bundesliga

"Be remembered forever like Shinji" - Nuri Şahin uses Kagawa meeting to inspire Borussia Dortmund

24.07.2024

Shinji Kagawa’s Borussia Dortmund reunion was always going to be emotional, but Nuri Şahin made sure it was inspirational, too.

The midfield icon played for BVB across two spells from 2010-2012 and 2014-2019, becoming adored in Westphalia and across the globe for his silky skills, outrageous technique, and joyous playing style.

It wasn’t all for show, either, with the Japanese international backing up his talent by winning two Bundesligas and two DFB Cups in his 216 appearances in Black and Yellow, making him one of the players most associated with the Jürgen Klopp glory era.

So with all that considered, it wasn’t too surprising that things were heartwarming when he met back up with the club where he made his name as a world superstar before departing in 2019.

Kagawa is back in Japan with his first-ever club, Cerezo Osaka, and plenty of dreams came true when it was announced that the J-League side would be playing BVB at the Yanmar Stadium Nagai in a pre-season friendly.

With the anticipation at fever-pitch, thankfully the cameras were there to pick up a beaming Şahin and Kagawa as old friends and colleagues were reintroduced. Fellow former teammates turned BVB coaches, Łukasz Piszczek, Roman Weidenfeller and Patrick Owomoyela were all there to greet their old pal, and all commented on how well the 35-year-old still looks - but more on that later.

Watch: Shinji Kagawa’s wondergoal for Borussia Dortmund against Schalke

He went on to describe the impact that such a “special club” made on him, but as Şahin would explain to a young squad full of hope, the feeling goes both ways.

“Shinji is the best example that if you do a good job, no matter where you come from around the world, this club will remember you forever,” the new head coach said. “With Shinji we had 15 minutes with the guys and remembered the old days and I tell you this club is special.

“If when you play football you give everything, they will remember you for a lifetime. Shinji is the best example of that. Tomorrow he will give you a hard time on the pitch, you can be sure of that, but we will give him a hard time too, hopefully.”

Perhaps to the players’ shock, but not Şahin’s, a hard time was indeed forthcoming. Dortmund, looking for their first win of pre-season, raced into a 3-0 lead at half-time against Osaka, with Karim Adeyemi scoring twice and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens adding another in superb fashion.

Watch: Dortmund meet club legend Kagawa

Opposition head coach Akio Kogiku made eight changes at half-time, but it wasn’t until the 62nd minute, when he introduced the ageing Kagawa to a rousing applause, that the game turned on its head.

Dortmund let off the gas, and the home side pulled two back, before nearly bagging a third, but BVB instead held on for a 3-2 victory to end their tour of Asia on a high after a difficult start.

The trip to Thailand and Japan has certainly proved educational for Dortmund players, with Tuk Tuk rides, life-sized effigies, sushi, manga, and plenty of humidity to contend with.

However, the biggest lesson for BVB’s players may well have come from Kagawa both on and off the pitch, and if they can take his lead into the new season, there’s plenty of reason to think it could be a very successful one reminiscent of his great trophy-laden days of old.