He's now the manager of the Turkish top-tier club.

Sahin moved straight into coaching after he felt his best playing days were behind him. He is now in his third season as Antalyaspor's head coach. He retired in October 2021, also wearing his current team's shirt, aged just 33.

During a 45-minute sit-down with Flashscore News, Sahin didn't hold back from revealing what went wrong for him at Real Madrid and how he came to peace with Jose Mourinho's tough approach toward him years after leaving the Bernabeu.

Sahin is holding a large cup of coffee and smiling all the time, looking as relaxed as if he's in a stadium lobby with friends after a crucial victory. Inspired by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, the young manager is also full of praise for the tactical revolution led by Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and wishes to have experienced Pep Guardiola's masterful mind first-hand.

Sahin went to Harvard to complete his education outside of football and to Africa to learn how to be happy again. This and much more is discussed in the interview below.

You're just 35 and it's two years since you stopped playing. Didn't management come too soon?

"Everyone is asking me this (laughs). I had a 17-year-long playing career. I started to play