Former Germany defender Mats Hummels will end his professional football career this summer, the Roma player said in a video posted on X on Friday.
"Now comes the moment that no footballer can avoid. After more than 18 years and many things that football has given me, I'm ending my career this summer," Hummels said in the video showing several highlights of his career. "I'm struggling with my emotions right now."
Hummels joined the Bayern Munich youth academy in 2003 and made his professional debut with the Bavarian club in 2007. Shortly after, he moved to Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund for a first stint there from 2008 to 2016.
Dortmund fans weren't happy when Hummels decided to return to Bayern in 2016. But he eventually found his way back to Dortmund three years later.
After the 2023-24 season, however, his contract was not extended and Hummels moved to Roma, his first club outside Germany.
"I know how much this whole journey, this whole path has meant to me. How extraordinary it was able to experience that. Because it takes a lot, just having the right coaches at the right time, being fit at the right time, having the right team-mates at the right time," he said.
Hummels won five Bundesliga titles and three German Cup trophies. The highlight of his career was winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany in Brazil. He scored the winning goal in the 1-0 victory in the quarter-finals against France.
Hummels last played for the Germany national team in November 2023 and wasn't named to the Euro 2024 squad.
The defender also reached the Champions League final twice with Dortmund. In the 2012-13 season, they were defeated by Bayern, while last term, Dortmund and Hummels lost to record champions Real Madrid.
Nagelsmann praises Hummels
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann praised Hummels in the highest terms.
"Mats Hummels set international standards in his prime and has become a role model for an entire generation of defenders," said Nagelsmann, who took the job as Germany coach in September 2024.
"He wasn't just an outstanding centre back in the national team and interpreted his position in a modern way. You could always tell what it meant to him to play for Germany."
German Football Federation (DFB) sporting director Rudi Völler said that Hummels was "one of the defining faces of a very successful period for the national team.
"He played a significant role in these successes as a leading player, but also as a role off the pitch," Völler said.
