Sahin excited by Madrid challenge '

Sahin excited by Madrid challenge '

Real Madrid new boy Nuri Sahin cannot wait to get started for his new club and is confident he will be a regular in Jose Mourinho's line-up.

The 22-year-old Turkey midfielder agreed a six-year deal with the Spanish giants in May after helping Borussia Dortmund land last season's Bundesliga title.

He missed the last six weeks of the 2010/11 campaign with a knee injury, but will be raring to go when pre-season gets under way next Monday.

"I'll be there the first day," he said in Spanish newspaper AS. "I am as good as before the injury. There is no sign of those aches and my intention is to train as fast as my new colleagues.

"I really want to start this new chapter. It's rare to want to finish your holiday as soon as possible to start working!"

He continued: "I have great faith in myself that I will be in the starting line-up. I have no doubt and I will work hard for it. [Zinedine] Zidane is one of my idols and I want to look at what he did in Madrid."

Sahin is still coming to terms with having joined one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"My signing for Madrid is a dream," he said. "From the time I heard of their interest to the moment I picked up the pen to sign the contract. Recent weeks have flown by and I still cannot digest how big this is.

"It was a very special moment. Someone suddenly told me that Real Madrid were going to call. Five minutes later, stunned, answered the phone. I said, 'Yes?' and I heard, 'Hi, it's Jose Mourinho'.

"I thought someone was playing a joke, but even so the conversation flowed. He said he had been following me throughout the season at Dortmund and wanted me for his team.

"The coach wants me to take care of the organisation in midfield."

Sahin and his new team-mates will be looking to wrest the Primera Division title off Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, who have been league champions for the last three seasons.

Despite Barca's recent dominance, the youngster believes his new employers can still lay claim to being the world's best.

"Barca are a team in excellent shape, but Real Madrid have been chosen as the best club of the century by the football authorities," he added. "Therefore, Madrid remains the best club in the world."