Niklas Süle, a defender for Borussia Dortmund, has announced that he will retire from professional football at the end of the current campaign, ending his career at the age of thirty.
After suffering a knee injury during last month’s Bundesliga encounter against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, the Germany national football team international made this decision.
At first, Süle thought he had sustained a third rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an injury that had previously interfered with his career. The defender claimed that the scare altered his perspective on staying in the sport, even if subsequent medical testing revealed he had averted an ACL injury.
Speaking on the Spielmacher podcast on Wednesday, Süle said he was so distraught following the original diagnosis that he “went into the shower and cried for 10 minutes” because he thought the worst had occurred.
Even after learning of the more favorable MRI results, Süle stated that he had already made the decision to retire, citing his inability to deal with the prospect of another protracted recuperation period or more severe physical setbacks.
“I really thought, ‘It’s torn,'” he continued.
“I knew it was over when I went for the MRI the next day and got the excellent news [that it wasn’t a cruciate ligament tear].
I couldn’t imagine anything worse than actually looking forward to the time afterward—being independent, going on vacation, spending time with my children—but then having to deal with my third cruciate ligament tear,” he stated.
After his contract with Borussia Dortmund expires on June 30, Süle will formally retire from the game.
He was a member of the team that won the 2020 UEFA Champions League and won five Bundesliga titles with FC Bayern Munich during his career.
He won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and got 49 caps for Germany at the international level. He has represented his nation at two World Cups.
His career, which at its height promised even more but was ultimately characterized by injuries and challenging comebacks, is coming to an early conclusion with his retirement.
