"I was a top player, but that's not enough to play for Real Madrid"

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.