Mats Hummels Biography
Mats Hummels is among the best center backs in German soccer. Despite his young age, he has already won several titles and is a key player for Borussia Dortmund and the German national team.
Childhood
Mats Hummels was born on December 16th, 1988 in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. He is the son of journalist Ulla Holthoff and former professional soccer player Hermann Hummels. His younger brother, Jonas, currently plays for Unterhaching in the third highest German league.
The family moved from Bergisch Gladbach to Munich because Hermann Hummels got a job as youth coach with German record champion, Bayern Munich. Therefore, Mats started his career playing for Bayern Munich at seven years old.
Bayern Munich
Hummels was chosen for the second team of Bayern Munich in the 2005/2006 season for the first time. Due to good performances with the second team, first team's coach, Felix Magath, wanted him to play for the Bundesliga team.
He signed a senior contract in January 2007 and made his Bundesliga debut on May 19th, 2007 when he was substituted against Mainz. Since he didn't play the first half of the following season, he moved to Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Borussia Dortmund
Mats Hummels made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund on January 29th, 2008 against Cottbus.
He struggled with several injuries in the following season. Dortmund and Bayern Munich were able to agree on Hummels' transfer to Dortmund, though, and he signed a four-year contract there.
After he had recovered from all his injuries, his performances became better, and he established himself among the starting 11.
The 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons were Hummels' most successful so far. He won the double (national championship and cup) in 2011 and the German Cup in 2012. Dortmund also qualified for the UEFA Champions League and are well on their way to becoming one of the best teams in European soccer.
Germany
Hummels did not play for most of the German youth teams. He played his first game for Germany's U21 team on March 27th, 2007, and won the U21 European Championship.
He made his senior debut on May 13th, 2010 when he was substituted against Malta. He wasn't chosen for Germany's squad for the World Cup in South Africa, though. He started in the first game after the World Cup against Sweden and played 90 minutes.
He was also part of Germany's starting 11 for the European championship 2012. Mats Hummels is now well on his way to becoming Germany's best center back as he continually improves his performances.
