Mats Hummels to leave Dortmund as free agent

Mats Hummels is to leave Borussia Dortmund as a free agent, the Bundesliga club announced in a statement on Friday.

The 35-year-old made 508 appearances for Dortmund across two spells and was an integral member of their title-winning sides in 2010 and 2011.

He signed for Bayern Munich, whose academy he came through, in 2016 and following three trophy-laden years at the Allianz Arena he returned to Dortmund in 2019. He won the German Cup and the German Super Cup in his second spell at the club.

“It was a huge honour and pleasure for me to have played for BVB for so long and to have been part of the journey from 13th place in January 2008 to what Borussia Dortmund is today,” Hummels said in a statement.

“This club with its fans is something very special — and for me much more than that.”

The defender was a key figure in Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final this season and scored a decisive goal in the win over Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the semifinal. However, he didn’t make the cut for Germany’s squad for the Euros.

“With Mats we are no doubt losing an outstanding personality, maybe the last of its kind in football,” Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl said.

“During his career Mats did not only leave his mark on the club but also on the global game of central defenders, lifting it to a new level.”

Hummels is the second high-profile departure from Dortmund this week, with manager Edin Terzić resigning from his post on Thursday.