30-year-old Champions League winner looks unrecognisable as he plays for ninth-tier club
Former Germany defender Niklas Sule looks considerably different to his playing days, just months after his retirement.
The centre-back called time on his professional career at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign with Borussia Dortmund.
Sule made the emotional decision to step away from the game after another serious knee issue, having twice previously suffered ACL injuries.
At the peak of his career, the 30-year-old tasted Champions League glory with Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 campaign.
He spent five years with the Bavarian giants between 2017 and 2022, winning the Bundesliga five times before moving to Dortmund.
Sule spent four seasons at the Signal Iduna Park, making 110 appearances for the Black and Yellows, the highlight seeing him included in the squad at the 2024 Champions League final.
His final Bundesliga appearance came in May as a late substitute in a win over Eintracht Frankfurt; Sule deciding his time was up after suffering a knee injury scare weeks earlier against Hoffenheim.
Back on the pitch
Despite announcing his playing days were over just months ago, Sule has now made a return to football, albeit at a considerably lower level.
The 49-cap ex-Germany international has been spotted playing for ninth-tier German side SV Tiefenbach.
Footage shared on social media has quickly caught the eye of fans, with Sule looking rather different to his days as a household name in the Bundesliga.
Sule also appeared to be operating as a midfielder, as he was shown spraying the ball around in the centre of the park.
His more advanced role even allowed him to score a powerful header on his debut.
One thing that hadn’t changed since his playing days was the colour of his strip – with Tiefenbach donning yellow, much like Dortmund.
Fans of the German ninth-tier outfit, who play in the Kreisliga Baden-Wurttemberg, looked delighted to have Sule turning out for their side.
The Champions League winner could be seen posing for selfies and signing autographs for supporters.
Sule’s coach Jason Walzel was certainly thrilled to have a star lining up for his side, and revealed his team were loving having him around.
He told Badische Neueste Nachrichten: “I think he’s enjoying it more playing a bit more offensively now.
“He was there on Saturday and then again on Thursday and Friday.
“I don’t think it was planned that he would one day actually play in the Kreisliga. The boys are happy, he’s a great guy.”
Remarkable comeback
Sule’s return to the pitch represents a dramatic turnaround from his recent retirement, when he was left devastated by another setback.
The defender – who represented Germany at two World Cups – had been convinced he had suffered a third ACL injury after being forced off after 42 minutes in a loss to Hoffenheim in April.
Sule told the Spielmacher podcast: “I would like to announce that I will be ending my career this summer.
“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 – I went into the shower and cried for ten minutes.
“In that moment, I really thought: ‘It’s torn’.
“When I went for an MRI the next day and received the good news (that it wasn’t an ACL injury), it was one thousand per cent clear to me that it was over.
“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.”
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