Mats Hummels on rejoining Borussia Dortmund from Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich
Mats Hummels has rejoined Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner is delighted with the move.
Hummels, 30, left Bayern for Dortmund in 2008 - initially on loan - and went on to make 309 appearances for BVB, winning two Bundesliga titles and the DFB Cup under Jürgen Klopp between 2010 and 2012, before returning to Bayern in summer 2016.
In his second stint in Munich, Hummels turned out 118 times in all competitions, claiming a further three Bundesliga titles and the 2018/19 DFB Cup, and he is grateful for the time he spent at the Allianz Arena.
"First and foremost: Thanks you FC Bayern, my teammates, the fans for their great affection from the beginning, which I didn’t take for granted, and the staff over the last three years," Hummels posted on his Instagram account.
"I was able to get to know many great people and to experience many wonderful moments. Anyone who knows me knows that Munich will always be a special place for me!"
Watch: Mats Hummels' Bundesliga Mixtape
Hummels, who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup as part of his 70 senior international caps for Germany between May 2010 and November 2018, featured in 21 of Bayern's 34 Bundesliga matches in 2018/19, registering one goal and one assist.
He made 14 starts during the second half of the campaign as the record champions overturned what in January was a six-point deficit to Dortmund to claim their seventh successive Bundesliga title on the final day. The seasoned defender also played the full 90 minutes of Bayern's domestic double-clinching DFB Cup final win over RB Leipzig.
Despite those successes, Bayern, Dortmund and Hummels all believed that the time was right to make a change.
"After the talks with the people in charge in Munich and Dortmund, however, it soon became clear to me that my footballing home would again be at BVB in the future," he said.
"And that's why I'm really looking forward to coming back to Dortmund and hopefully building on the successful years before! Let's go BVB..."
Hummels' first competitive game for Dortmund in his second spell at the club is likely to be against Bayern in the DFL Supercup on 3 August.
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