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Published 07 Aug, 2005 12:00am

Soccer: Turk Sahin becomes youngest player

WOLFSBURG (Germany), Aug 6: Borussia Dortmund’s Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin made Bundesliga history on Saturday becoming the youngest player to grace the German top-flight at the age of 16 years and 335 days. Sahin started Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with VfL Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday as he eclipsed the previous record held by Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Juergen Friedl.

Friedl made his debut in 1976 at the age of 17 years and 26 days. Dortmund coach Bert van Marwijk recently said Sahin, voted best player at the last under-17 European championship, was one of the biggest talents he had ever seen claiming the teenager was mature beyond his years.

“He plays as smart as a 24-year-old, almost as though he has played with us for a long time,” lauded van Marwijk.

English Premiership giants Arsenal recently had a 2.8 million euro bid for Sahin turned down by Dortmund even though the club have acute financial problems.

Results:

MSV Duisburg 1………………………………..(VfB Stuttgart 1

FC Cologne 1……………………………………Mainz 05 0

SV Hamburg 3…………………………………...FC Nuremberg 0

VfL Wolfsburg 2…………………………………Borussia Dortmund 2

Werder Bremen 5………………………………...Arminia Bielefeld 2

Hannover 2……………………………………….Hertha Berlin 2

Friday

Bayern Munich 3…………………………………Borussia M’bach 0

—Agencies

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