Mats Hummels knew the end was coming. He announced it in a voice trembling with gratitude and regret, saying, “I’m struggling with my emotions right now. Now comes the moment no footballer can avoid. After more than 18 years and so many things that football has given me, I’m ending my career this summer.”
He’s 36, and he’ll retire when Roma’s season concludes. In many ways, his departure feels fitting. He rose through Bayern Munich’s youth ranks, only to become a linchpin at Borussia Dortmund. Later, he circled back to Bayern, where he added more silverware to his collection, before returning again to Dortmund and finally heading to Rome.
His track record speaks for itself: five Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, and six Super Cups. Hummels also has 78 caps for Germany, highlighted by that stunning victory at the 2014 World Cup.
A role model in defense
Coaches and teammates have praised Hummels for his leadership, sharp reading of the game, and reliability under pressure. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann once called him “a benchmark at the international level and a role model for a generation of defenders.” In two spells at Dortmund, he ventured into Champions League finals twice, leaving both empty-handed yet indelibly marking each campaign with his poise in defense.
Time has eroded some of his pace, but never his sense of timing or calm on the ball. He’s been through the highest highs, standing on the pitch at the Maracanã in Brazil when Germany lifted that golden trophy. He’s also weathered the heartbreak of near misses in the Champions League. Yet he insists he owes his success to those around him. “It takes a lot,” he said, “just having the right coaches at the right time, being fit at the right time, having the right teammates at the right time.”
At Roma, his appearances have been fewer but still meaningful. He rarely complains. Instead, he emphasizes that he’s grateful for every minute granted. Now he’s ready to step away. He’ll finish out these last months, then leave behind the stadium lights and the chants of fans who once roared his name.
No one can play forever. That’s the truth he’s facing head-on. As he wrote in his farewell post, “I know how much this whole journey, this whole path has meant to me.” When he walks off the field for the final time, he’ll carry a sense of fulfillment and the knowledge that, for nearly two decades, he gave everything to a sport he loves.
