Former Bayern Munich defender Niklas Süle shockingly announced his retirement on the “Spielmacher” podcast at the age of 30-years-old.
At one point, Süle was a dynamic talent with a unique combination of size, speed, and skill, but injuries took their toll on the German. Borussia Dortmund announced the retirement on its club website.
“I would like to announce that I will be ending my career this summer,” Süle said during his podcast appearance.
Borussia Dortmund indicated that Süle had been contemplating
retirement, but the knee injury he sustained against Hoffenheim seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for his career.
“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. “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 percent 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, who will be one of the all-time “What if?” players, moved from Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. While a very strong performer when healthy and in shape, the big man was often criticized by coaches for his fitness during his career.
Süle will retire with 299 Bundesliga appearances under his belt and 397 across all competitions at the senior level. Süle also had 49 appearances for Germany on the international scene as well.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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