‘Six pizzas & eight kebabs!’ - Niklas Sule sees diet slammed as ex-Borussia Dortmund star Markus Babbel accuses defender of being overweight

The Germany international has always been a centre-half of the burly variety, but that has never held him back while gracing the books of Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich and Dortmund. Sule has also earned 49 caps for his country.

He is, however, considered to have seen his standards dip a little in 2023-24, with Babbel – who was on the coaching staff at Hoffenhein in 2012 when Sule was making his way through the club’s youth system – suggesting that the 28-year-old lacks discipline off the field.

Babbel has told Sport1 of Sule’s questionable eating habits: “Sule is good, but just not very good. I think he has problems with having the discipline to do everything properly. When you carry three or four kilos more with you, you notice it at this level. There was also the topic of eating pizza six times a week and kebab eight times. That doesn't work. That doesn't mean he shouldn't do it at all. Sometimes you need a treat, that's all OK. But you can't do that every day.”

Sule joined Dortmund in 2022 and played 41 games for them in all competitions last season. In the current campaign, BVB sit fourth in the Bundesliga table – two points back on leaders Bayer Leverkusen, while picking up four points from their opening three games in the 2023-24 Champions League.