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Thank you, Mats! Official farewell at a sold-out stadium
The farewell match at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK was in honour of Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski, but all Black & Yellow eyes turned to Mats Hummels for one moment – with Piszczu and Kuba, along with the many former players and the 81,365 fans in attendance at the sold-out stadium, cheering on the Borussia man with the No. 15 shirt on his back, who had arrived in a very relaxed manner at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on an e-scooter earlier in the afternoon.
"Dear Mats, we bow down to you and your achievements! We wish you an unforgettable day today alongside many old companions. You will forever have a place in the club's history books!" Those were the words of welcome from BVB TV editor Danny Fritz – who was stepping in for the indisposed Nobby Dickel as the stadium announcer – to Mats Hummels shortly before the farewell match started on the pitch at the stadium in Dortmund, which bade the centre-back, who had joined AS Roma a few days earlier, a fitting farewell: amid deafening applause, Hummels once again allowed himself to take in the acclaim in front of the South Stand and did a quick farewell lap prior to the game as shouts of ‘Dortmund boys’ rang out around the ground.
The 35-year-old central defender enjoyed spells at Borussia Dortmund from January 2008 to June 2016 and from July 2019 to June 2024. Hummels made a total of 508 appearances for BVB across all competitions (38 goals / 23 assists), winning the German Bundesliga title in 2011 and 2012 plus the DFB-Pokal in 2012 and 2021. On two occasions (2013, 2024), the World Cup winner helped BVB to reach the Champions League final in London, where he played his last official game for the club several weeks ago. After Michael Zorc (572 appearances), Hummels is only the second player to cross the 500-game barrier for BVB: the 35-year-old occupies second spot on Borussia's record player list with 508 appearances.
"It has been 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 has become today. This club and its fans are something very special – and even more than that to me," Hummels said as he bade farewell in June. The fact the former Borussia player, who showed tireless commitment across 13 years, will forever be a part of this special club's history was demonstrated by the deafening applause from fans, officials and old companions on Sunday. Thank you, Mats!