'Went in the shower & cried for 10 minutes' - Ex-Bayern Munich star who won Champions League with Bavarian giants announces retirement at just 30 years old

The German centre-back confirmed his decision during an appearance on the Spielmacher podcast while currently sidelined. Sule, who won the Champions League as part of a historic treble with Bayern Munich, has spent the latter part of his career with Borussia Dortmund after joining the club in 2022. Despite being only 30 years old, the Germany international believes the time has come to step away from the game.

“I would like to announce that I will be ending my career this summer,” Sule said during the podcast appearance.

Sule explained that a recent injury scare during a match against Hoffenheim played a major role in shaping his decision. The defender feared he had suffered a third anterior cruciate ligament injury, prompting an emotional reaction in the dressing room.

He said: "What I felt when our team doctor did the drawer test [to detect a possible cruciate ligament tear] in the dressing room in Hoffenheim, looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did it too and didn’t feel any resistance either – I went into the shower and cried for 10 minutes. In that moment, I really thought: ‘It’s torn'.

"When I went for an MRI the next day and received the good news [that it wasn’t a cruciate ligament tear], it was one thousand per cent clear to me that it was over. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than looking forward to life – being independent, going on holiday, spending time with my children – only to then have to come to terms with my third cruciate ligament tear."

Sule leaves the game after a career that included major success with Bayern and a prominent role for BVB. Since joining Dortmund from Bayern in 2022, the defender has made 109 appearances for the club. During that time he became a regular presence in the squad and developed a strong connection with the club and its supporters.

"What I experienced in my first year, when we almost won the league – the evening at the hotel, the walk to the stadium. What I felt then, I’d only ever felt once before, before my first professional match – the nervousness, the excitement," he explained. "That was one of the most intense moments I’ve ever had, before the Mainz game. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to feel that way again in my life – with that adrenaline.

"When I look back on my four years in Dortmund, there were so many moments I really enjoyed. The banter in the dressing room, the stadium – we’re talking about 80,000 people here. The fans always gave me a warm welcome. I’m going to miss that time very much. How at home I felt here. On my first day, I noticed what the people in Dortmund are like: open, warm, honest. I felt a huge connection with that. My children go to nursery here. It’s really hard for us to leave."

Sule now plans to focus on life away from the demands of professional football. The defender indicated that spending more time with his family and enjoying personal freedom played a key role in his decision.

After years competing at the highest level of European football, Sule will bring his career to a close at the end of the current campaign. During his playing career, he won one Champions League, five Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Super Cup, two DFB-Pokal titles, one Club World Cup, and four DFL-Super Cup titles - all of which came while playing for Die Roten. The defender also earned 49 caps for the German national team and won the 2017 Confederations Cup.