Mats Hummels welcomes change at BVB – not afraid of competition

competition a “stimulus”

“The interim conclusion is good, but I would wish that after this season we turned the ‘good’ into ‘very good’. And that only happens if we have something in our hands at the end,” central defender Mats Hummels summed up his second term at Borussia Dortmund, which has been running since 2019, a year before the end of his contract. The 33-year-old reflected in an interview with the “Ruhr news“ the upheaval at BVB that took place in the summer, called for a closer fight for the title with a view to the upcoming season and explained why the transfers of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck and the resulting competition spurs him on rather than scares him.

With a total of 86 million euros in expenditure, the Westphalians are among the ten teams worldwide that have invested the most money in new players this summer – including the two top transfers Sébastien Haller and Karim Adeyemi for the offensive as well as the national team duo Süle and Schlotterbeck for the defense. The 2014 World Champion was not surprised that the squad change in the Black and Yellow team was so extensive: “Sebastian Kehl, as the new sports director, has also experienced the past few years. And from that it was understandable that something had to happen,” said the 2014 world champion, who adds: “Because we didn’t have the maximum climate conducive to success in all areas.” Hummels clearly formulated his sporting aspirations for the upcoming Bundesliga season : “We have to play for the championship, that’s what I say. (…) We have to get everything out of ourselves, then we can’t blame ourselves if that’s not enough. But apart from winning the 2021 cup, we didn’t succeed in that.”

Hummels on the new BVB squad: “I’m a huge fan of competition”

The right-footedman is satisfied with the activities on the transfer market so far: “We brought in a lot of outstanding guys – for the team, but also for the team around. A lot of things were tackled really well.” Hummels is not afraid that he could end up on the bench in view of the increasing competition on the defensive last year: “For me, the fight for the place is definitely like that bigger than it has been for a very long time – like in my early days with the national team. That’s quite a nice thing and nothing that makes me frown now. (…) I’m a huge fan of competition. I think the people who can be too sure of their place very often don’t manage to tease the last percent out of themselves. And that’s why I always find competition to be something very invigorating.”

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Critics who attest to the 1.91 meter central defender’s lack of quality and fitness do not influence him in any way: “Oh, you know, many have been wondering for 16 years how I manage to play at this level. Then they can also talk about it. That’s not meant to be as harsh as it might sound, but: The opinion of experts is sometimes extremely irrelevant. At least for me, maybe not for others. I think you can only really appreciate what someone achieves if you experience it every day.”

Hummels himself is his biggest critic, his claim is always maximum: “I’m never happy if I don’t play well. And when I then notice that I’m not getting close to my level, which firstly I expect from myself and secondly also still have inside me, then it really rankles me. This is something that bothers me quite a bit, but it also spurs me on in a positive way. (…) The situation with the two boys, with Niki and Nico, but also the fact that I want to do something to ensure that we are successful as a team this year – all of that together was a very, very good incentive about the summer break.”

Hummels on the 2022 World Cup: “I clearly have to play better”

Hummels has not yet completely written off his participation in the World Cup in Qatar, but understands the loss of his place in the national team: “I clearly have to play better than last season. I’m very realistic. If I don’t manage to raise myself to the level, I can’t be an issue in the national team either.”

The native of Bergisch-Gladbach, who generated around 70 million euros in transfer income during his career with three changes between FC Bayern and BVB, also expressed understanding that the club only wants to talk about the extension of his expiring contract next spring: ” I just said to Sebastian Kehl that if I were BVB I wouldn’t be extending the contract with myself (laughs). I think the ease that both sides are showing is just right. I want to have the feeling that I can still help and that I’m not just ballast.”

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