Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sahin signs new contract

German football club Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday extended midfielder Nuri Sahin's contract, keeping the Turkey international until June 30, 2019.

"We're all delighted Nuri's staying with us. He grew up in the region, he's a really good guy and Borussia Dortmund is deeply ingrained in him," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.

The 28-year-old, who has had dual German and Turkish nationality since 2011, joined the Borussia Dortmund youth academy in the summer of 2001.

Aged 16 years and 355 days he became the youngest player to ever play in the Bundesliga, and is the top-flight's youngest-ever goalscorer too. Since making his debut in 2005, he has played for the club 203 times, scoring 19 goals.

"Everyone knows how comfortable I feel in Dortmund - both in the city and in this stadium with our extraordinary fans. Borussia Dortmund is the club that belongs to my heart," said the midfielder, who is now in his 12th season as a professional.

Sporting Director Michael Zorc said: "Even though Nuri has had some bad luck with injuries in the past couple of years, he has still repeatedly shown that he can come back and fulfil a very important role in our young team." He also wished Sahin a speedy recovery after the player sustained a partial tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his ankle in the match with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Hans-Joachim Watzke and Michael Zorc both said: "We hope that Nuri can still make a comeback in the final weeks of the season. The high quality he offers in sporting and personal terms will undoubtedly help us to achieve our season objectives!"

--IANS

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