It was a shocking moment for all BVB fans – and certainly also for national coach Julian Nagelsmann: In the final phase of Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga home game against 1. FC Union Berlin, defense chief Mats Hummels held his thigh and signaled: It can’t go any further. After the final whistle, the 34-year-old gave an initial update.
With Julian Ryerson’s 4-2 win in the 70th minute, BVB finally forgot the 1-2 half-time deficit in the home game against Union Berlin. Everything seemed fine again. Then suddenly Mats Hummels reported the alarm.
With his face contorted in pain, Borussia Dortmund’s defense chief held his thigh in the 72nd minute and indicated: It couldn’t go any further. Niklas Süle immediately came into the game for the 34-year-old.
Hummels received the warm, encouraging applause of the BVB stadium as he left the pitch. After the final whistle, he came to the TV interview with a bandaged thigh – and gave an initial update on his injury.
BVB star Hummels talks about DFB trip: “It was a big goal for me”
The injury does not seem to endanger Hummels’ return to the German national team. “It’s all good. I gave it a bit of a run in the classic way,” said the BVB veteran on “Sky”: “I played a lot of games, Wednesday I got a lot against Milan. At some point there was a long run and then I noticed that there is some risk.”
Hummels also revealed that he made his substitution based on the score: “After the 4-2 win, I made the decision that we would go through with it.”
The new national coach Julian Nagelsmann nominated Hummels for the upcoming international trip to America on Friday. For the BVB defender, this is the first DFB call-up since the European Championships in the summer of 2021. Despite good performances, Hummels was not considered by ex-national coach Hansi Flick for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I don’t have any great expectations. I’m very happy to be back,” Hummels admitted on “Sky” about his upcoming DFB comeback: “Everyone knew – even if I didn’t talk about it publicly – what a big thing The goal for me was to get back into the national team. I love playing for my country – what can I say? It’s the greatest honor in football.”