Dortmund lose final pre-season test in Mats Hummels' farewell game

Borussia Dortmund fell to a narrow 1-2 defeat against Juventus in their final pre-season friendly at Signal Iduna Park, in a match that doubled as a heartfelt farewell for club legend Mats Hummels.

The 35-year-old centre-back, making his final appearance in his career, was given an emotional send-off, starting the game before being substituted in the 18th minute to a standing ovation from fans and teammates alike.

“I'm feeling really good and I couldn't have imagined it [his farewell game] any better. It was always a great pleasure to play in front of these fans. It was incredibly fun. The goal we conceded before the substitution shouldn't have happened; we were playing well up until that point”, said Hummels after the game.

As Hummels mentioned, Juventus struck first through Andrea Cambiaso in the 16th minute, then doubled their lead, again thanks to Cambiaso, shortly after the break in the 53rd minute.

Dortmund pushed late, and Maximilian Beier pulled one back in the 89th minute from a Julian Brandt assist, but it was too little, too late. Niklas Süle also suffered an injury just before half-time, capping off an unfortunate match for BVB.

While the result mattered little, the night was defined by the tribute to Hummels, whose storied career with Dortmund spanned over a decade and included Bundesliga titles, cup triumphs, and the World Cup win in 2014 with Germany.

“I was more nervous than before many other games because I didn't know where I stood - what can I still do? And during warm-up, I already noticed that everything was much faster and more strenuous than the last 10 weeks had been for me. I even complained for fun that I wasn't allowed to come off after 15 minutes”, Hummels commented on his last minutes as a professional player.

Dortmund are now looking ahead to their first competitive game of the 2025/26 season against RW Essen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Monday, the 18th of August.