“I would like to announce that I will be ending my career this summer,” Süle said on the “Spielmacher” podcast. Soule has been toying with the idea of hanging up his boots for some time. The final decision came after the Hoffenheim game, in which he injured his knee.
“When our team doctor was doing the drawer test[a test to detect a possible cruciate ligament tear – Editor’s note]in the dressing room at Hoffenheim, I looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did the same thing and didn’t feel any resistance either – I walked into the shower and cried for ten minutes. At that moment, I really thought: ‘It’s torn,'” Soule said in a podcast, recalling Game 30. “When I went in for an MRI the next day and received the good news (that it was not a torn ACL after all), I knew 100 percent that it was over. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than looking forward to life — being independent, going on vacations, spending time with the kids — only to have to deal with my third ACL tear.”
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In the summer of 2022, Sule moved to Dortmund from Bayern Munich. The central defender made 109 appearances for the Black and Yellows, scoring 3 goals. Especially his first season with Dortmund was crucial to his development. “In my first year, when we almost won the league, what I experienced was that night in the hotel, walking to the stadium. What I felt then was something I had only felt once before my first professional game – nerves, excitement. It was one of the most nervous moments I had ever experienced before a game in Mainz. I don’t know if I will ever feel that way again in my life – an adrenaline rush.”
In Süle’s first season, Dortmund narrowly missed out on the Bundesliga title. In his second season, he reached the Champions League final with the team. “When I look back on my four years at Dortmund, there were many moments that I really enjoyed. The banter in the dressing room, the banter in the stadium – we had 80,000 people here. The fans always gave me a warm welcome. I will miss that time very much. I felt at home here. On my first day, I noticed the character of the people in Dortmund: openness, enthusiasm, honesty. I felt a huge connection here. My children go to kindergarten here. It was really hard for us to leave.”