Niklas Süle ends his playing career

Niklas Süle ends his playing career

“I would like to announce that I will be ending my career this summer,” says Süle on the “Spielmacher” podcast. Süle had been toying with the idea of hanging up his boots for some time. The final decision came after the match in Hoffenheim, where he injured his knee.

“What I felt when our team doctor did the drawer test in the dressing room in Hoffenheim (a test to detect a possible cruciate ligament tear – Ed.), looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did it too and didn’t feel any resistance either – I went into the shower and cried for ten minutes. In that moment, I really thought: ‘It’s torn’,” said Süle as he reflected on Matchday 30 in the podcast. “When I went for an MRI the next day and received the good news (that it wasn’t a cruciate ligament tear after all), it was one thousand per cent clear to me that it was over. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than looking forward to life – being independent, going on holiday, spending time with my children – only to then have to come to terms with my third cruciate ligament tear.”

Süle moved from Bayern Munich to BVB in the summer of 2022. The centre-back made 109 appearances and scored three goals for the Black & Yellows. His first season at Borussia Dortmund, in particular, proved to be formative. “What I experienced in my first year, when we almost won the league – the evening at the hotel, the walk to the stadium. What I felt then, I’d only ever felt once before, before my first professional match – the nervousness, the excitement. That was one of the most intense moments I’ve ever had, before the Mainz game. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to feel that way again in my life – with that adrenaline.”

In Süle’s first season, BVB narrowly missed out on winning the Bundesliga title. In his second season, he reached the Champions League final with the team. “When I look back on my four years in Dortmund, there were so many moments I really enjoyed. The banter in the dressing room, the stadium – we’re talking about 80,000 people here. The fans always gave me a warm welcome. I’m going to miss that time very much. How at home I felt here. On my first day, I noticed what the people in Dortmund are like: open, warm, honest. I felt a huge connection with that. My children go to nursery here. It’s really hard for us to leave.”