Borussia Dortmund's Mahmoud Dahoud: "My biggest wish would be for peace to return to Syria"
As the first Bundesliga footballer born in Syria, Borussia Dortmund's Mahmoud Dahoud has quite a tale to tell.
Moving from Amuda, a town in northern Syria on the Turkish border, to North Rhine-Westphalia as an infant, Dahoud came through the youth ranks at Fortuna Düsseldorf, before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach as a 14-year-old in 2010. He spent the next seven years honing his trade at the Borussia Park, graduating to make 61 Bundesliga appearances and score seven goals.
Then Borussia Dortmund came calling. After winning the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Germany in Poland in summer 2017, Dahoud upped sticks and made the short journey northeast from one Borussia to another, linking up with Peter Bosz's youthful ensemble at the Signal Iduna Park.
Prior to Matchday 13's Revierderby against Schalke, the 21-year-old has featured seven times in the Bundesliga and twice in the UEFA Champions League for Die Schwarzgelben.
Watch: Check out Dahoud's first Bundesliga goal, a stunner for Gladbach against Augsburg in September 2015!
Dahoud on his efforts to raise awareness of the Syrian crisis...
In a comprehensive recent interview with Sportbuzzer, Dahoud spoke candidly about his efforts to engage with his Syrian roots amid the country's current crisis, whether he'd ever represent the country of his birth internationally, his start to life at BVB and the differences between Bosz and Stefan Kuntz...
I get very sad when I see pictures from Syria. My biggest wish would be for peace and tranquillity to return, most of all for the people who've had to suffer so much pain. My family and I always try to draw attention to the situation to support our relatives and friends on the ground. By doing so, we want to give them courage and show that we haven't forgotten them.
Dahoud on his international future...
I was brought up in Germany and feel German. On top of that, I've been brought through clubs and associations here, and have been playing for Germany since Under-18 level. Changing my international allegiance to Syria isn't something I'd consider doing. One of my dreams is to play for Germany one day. If I keep doing as I am, I'll achieve that at some stage.
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Dahoud on his start to life in Dortmund...
I had a little knock and wasn't 100 per cent fit before the Bayern Munich game. Despite that, though, I'm happy enough with my playing time so far at BVB. Everything is how I'd imagined it would be.
Dahoud on the reasons behind his move to Dortmund...
I wanted to take the next step in the summer and move to a bigger club. I knew from the start that I wouldn't immediately be a leader; at Dortmund we have an unbelievable amount of quality, particularly in midfield. It makes sense to rotate in a lot of games.
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