Former Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Süle has returned to professional football just three months after announcing his retirement due to a series of knee injuries. The 30-year-old made his debut for SV Tiefenbach, a team in the ninth tier of German football, in a midfield role.
Süle, who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020, scored on his first appearance for the club, heading the ball into the net. However, his goal was not enough to prevent SV Tiefenbach from a 7-2 defeat against SG Kirchardt in their opening district league match.
Coach Jason Walzel commented on Süle's return, suggesting the player is enjoying his football more in a more offensive role. "I don’t think it was planned that he would one day actually play in the Kreisliga," Walzel told Badische Neueste Nachrichten. "The boys are happy; he’s a great guy."
Süle initially decided to end his professional career in May after believing he had suffered a third serious knee injury, specifically a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The incident occurred during Dortmund's 3-2 Bundesliga victory over Heidenheim in February. Although he feared the worst, subsequent medical tests revealed that he had not torn his ACL again.
Speaking on the "Spielmacher" podcast, Süle recounted the emotional impact of the injury scare. "What I felt when our team doctor did the drawer test in the dressing room in Hoffenheim, looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did it too and didn't feel any resistance either," he said. "I went into the shower and cried for ten minutes. In that moment, I really thought: 'It's torn'."
He added that receiving the positive news from his MRI scan the following day solidified his decision to retire. "When I went for an MRI the next day and received the good news [that it wasn't a cruciate ligament tear after all], it was one thousand per cent clear to me that it was over," Süle stated. "I couldn't imagine anything worse than looking forward to life – being independent, going on holiday, spending time with my children – only to then have to come to terms with my third cruciate ligament tear."
Süle began his career at Hoffenheim before transferring to Bayern Munich in 2017. During his time with Bayern, he won five Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2020. He later moved to Dortmund for four seasons, making 78 appearances. The defender also earned 49 caps for the German national team, scoring one goal.