Niklas Süle determined to make Borussia Dortmund impact
Niklas Süle has admitted he "did not deserve" to be part of Germany's UEFA Euro 2024 squad, but has worked hard to create "a Niklas Süle 2.0" who intends to be a major part of Borussia Dortmund's 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign.
Süle captained Dortmund three times in the league last season, but played just 23 games - including only four of the last nine - as he fell behind Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck in coach Edin Terzić's plans. He then had to watch from home as new Dortmund signing Waldemar Anton and Schlotterbeck were part of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad that reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
Watch: Borussia Dortmund getting in shape for 2024/25
Hummels and Terzić have both departed over the summer, but Anton has come in to provide competition for places while Nuri Şahin is the new man in the Dortmund dugout. Süle is determined to win his new coach over.
"I went into the summer break with the goal of creating a Niklas Süle 2.0. I'm now mentally in a place where I haven't been for a long time. I am mentally and physically in the sort of shape in which I can really kick on. It was very hard. There wasn't a single day when it felt like a holiday, but when I see how I am now, I'm happy and proud," said the 28-year-old, who has 49 caps for Germany, the last of which came in October 2023.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
"I didn't deserve to get called up by Julian Nagelsmann for the Euros. The decision was totally understandable and there's absolutely nothing to be said about that. I simply didn't have the mental strength to do the right things.
"I couldn't motivate myself anymore. I wanted to, but couldn't. Luckily, I was doing really well in my private life. Everything was - and is - in perfect order there. I then had a lot of important conversations and also got help."
The former Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich centre-back, who moved to Dortmund in summer 2022, did that by speaking to his agent and his family to put in place an elite personal team, notably adding a cook to his group of close collaborators who already included a mental coach.
"Their input was gold," said Süle, who is confident he can get game-time. "We have so many games, which means everyone will get time on the pitch. And even in such a bad season as last year, I was still able to play a few games, some of which were not too bad."
Süle and a new-look Dortmund will hope to impress in their opening Bundesliga tie of 2024/25 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday 24 August at 6:30pm CEST.
Related news
Players who represented both Bayern and Dortmund
Raphael Guerreiro and Robert Lewandowski are not the only ones to have crossed the Klassiker divide.
Top 5 passers in 2022/23
Joshua Kimmich leads the way, but who else made the list as the league's most effective passers?
Niklas Süle: 10 things
The Dortmund man started out as a striker, but is now a regular in defence for club and country...