Agreement not renewed. - Mats Hummels departs from Borussia Dortmund.
Trainer Edin Terzic confirmed that Mats Hummels will part ways with Borussia Dortmund this summer. The 35-year-old defender, who has been with the team for over 13 years, did not receive a new contract from the Bundesliga club. Despite his outstanding performances that helped BVB reach the Champions League final in 2022, he was not awarded with a new deal. Hummels' last match for the club was the 0:2 loss against Real Madrid. His departure was first reported by Ruhr Nachrichten on Thursday.
Hummels has expressed his gratitude to the fans and talked about his time at the club in a statement, saying, "It was an honor and joy for me to play for the BVB for so long and help shape its growth from 13th place in January 2008 to what it is today." He also added that the club and its fans are something "truly special" to him.
Originally from Bergisch-Gladbach, Hummels started his career at FC Bayern Munich, where he made his professional debut in 2007. He arrived at Dortmund in January 2008 and won two German championships, before being bought completely in 2009. After seven years, he returned to Bayern Munich as a World Cup winner. In 2019, he made another comeback to the Ruhr region with Dortmund, winning the Pokalsieger in 2021.
Lars Ricken, the BVB's commercial manager, acknowledged Hummels' contributions to the club, saying, "Mats was one of the key strategists of Borussia Dortmund football over the last 15 years." But, he also added that this decision was not easy for anyone involved. Hummels played 442 Bundesliga games (33 goals) and 90 Champions League matches (five goals) for BVB. His last international appearance was in November against Austria, where he was not selected for the Home-EM. In a recent interview with Sport Bild, Hummels criticized Trainer Edin Terzic before the Champions League final, which led to headlines about the trainer turmoil in Dortmund and the possibility of him leaving the club. Hummels, however, took it in stride, posting on Instagram, "Today will be a challenge for me as well," along with a laughing emoji.
