Mats Hummels announces surprise retirement: "What a trip"

Mats Hummels says stop: the Roma defender will retire from playing soccer at the end of the season, when he goes on deadline with the Giallorossi club. He made the surprise announcement through a video posted on his Instagram profile.

“The End. What a journey” Hummels wrote in the caption of the post, thanking the three clubs he played for during his career – Roma, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich – as well as, of course, the German national team.

“This is the moment that no footballer can avoid – admits the German center back during the video – After 18 years of career and really so many things that soccer has given me, this summer I will end my career. I have seen so many teammates, so many coaches to whom I owe so much. Without them, my career would never have reached these levels”.

“It’s nice but it also puts a little bit of fear at the same time, because obviously it&#8217s an emotion that I&#8217m going to miss. But to have had this in my career means everything to me. And the fans are the ones who made it all better, when you feel them shaking after a goal and when they push you. It&#8217s been great to play in front of fans like that. And I will miss it. I miss it already” Hummels concluded.

In his career Hummels has won a beauty of five German championships between Dortmund and Bayern, three German Cups and six Super Cups in addition to the World Cup with Germany in 2014.