Thomas Meunier has been missing from BVB injured for months this season and was not used at all in the early stages of the season. The right-back celebrated his comeback at Borussia Dortmund against Bayer Leverkusen (1:1) and RB Leipzig (2:3) – and still has big plans for the black and yellow.
After the injuries to Marius Wolf and Julian Ryerson, the 32-year-old was brought back into Dortmund’s starting eleven for the first time this season against Leipzig. Against the Saxons, despite being outnumbered for a long time, he held out for BVB until the 82nd minute and was then replaced by Donyell Malen.
“The competition is tough, but I can play football again,” he told BVB club media about his return to Dortmund’s starting line-up.
In the coming weeks, the goal for the fifth-place team is now clear: not to lose any further points on the league leaders: “If you see that Leipzig is now ahead of us and Leverkusen, Bayern and Stuttgart are also in good form, then you no longer have a choice. Now it’s all about winning. We can’t afford anything else. It’s all about the three points.”
Meunier himself wants to actively help his team on the pitch again as often as possible. For the Belgian, it is also about his own future, as he does not yet have a contract in his pocket beyond the summer of 2024.
It is now considered unlikely that Westphalia will extend Meunier, who has been under contract with BVB since the summer of 2023. Nevertheless, he wants to give everything for his future career.
BVB star assures: “Play as long as possible”
“I have recovered very well. I work a lot – I even do some exercises at home. It’s not just about what happens on the pitch, but also off it. I never stop working. I’m not the same anymore Youngest and has to compensate for that with a few extra units.”
Even if the 1.90 m giant doesn’t continue in Dortmund: Meunier wants to be active as a professional footballer for as long as possible. Even during his long-term muscle injury, he had no thought of ending his career, as he himself emphasized: “No, never. In my head I’m still twelve years old. I’ll play until I’m 45, if I can. At least until 40 “Football is the only thing I love. That’s why I’m playing for as long as possible,” said the 62-time Belgian international.