Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Sule has confirmed he will retire from football at the end of the season, with the former Germany international revealing how injury fears influenced his emotional decision.
Niklas Sule has confirmed that he will retire from professional football at the end of the current season, bringing an end to a career that included spells with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and the German national team.
The 30-year-old defender revealed that his contract with Dortmund, which expires on June 30, will be his final professional deal. Sule admitted that retirement had been on his mind for some time, but the decisive moment came after Dortmund’s match against his former club TSG Hoffenheim in mid-April, when he suffered a worrying knee injury.
The experienced centre-back described the emotional aftermath of the incident, explaining that fears of suffering a third cruciate ligament injury made him rethink his future in the game.
“What I felt when our doctor did the drawer test in the dressing room at Hoffenheim, looked at the physio and shook his head, then the physio did it too and also didn’t feel a stop, I went into the shower and cried for 10 minutes,” Sule said.
Niklas Süle wird seine aktive Fußballkarriere nach dem letzten Spieltag der Saison 2025/26 beenden. Dies gab der 30-Jährige Verteidiger nun im Podcast “Spielmacher” bekannt.
Mehr dazu hier: https://t.co/LI353bTa6q pic.twitter.com/Rwf5EWQxW0
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) May 7, 2026
Fortunately for the defender, scans later confirmed that the injury was not as serious as first feared. However, the scare convinced him that it was the right time to step away from football and prioritise his long-term health.
Sule joined Dortmund from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 and went on to make 109 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring three goals. Across his Bundesliga career, he played 299 matches and also earned 49 caps for Germany national football team.
Reflecting on his career, Sule highlighted Dortmund’s dramatic 2022-23 title race as one of the most emotional moments he experienced in football. He also helped the club reach the Champions League final during his second season, bringing a memorable close to a career spent competing at the highest level.
