At DFB game
Mats Hummels shows his patchwork family
08.09.2025 – 9:28 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The DFB team defeats Northern Ireland with a little effort. Mats Hummels also follows the game from the stands – and did not come alone.
Mats Hummels officially ended his player career in summer. After a year at AS Rome, the 36-year-old officially gave up his soccer shoes. A few weeks ago, his long-time club Borussia Dortmund honored the central defender with an official farewell game, in which Hummels was allowed to cover the yellow-black jersey again for a few minutes.
As part of the World Cup qualification game of the German national team against Northern Ireland, the world champion of 2014 was now officially adopted by the DFB. Logically, Hummels no longer completed a short assignment for the DFB team, but was given a present from DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and sports director Rudi Völler before kick-off. The defense lawyer known for its filigree exterior paste was then honored as “Mr. Outdoorrist”. The fans chanted his name, on a banner “masterly, excellent, excellent, active, strong”. There was also a choreo of the fans, which showed his former number five in the middle of Germany flags.
video | Whistle at halftime: Nagelsmann – “have a clear opinion”
Player is loaded
Hummel’s partner Nicola Cavanis and his son from her first marriage, Ludwig, were also able to experience the farewell live. The RTL cameras caught the three together in the stands during the game.
The presence of Hummel’s seven-year-old son is worth mentioning because the ex-wife of the footballer, Cathy Hummels, had publicly criticized him after the BVB party game. In an Instagram post, she wrote that both she and son Ludwig had only learned about the farewell game from the newspaper. Later she stated that Hummels had apologized to his son for the failure and described the matter as clarified.
Now Hummels used the DFB party for a patchwork appearance. Together, the three were allowed to celebrate a 3-1 win of the German team.