Mats Hummels is a central defender, who currently plays for the German club Borussia Dortmund and the German national team. He is known for his resolute defence, excellent reading of the game and his physical prowess.
Hummels has only ever played for two clubs – Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. He came through Bayern’s academy before joining Dortmund. He returned to Bayern before again moving back to Dortmund in 2019. He has also made 78 senior appearances for Germany’s national team.
Hummels was born on December 16, 1988, to two sportspeople. His father was a professional football player, while his mother was a professional water polo player. He was married to Cathy Fischer but they got divorced in 2022. They did have a son together, though, in 2018.
Mats Hummels Information
- Full Name: Mats Hummels
- Profession: Professional footballer
- Height: 1.91m
- Weight: 92 kg
- Foot: Right-footed
- Playing position: Central defense
- Jersey Number: 15
- Professional Debut: 2007
- Date of Birth: December 16, 1988
- Place of Birth: Bergish Gladbach, West Germany
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Father: Hermann Hummels
- Mother: Ulla Holthoff
- Siblings: Jonas Hummels
Mats Hummels Club Career
Bayern Munich Youth
Mats Hummels started his club career at just six years of age, joining Bayern Munich’s youth setup. He played with the youth team before signing a professional contract on December 19, 2006.
The German then made his professional debut in 2007, featuring in Bayern’s 5-2 win over FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. He also used to play with the reserve side along with making appearances for the first team.
Borussia Dortmund
Hummels then joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in January 2008. He quickly became the first-choice centre-back at the club and the loan went on until the summer of 2009, making it an 18-month loan move. Despite missing a few games due to injury, his transfer was made permanent for €4 million.
Hummels remained a key player in Dortmund’s growth the following years. He then helped them to the Bundesliga title in the 2010-11 season. He formed a formidable partnership with Neven Subotic and earned huge praise from across the footballing world for his performances that season.
Hummels then helped Dortmund to a domestic double the next season (2011-12). They won the Bundesliga, setting the record for most points in a season with 18 points. They then beat Bayern Munich 5-2 in the DFB-Pokal final, with Hummels scoring a goal as well. On the back of this triumph, he signed a new five-year contract with the club.
In 2013, they reached the UEFA Champions League final but lost 2-1 against fellow German side Bayern Munich in London. Dortmund did, however, beat them in the DFL Supercup in July that year.
In the 2015-16 season, Hummels announced that he will be joining Bayern Munich at the end of the campaign. Incidentally, Dortmund and Bayern clashed in the DFB-Pokal final that season but the Bavarians won in the penalty shootout. Hummels was subbed off at half-time due to an injury.
Bayern Munich
Mats Hummels signed a five-year contract on July 1, 2016 with Bayern Munich. His first match on his return to the club was against Dortmund as the Bavarians won 2-0 in the DFL-Supercup. He scored his first goal for Bayern in a DFB-Pokal match against Carl Zeiss Jena on November 26.
In 2017, Hummels missed Bayern’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid due to a knee injury. He hadn’t recovered for the second leg but still played as Javi Martinez was suspended. They ended up losing the game 4-2 and were eliminated.
On April 26, Bayern lost 3-2 against Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal semi-final despite Hummels scoring a goal.
Mats Hummels was also part of a collaboration between The LEGO Group and the German Football Association. They released a collectible of 16 mini-figurines, with the defender being one of them.
The next season again began with a penalty shootout win over Borussia Dortmund in the DFL Supercup for Bayern Munich. Hummels also scored his first Champions League goal for the Bavarians in a 3-0 win over Celtic. He captained Bayern for the first time on April 28, 2018 in a 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 2018-19 season also started with a DFL-Supercup win for Bayern Munich. However, Hummels form dipped over the course of the season and he was criticized for his performances. He blamed the dip on sickness. The Bavarians, meanwhile, won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
Return to Borussia Dortmund
Mats Hummels returned to Borussia Dortmund in 2019 for a transfer fee of €37 million. He helped them win the DFB-Pokal in the 2020-21 season as they beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in the final.
In 2023, he extended his contract with Dortmund for another year. He also became the player with the second-most appearances for the club after making his 454th appearance in February 2023. He surpassed Roman Weidenfeller and is only behind Michael Zorc, who had 572 appearances.
Hummels surpassed the 500 mark in April 2024. He became the oldest German player (35 years 143 days) to score in a UEFA Champions League knockout game on May 7 as he helped Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. He won the Player of the Match award in both legs against PSG.
International Career
Mats Hummels first featured for the Germany U21 side at the 2009 UEFA U21 European Championship. After a few appearances, he was called for the senior team and made his debut in 2010 in a friendly against Malta.
He played all matches in Germany’s 2012 Euro campaign and was one of the better performers for the side. He was also an important player in their 2014 FIFA World Cup-winning campaign. He scored in the first match against Portugal and also scored the winner in a 1-0 win over France in the quarter-finals.
Hummels captained Germany for the first time in 2017 against England. He also featured in the 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign. He missed the second group game due to sickness and returned in the final game against South Korea, which they lost 2-0 and were eliminated.
At Euro 2020, Hummels scored Germany’s first-ever own goal in Euros in a 1-0 defeat against France in the group stage. He wasn’t named in the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad or the 2024 Euro squad.
Style of Play
Mats Hummels is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. He is tall, strong and a physical specimen and uses his physicality to dominate opponents. He is excellent in the air and also has a good positional sense.
Hummels is also good in possession and is composed with his passing on the ball and has the ability to get out of tight situations. He isn’t gifted with immense pace but makes up for it with his excellent positional sense.
He is also a leader on the pitch and has captained all 3 sides he’s played for so far.
Mats Hummels Personal Life
Mats Hummels was born on December 16, 1988, to father Hermann Hummels and mother Ulla Holthoff. His mother was a professional water polo player. His father, meanwhile, was a former professional footballer and also worked as a youth coordinator at Bayern Munich.
He has one brother – Jonas Hummels. Jonas was afootball playerballer but had to quit due to consistent injury issues.
Mats Hummels married Cathy Fischer in 2015 and the couple had a kid in 2018. In 2022, Cathy announced thawerele are divorced.
Career Statistics
| Team | Year | Apppearances | Goals |
| Bayern Munich II | 2005-2008 | 42 | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 2006-2007 | 2 | – |
| Borussia Dortmund (loan) | 2007-2008 | 16 | – |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2008-2016 | 309 | 25 |
| Bayern Munich | 2016-2019 | 116 | 8 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2019- | 197 | 13 |
| Germany | 2010 | 78 | 5 |
Mats Hummels Honors
Borussia Dortmund:
Bundesliga: 2010-11, 2011-12
DFB-Pokal: 2011-12, 2020-21
DFL-Supercup: 2013
Bayern Munich:
Bundesliga: 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
DFB-Pokal: 2018-19
DFL-Supercup: 2016, 2017, 2018
Germany U21:
UEFA U21 Euros: 2009
Germany:
FIFA World Cup: 2014
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