Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the departure of Mats Hummels after a combined 13-and-a-half years at the club.
Hummels initially joined on loan from Bayern Munich in January 2008 and went on to make 508 appearances across two spells with Dortmund, who he left in 2016 before returning three years later.
The decorated defender won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with the Black and Yellow in 2010-11 and 2011-12, while also helping them reach two Champions League finals.
The latter of these came earlier this month when Edin Terzic's side were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid at Wembley.
During his second spell, Hummels made 367 Bundesliga appearances - 343 of which were starts - with Dortmund winning 216 of those and keeping 108 clean sheets along the way.
The decorated defender, who also won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern as well as the 2014 World Cup with Germany, is the club's second significant departure in as many days, with head coach Terzic resigning on Thursday.
"It was a huge honour and pleasure for me to have played for BVB for so long and to have been part of the journey from 13th place in January 2008 to what Borussia Dortmund is today," he told the club's official website.
"This club with its fans is something very special - and for me, much more than that. I would also like to thank all the BVB employees who do great work for this club and, of course, the countless great coaches and fantastic team-mates I have been able to experience here.
"I'll be cheering from afar and hopefully in the stadium, from time to time. I will miss you."
"In Mats Hummels, we are undoubtedly losing an outstanding personality, perhaps one of the last of his kind in football," sporting director Sebastian Kehl added.
"Mats has not only shaped BVB during his career, but has also taken the centre-back game to a new level worldwide. In addition, Mats is a real guy who challenges himself and others at all times.
"I thank Mats for his passion, for his will to succeed, also for his rough edges. Everyone at BVB wishes him all the best for his sporting and private future. Personally, I will always remain connected to Mats, whom I have held in high esteem for many, many years."
Sugar Boyz ready for crucial Nations League playoff against Cuba
The Sugar Boyz, St. Kitts and Nevis' men’s national football team is back in training as they prepare for their Concacaf Nations League Playoff clash against Cuba. After a brief rest period following their matches against the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, the team resumed training on Monday, November 4, at the National Bank Group of Companies Technical Center. Head Coach Austin “Dico” Huggins shared insights into the preparations underway as the team looks to advance toward a potential second qualification for the Concacaf Gold Cup.
“After we played against Cayman Islands and BVI, we had a brief rest period. So we're now beginning our training session from today,” Huggins explained.
Coach Huggins emphasized the significance of these playoff matches, noting the challenging task ahead. “It's going to be very hard here in training. We've got to make sure the guys are mentally prepared, physically prepared, knowing the task we have at hand. Cuba is a very good team, very professional team. So we're going to have to take them very seriously. And we are playing the first game at home, so that should be to our advantage,” he added.
He further outlined the rigorous training plan to ensure the team is ready for the intense match-up. “Our preparation will be very strenuous, very hard, very intense so that we could be better prepared for the task.”
With the first leg at home on November 14 at the NBGC Technical Center, Huggins reassured fans of an improved performance compared to their last outing against the Cayman Islands. “We're going to have a better showing, for sure. Like I said, we're playing against Cuba. The guys are up for the task,” he said.
The Sugar Boyz will then travel to Santiago de Cuba for the return leg on November 18 at the Antonio Maceo Stadium.
Kompany confident Bayern can continue prolific Bundesliga away form
Vincent Kompany is confident that his free-scoring Bayern Munich side can continue their prolific form away from home when they face St. Pauli on Saturday.
Bayern returned to winning ways in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Benfica in midweek, but are now looking to remain at the Bundesliga summit.
Kompany's team are the only unbeaten side away from home in the league this term, taking 13 points from their five games on the road.
They have scored at least three goals in each of their last five Bundesliga away games to equal the league record set by themselves in 2019-20 under Hansi Flick.
In league history, no other side has ever scored as many goals in their first five away games of a campaign as Bayern’s current return (22).
Kompany, however, was unsure about why his team were so effective away from the Allianz Arena.
"Good question. Honestly, I don't know why that is," Kompany told a press conference.
"I don't think we differentiate too much between away games and home games. Obviously, it is extra motivation to play in our Allianz Arena.
"But we have also played a lot of matches on the road. Our plan does not change whether we play against St Pauli away or at home.
"Maybe that is the reason we have scored so much. Maybe it is the opponents changing their plans.
"We have prepared for what we have seen, and we hope it will work on the day."
Bayern's victory over Benfica came after back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona in the Champions League, moving them up to 17th in the new 36-team standings.
Though the scoreline suggested a closely contested affair, Kompany's side put on a dominant display that warranted a more handsome margin at full-time.
Bayern ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.45 from their 22 shots, while restricting their opponents to just one shot.
Despite the quick turnaround from Wednesday's triumph, Kompany insisted that his players will be well-prepared for their trip to the Millerntor-Stadion.
"My players will be fresh on Saturday. I have the feeling the team is fresh mentally and physically even though we did not have a lot of time to recover," Kompany said.
Carsley yet to speak to incoming England coach Tuchel in person
England interim manager Lee Carsley has said he has not spoken to permanent head coach-to-be Thomas Tuchel in person since it was announced he would take over last month,
Carsley is scheduled to take England's Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland before he returns to the Under-21s and Tuchel takes the job in January.
He said they had only exchanged text messages up to now, but was unconcerned that they were yet to see each other in the flesh.
“I think it’s quite clear in terms of the starting date,” Carsley told a press conference
“It was more of a text message to him, which was ‘congratulations’ and he said ‘good luck for the window and look forward to meeting up’.
“He is fully respectful that I am in charge at the moment, that is the priority. I do not feel hard done by or shunned.
“If anything I look forward to hopefully create a situation where we can hand over a healthy squad of players to the new coach and his squad.”
Carsley had raised eyebrows in the previous international break by struggling to give a straight answer when asked if he wanted the job permanently.
Tuchel had signed the contract two days before England were beaten by Greece at Wembley, but Carsley said that he was unaware of that at the time.
“My focus was massively on the games, on the camp. In terms of my position, I’m really comfortable with the way that it was handled," he said
“I didn’t feel undermined or anything like that. If anything I felt really well supported.
“So in terms of the Greece performance there is definitely not an excuse or that I knew something or I didn’t. In respect to the performance it was down to me.”
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