A former Real Marid player has recalled his time at the club. Nuri Sahin, now coach of Antalyaspor, admitted that he lacked the mental strength to withstand the pressure at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Nuri Sahin has recently started his career as a coach. He currently manages Antalyaspor and, on the occasion of the Spanish Super Cup final, the former Real Madrid player gave a few words to 'AS'.
The Turkish coach believes that, "as a player, he was sure he could play for Real Madrid, he was a top player". However, "that's not enough for there", Sahin himself acknowledged.
"You also have to be mentally strong. Training never stops, with the injuries I had I wasn't ready. I was training with world-class players and I had quality, but after the injuries I couldn't handle the pressure and the stress," he explained.
Sahin said he was "impatient". "Looking back, I should have been patient," he added. "Everyone was telling me: 'You are at Real Madrid, you must be happy'. But that's not enough," he concluded.
He also mentioned Mourinho, a coach who had a big influence on him: "The day I left we spoke and what I love about Mourinho is that he is honest. Direct. He looks you in the eye and tells you everything. If you're good, you're good; if you're not, you're not".
"I was young and I felt guilty and I asked myself: 'Why is he doing this? Now that I'm a coach I understand that, I don't see anything wrong with that," he concluded.