Retrospect: Mats Hummels Bids Farewell to Football in Low-Key Exit
- Tim Schulze | Approx. Reading Time: 3 Minutes*
Mats Hummels' Departure Deserves More Recognition or Respect - Mats Hummels deserved a more fitting farewell.
In a seemingly unassuming conclusion to a stellar career that spanned 18 years, Mats Hummels bid adieu to professional football at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, during AS Roma's last game of the season. With four minutes remaining, Hummels was substituted, marking the penultimate minutes of his playing days in a relatively muted atmosphere. Overwhelmed, his teammates applauded him with jubilant lifts, acknowledging the departure of a great.
Addressing his emotions at the final whistle, Hummels professed, "I don't know exactly how I feel. I'm happy, sad, full of emotions." The realization of a disappointment loomed as the club narrowly missed qualifying for the Champions League and settled for a place in the Europa League instead.
In sharp contrast to Thomas Müller's Farewell
While Hummels ended his journey as a professional athlete with a sense of understatement, Thomas Müller received a star-studded send-off as his career wound down. For weeks, media outlets and fans showered praises on the one-year younger Müller, and in his last home game, coach Vincent Kompany honored him with a place in the starting lineup. His emotional farewell speech was met with standing ovations, and rainbows of confetti filled the air. Furthermore, Müller was awarded an extra mini-contract to participate in the Club World Cup in the United States. FC Bayern Munich had made it a tradition to grant fitting farewells to their legendary players.
Interestingly, Müller, who remained loyal to FC Bayern throughout his career, benefited from the 34th German championship win and the potential prolongation of his career. His career's denouement, however, remained unclear.
BVB's Controversial Handling of Hummels' Departure
Hummels spent 13 out of his 18 professional years at Borussia Dortmund before making a three-year stint at FC Bayern Munich, returning to Dortmund in 2019. His last season with Dortmund was noteworthy, contributing significantly to the team's run to the DFB Pokal final.
Discontent simmered when Hummels explicitly criticized coach Edin Terzić's tactical approach in a spring 2024 interview, raising tensions between the player and the club management. The extension offer that Müller received in Munich the previous year was not granted to Hummels, both for sporting and non-sporting reasons. During his final home game, Hummels received a meager bouquet of flowers and a handshake bearing no warmth.
Hummels, often admired for his impressive tackles and outside-of-the-boot passes, never truly endeared himself to the hearts of BVB fans. Müller, on the other hand, earned a sense of camaraderie through his amiable demeanor. Still, the manner in which Dortmund handled the retirement of a deserving player stirred controversy.
Mats Hummels Looks Back with a Tinge of Bitterness
The breakup from Borussia Dortmund seemed to have left a deep impact on Hummels, as he expressed in the ZDF documentary "Hummels - La Finale." The lack of personal conversation prior to the announcement and the alleged leaking of information to the media fueled his bitterness.
Hummels' short stint at AS Roma was marked by a difficult start, with a red card in the Europa League quarter-finals that essentially ended the team's run. Now, he is focused on spending time with his son Ludwig, hoping for a fitting tribute in the future. Hummels' achievements deserve recognition.
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation in the emotional environment of European football leagues, particularly Serie A, as Mats Hummels, a former professional footballer who spent 13 years at Borussia Dortmund, bid farewell to the sport in a low-key exit, similar to the manner ionizing radiation protection regulations may be implemented in sports stadiums and training facilities. In contrast, Thomas Müller, another renowned footballer and Hummels' teammate at Borussia Dortmund, received a star-studded send-off, illustrating the differences between the professional farewells in the world of sports, much like the varying levels of protection required for different workers in ionizing radiation industries.
