Sinan Kurt was once considered one of the greatest talents in German soccer. In the summer of 2014, the then-18-year-old transferred from Borussia Mönchengladbach to FC Bayern. The transfer caused quite a stir—but a great career with the record champions never materialized.
Kurt never made his breakthrough in Munich. The attacking player appeared for Bayern in the Bundesliga just once. After a year and a half, he left the club and joined Hertha BSC.
But even in Berlin, Kurt was unable to live up to the high expectations. What followed was a career that has since taken him through numerous clubs, all the way down to the Landesliga. The 30-year-old currently plays for 1. FC Viersen.
Kurt: The hype was “very, very exaggerated”
In an interview with BILD, Kurt has now looked back on his time at FC Bayern and, above all, on the enormous public attention surrounding his transfer at the time.
“The media really, really blew it out of proportion. Everything was made to seem a bit worse than it actually was in the end. I was still so young myself. I did understand that it was a huge deal. I just never understood why it was blown up into such a big deal,” explained the former German junior national team player.
The move to Munich had caused particular discontent at Borussia Mönchengladbach at the time. The Foals were determined to keep their homegrown talent, but Bayern ultimately prevailed in the transfer battle.
Kurt didn’t go on to develop as hoped. After his time with Bayern and Hertha, he played in Austria, Slovakia, and Turkey, among other places, as well as for several lower-division German clubs.
“I’d probably do it the same way all over again.”
Despite the course of his career, Kurt wouldn’t change his decision to join Bayern today.
“I’d probably do it all over again. There’s no way to say how things would have turned out differently if I’d stayed in Gladbach. Nobody knows what would have happened then. That’s why I wouldn’t say I’d make that move any differently.”
Today, Kurt’s relationship with soccer has changed fundamentally. In addition to running his own soccer academy, he continues to play on the field himself. At 1. FC Viersen, however, the former Bayern pro is no longer chasing the dream of a big career.
Kurt continues to play mainly because he enjoys soccer. Despite never having made his breakthrough, he doesn’t consider his move to FC Bayern a mistake.