Former national soccer player Nico Schulz continues his search for a new team
A while back, Borussia Dortmund decided to cut ties with ex-DFB player Nico Schulz prematurely. Fast forward to now, and the left-back has found a new team to call home. His new digs are in the heart of Turkey's capital, but it's not with a top-tier club he'll be playing for.
After a long spell away from the pitch, Nico Schulz, now 31, has signed for MKE Ankaragücü. They're a second-division team in Turkey, and Schulz has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract. His last competitive match was a 3-1 win over SpVgg Greuther Fürth, which took place on May 7, 2022. His market value has since dropped to 600,000 euros, as per transfermarkt.de.
In 2019, Dortmund shelled out around 25 million euros to purchase Schulz from Hoffenheim and secured a five-year deal with the defender. Unfortunately, injuries, poor form, and off-field controversies limited him to just 61 competitive appearances for Dortmund, scoring one goal and providing three assists. His contract with Dortmund came to an end in the summer of 2023, with reports suggesting that Schulz received a severance payment of around 2.5 million euros.
Schulz also represented Germany 12 times on the international stage, scoring two goals. One of his goals came in a friendly against Peru, while the other was in the Euro qualifiers against Holland. Back in 2016, Schulz netted the winner against Holland in the Amsterdam Arena, with Marco Reus providing the assist. Reus later moved to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS.
Before joining MKE Ankaragücü, Schulz was keeping fit by training with the Regionalliga side SV Babelsberg. However, his brief stint there drew criticism, particularly on social media. The criticism stemmed from charges against Schulz for physically assaulting his then-pregnant ex-partner on three occasions in 2020.
Later in February 2023, the Dortmund district court provisionally dismissed the charges against Schulz for bodily harm. Schulz was accused of assaulting his ex-partner three times, but his lawyer argued that his client had made mistakes in the relationship, but not as they had been described in the indictment. Ultimately, Schluz was fined 150,000 euros and directed to make a contribution to charitable organizations. Additionally, Schulz reportedly made amends with his ex-partner through an out-of-court victim-offender reconciliation process.
Following his departure from Borussia Dortmund, Nico Schulz joined the football league in Turkey, specifically MKE Ankaragücü, which is currently competing in the second division. Despite his previous stint at a top-tier club, Schulz will now be playing for a team that isn't in Turkey's elite division.
