Wednesday 1 October 2014 22:47, UK
Mats Hummels is flattered to be attracting interest from across Europe but has no intention of leaving Borussia Dortmund.
The World Cup-winning defender has been heavily linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.
Hummels acknowledges that the opportunities are there if he chooses to quit his homeland and take on a new challenge abroad, but he is enjoying his football in Germany and is prepared to continue ignoring the rumours and endless talk of big-money moves.
When we won the championship for a second time in 2012, each one of us could have gone wherever we wanted. But I thought: ‘No, what we have here is something truly unique.’
The 25-year-old, who has spent the last six years with Dortmund, told Bundesliga Magazin International: “It’s nice to hear that big clubs like that are interested in you.
“I take that as a compliment but it doesn’t influence me in any way, otherwise. We earn enough here in Dortmund.
“There will always be someone who can pay more than BVB but Dortmund have made a lot of progress during my time here. In any case I believe it’s enough for me.
“If one day I start thinking about playing abroad, money won’t be the reason. I don’t even think about that at the moment. We still have so much further to go here.”
Hummels has refused to rule out the possibility of seeing out his playing days at Signal Iduna Park, with there little point in trading clubs for the sake of it.
He added: “There are some [who stay at one club for their whole careers], and they are all really great players. Paolo Maldini of Milan, for example, or Steven Gerrard. I would have been so happy for him if he had won the championship with Liverpool.
“[Lionel] Messi always plays for Barcelona. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller, too, will perhaps play in Munich for ever.”
For now, Hummels is eager to taste further success with 2012 German champions Dortmund, with a number of his colleagues having also committed to the club amid intense speculation regarding their future.
He said: “People often speak about the Dortmund ‘project’ in that context but I don’t really like that word.
“It’s too unemotional and sounds so technical. I’ve been here for six and a half years and it’s simply more exciting and more difficult to win trophies as an underdog.
“Everybody can win things with 25 superstars in the squad. At BVB, every single player has more responsibility but also more opportunity. It’s difficult to win trophies with Dortmund but it’s always possible. And when it happens, the feeling is simply indescribable.
“When we won the championship for a second time in 2012, each one of us could have gone wherever we wanted. But I thought: ‘No, what we have here is something truly unique.’
“I’m happy I felt this way. You don’t often find a team where people are really friends with each other. If you’ve got the chance to play at such a high level with your mates you have to hold on to that for as long as possible.”
