Mats Hummels' CV is unlike that of many footballers in that, at the age of 25, he has only ever played for two teams. Having started out at Bayern Munich, in January 2008 the defender joined Borussia Dortmund, where he has since developed into an irreplaceable member of the starting line-up, as well as becoming a full German international.
And while Bayern are an indelible part of Hummels’ past, they also feature heavily in his present at regular intervals. The next occasion will be on Saturday at Berlin’s Olympiastadion when the two sides meet to contest the DFB Cup final, which will be broadcast live on ARD and Sky from 20:00 CET. DFB.de takes a closer look at the Dortmund defender.
"Hopefully it'll be a fantastic cup final just like it was in 2012"
Out on the pitch Hummels is famed for his sense of anticipation and the elegant, decisive manner in which he tames opposition strikers. It is therefore no surprise that the centre-back exudes the same sense of control off the field too: he never dwells on the result of a game, regardless of the outcome.
"If we lose I might still be annoyed about it until the evening of the same day, but no longer than that", he said. "I've learned that I can't change the result. By the same token I don't bask in our victories for weeks on end now either." Past experiences in high-profile cup finals against Bayern have helped shape Hummels’ pragmatic outlook, even if he is as excited as millions of other football fans in the build-up to Saturday's title-decider against the side that has won the DFB Cup more often than any other: "It's a match between the two best teams in Germany. Hopefully it'll be a fantastic cup final just like it was in 2012."
Dortmund won that game 5-2 to complete a first domestic double in the club's 105-year history. "I'd have nothing against it ending with the same scoreline as two years ago", laughed Hummels, who netted a penalty that day to help his side to glory. "We all know how difficult it is to beat Bayern but we also know what we're capable of doing."
Champions League woe
The frequent meetings of the Bundesliga behemoths in title-deciders is the logical consequence of their domestic superiority, and this year will be the third time since 2008 that the pair square off in the DFB Cup final. Bayern triumphed after extra time that year before Dortmund exacted their revenge in 2012. The global spotlight was trained on the clubs last year when they contested what was perhaps the best Champions League final in history in London.
Late in the evening of 25 May 2013 Hummels appeared in a tuxedo, complete with a crisp white shirt and black bow-tie, at Dortmund's stylish post-match party at the Natural History Museum. His disconsolate facial expression, mirrored by the 1,400 other guests present, made it clear he was in no mood to celebrate as he listened to the defiant speech made by club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. Only a few hours had passed since the nerve-wracking 2-1 reverse to Bayern, a defeat Hummels described as being "hugely disappointing". Nevertheless, the defender dutifully listened as Oliver Bierhoff, general manager of the German national team, acknowledged Dortmund's influential role in "German football's finest hour".
Watzke's forthright admission that the loss felt "rather rotten" was more likely to have struck a chord with Hummels than the rather inappropriate victory anthem performed by Helene Fischer, a take on Die Toten Hosen's 'Tage wie diese' ('Days like this'). The fact that Hummels still felt "quite proud" of Dortmund's outstanding defensive display against Bayern at the iconic Wembley Stadium "did not hit home given the overwhelming disappointment" in the immediate aftermath of the match.
Spot-kick success in 2012
However, it was not long before Hummels admitted that the defeat in London "hadn't affected me as badly as I thought," and he went on to express his genuine belief that the unforgettable ties en route to the final, such as the encounters against Malaga and Real Madrid, were "almost better" than winning the continental crown would have been. "If we had won the final as well then maybe all my childhood dreams would have been fulfilled a bit too early," he explained.
The first of those came to fruition by lifting the Bundesliga title in 2011 and the domestic double a year later, with Hummels' penalty past Manuel Neuer in the 2012 DFB Cup final a crucial turning point in the game. "I think 12 May 2012 will go down as one of the most successful days in all of our careers," Hummels said of the triumph.
Even balance
In July 2013 Dortmund beat Bayern 4-2 in sweltering heat to take the German Super Cup and the sides have locked horns twice in the league since then, with both teams winning their away matches 3-0, the most recent of which went in Dortmund’s favour five weeks ago.
Given the frequency with which Bayern and Dortmund have played each other, Hummels believes the chances of the team's respective coaches, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, pulling off a tactical surprise are minimal: "Both sides know who can do what and also who can't do certain things. But it's one thing to identify your opponent’s weaknesses and another to exploit them in a game. The art of doing that is unbelievably difficult to achieve even though you know what needs to be done. It all comes down to being on top of your game."
No grudge match
While it may be tempting to paint the forthcoming DFB Cup final as a chance for Dortmund to take revenge for their defeat at Wembley, Hummels believes too much time has passed for that to be the case. And although he still briefly questions some of the decisions Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli made when his mind wanders back to that Champions League decider, Hummels is in no doubt that the right team won on the day: "We're responsible for losing the final. We just have to accept that. We were tired at the end and Bayern took advantage of that."
Indeed, Wembley does not hold many happy memories for Hummels. Just six months after that Champions League defeat the defender damaged ligaments in his heel in Germany's 1-0 friendly win there against England. Shortly after his comeback away to Braunschweig Hummels injured his ankle, meaning he missed over three months of Bundesliga action in total.
Silver lining
Yet such a lengthy absence may turn out to be a blessing for Hummels ahead of Saturday's final and then the World Cup in Brazil, as he has played significantly fewer games than most of his contemporaries with a draining domestic season now drawing to a close. "There were five weeks in March and April where we were playing twice a week so I was as exhausted as everyone else," he said. "But once that busy period was over I started feeling good again physically."
That is good news for Dortmund given Hummels' importance to the team’s overall game. The defender initiates attacks from the back, be it with a penetrating through-ball into the forwards or a diagonally lofted pass out to the wings. In the 2008 final coach Thomas Doll left the centre-back on the bench in favour of battle-hardened duo Robert Kovač und Christian Wörns. Such a decision would be unthinkable today.
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Mats Hummels' CV is unlike that of many footballers in that, at the age of 25, he has only ever played for two teams. Having started out at Bayern Munich, in January 2008 the defender joined Borussia Dortmund, where he has since developed into an irreplaceable member of the starting line-up, as well as becoming a full German international.
And while Bayern are an indelible part of Hummels’ past, they also feature heavily in his present at regular intervals. The next occasion will be on Saturday at Berlin’s Olympiastadion when the two sides meet to contest the DFB Cup final, which will be broadcast live on ARD and Sky from 20:00 CET. DFB.de takes a closer look at the Dortmund defender.
"Hopefully it'll be a fantastic cup final just like it was in 2012"
Out on the pitch Hummels is famed for his sense of anticipation and the elegant, decisive manner in which he tames opposition strikers. It is therefore no surprise that the centre-back exudes the same sense of control off the field too: he never dwells on the result of a game, regardless of the outcome.
"If we lose I might still be annoyed about it until the evening of the same day, but no longer than that", he said. "I've learned that I can't change the result. By the same token I don't bask in our victories for weeks on end now either." Past experiences in high-profile cup finals against Bayern have helped shape Hummels’ pragmatic outlook, even if he is as excited as millions of other football fans in the build-up to Saturday's title-decider against the side that has won the DFB Cup more often than any other: "It's a match between the two best teams in Germany. Hopefully it'll be a fantastic cup final just like it was in 2012."
Dortmund won that game 5-2 to complete a first domestic double in the club's 105-year history. "I'd have nothing against it ending with the same scoreline as two years ago", laughed Hummels, who netted a penalty that day to help his side to glory. "We all know how difficult it is to beat Bayern but we also know what we're capable of doing."
Champions League woe
The frequent meetings of the Bundesliga behemoths in title-deciders is the logical consequence of their domestic superiority, and this year will be the third time since 2008 that the pair square off in the DFB Cup final. Bayern triumphed after extra time that year before Dortmund exacted their revenge in 2012. The global spotlight was trained on the clubs last year when they contested what was perhaps the best Champions League final in history in London.
Late in the evening of 25 May 2013 Hummels appeared in a tuxedo, complete with a crisp white shirt and black bow-tie, at Dortmund's stylish post-match party at the Natural History Museum. His disconsolate facial expression, mirrored by the 1,400 other guests present, made it clear he was in no mood to celebrate as he listened to the defiant speech made by club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. Only a few hours had passed since the nerve-wracking 2-1 reverse to Bayern, a defeat Hummels described as being "hugely disappointing". Nevertheless, the defender dutifully listened as Oliver Bierhoff, general manager of the German national team, acknowledged Dortmund's influential role in "German football's finest hour".
Watzke's forthright admission that the loss felt "rather rotten" was more likely to have struck a chord with Hummels than the rather inappropriate victory anthem performed by Helene Fischer, a take on Die Toten Hosen's 'Tage wie diese' ('Days like this'). The fact that Hummels still felt "quite proud" of Dortmund's outstanding defensive display against Bayern at the iconic Wembley Stadium "did not hit home given the overwhelming disappointment" in the immediate aftermath of the match.
Spot-kick success in 2012
However, it was not long before Hummels admitted that the defeat in London "hadn't affected me as badly as I thought," and he went on to express his genuine belief that the unforgettable ties en route to the final, such as the encounters against Malaga and Real Madrid, were "almost better" than winning the continental crown would have been. "If we had won the final as well then maybe all my childhood dreams would have been fulfilled a bit too early," he explained.
[bild2]
The first of those came to fruition by lifting the Bundesliga title in 2011 and the domestic double a year later, with Hummels' penalty past Manuel Neuer in the 2012 DFB Cup final a crucial turning point in the game. "I think 12 May 2012 will go down as one of the most successful days in all of our careers," Hummels said of the triumph.
Even balance
In July 2013 Dortmund beat Bayern 4-2 in sweltering heat to take the German Super Cup and the sides have locked horns twice in the league since then, with both teams winning their away matches 3-0, the most recent of which went in Dortmund’s favour five weeks ago.
Given the frequency with which Bayern and Dortmund have played each other, Hummels believes the chances of the team's respective coaches, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, pulling off a tactical surprise are minimal: "Both sides know who can do what and also who can't do certain things. But it's one thing to identify your opponent’s weaknesses and another to exploit them in a game. The art of doing that is unbelievably difficult to achieve even though you know what needs to be done. It all comes down to being on top of your game."
No grudge match
While it may be tempting to paint the forthcoming DFB Cup final as a chance for Dortmund to take revenge for their defeat at Wembley, Hummels believes too much time has passed for that to be the case. And although he still briefly questions some of the decisions Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli made when his mind wanders back to that Champions League decider, Hummels is in no doubt that the right team won on the day: "We're responsible for losing the final. We just have to accept that. We were tired at the end and Bayern took advantage of that."
Indeed, Wembley does not hold many happy memories for Hummels. Just six months after that Champions League defeat the defender damaged ligaments in his heel in Germany's 1-0 friendly win there against England. Shortly after his comeback away to Braunschweig Hummels injured his ankle, meaning he missed over three months of Bundesliga action in total.
Silver lining
Yet such a lengthy absence may turn out to be a blessing for Hummels ahead of Saturday's final and then the World Cup in Brazil, as he has played significantly fewer games than most of his contemporaries with a draining domestic season now drawing to a close. "There were five weeks in March and April where we were playing twice a week so I was as exhausted as everyone else," he said. "But once that busy period was over I started feeling good again physically."
That is good news for Dortmund given Hummels' importance to the team’s overall game. The defender initiates attacks from the back, be it with a penetrating through-ball into the forwards or a diagonally lofted pass out to the wings. In the 2008 final coach Thomas Doll left the centre-back on the bench in favour of battle-hardened duo Robert Kovač und Christian Wörns. Such a decision would be unthinkable today.
