He was earmarked to play up front as a striker. The curious tale behind Niklas Süle's collapsed transfer has now been laid bare

At the time, Süle was turning out for SV Darmstadt 98's youth setup. Reports indicate that he had already agreed a transfer to the club. 

The transfer collapsed when the Bertolt-Brecht-Schule, FCN's partner school, declined to admit him, prompting his parents to block the move to Franconia.

Curiously, the club had earmarked him as a striker for further development. Instead of moving to Nuremberg, Süle later joined TSG Hoffenheim.

Back in 2016, Süle's father Georg told *Bild* that his son had begun his career as a striker. "In the Under-7s, he scored 100 goals in a single season, so we moved him up to the Under-8s. But he scored 70 there straight away," the proud dad explained.

It was in this forward role that Süle later moved to Kraichgau. According to his father, Süle only shifted to centre-back in the U15s because the regular defenders were absent; he stepped in, won every header, and never looked back.

Nevertheless, ten years ago Georg Süle believed: "Niki could have made something of himself as a striker too."

Last week, the former international announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the season during an appearance on the "Spielmacher" podcast. 

His contract with BVB expires at the end of the season. During the interview, he reflected on the highlights of his 13-year professional career and his recurring weight issues. Towards the end, he paused the conversation to retrieve a bulging McDonald's bag from an adjoining room.

Earlier in the interview, Süle admitted how heavily his weight struggles had burdened him over the years. During his spell at FC Bayern Munich, he was even driven to fast on the day before the club's weekly weigh-in, then sweat out the excess pounds in a sauna while wearing a rain jacket.