Before his surprise retirement, a Bundesliga club had reportedly been weighing a move for BVB defender Niklas Süle

Niklas Süle's surprise retirement, announced on Thursday via the "Spielmacher" podcast, draws a line under the matter. According to the report, 1. FC Köln and several MLS clubs had been interested in signing the centre-back.

His decision followed a match against former club TSG Hoffenheim on 18 April, when he feared a third cruciate ligament tear and broke down in tears. "When our doctor performed the drawer test in the dressing room, looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did the same and felt no resistance either—that's when I went into the shower and cried for ten minutes." Although the all-clear eventually came, for him it was "a thousand per cent clear that it was over."

Niklas Süle has informed BVB coach Niko Kovac of his decision to leave the club, ending speculation that had been swirling for weeks. Those close to the centre-back knew the move was coming, and his departure was all but confirmed when Dortmund chose not to extend his contract, which expires this summer. The 29-year-old will receive an official send-off before Friday's match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Yet, on a purely sporting level, Süle feels he could still take on a new challenge. "I do believe that I'm a player who, in terms of quality, could continue playing football. Mentally, it became more difficult," he said. Alongside his run of injuries, Süle has repeatedly battled weight issues, discussing them with unusual openness and self-deprecating humour on "Spielmacher" for the professional game.

Süle, who joined BVB on a free transfer from FC Bayern Munich in 2022, is still chasing one final milestone. "In the best-case scenario, I'll get another ten seconds, a minute, or, if Niko Kovac wants, even five minutes – I can manage that. Maybe I'll come on again, play my 300th Bundesliga match in a setting like this, in front of 80,000 spectators, with my loved ones from my family. I'm incredibly grateful, after all the injuries I've had, that I'm still in reasonably good physical shape, able to play sport, play with my children and play golf. I'm just going to enjoy that on Friday," he explained.

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