Hummels discusses Dortmund's progress

In the past six years, Mats Hummels and Borussia Dortmund have made remarkable progress. The classy German central defender joined the club as a 19-year-old in 2008 and from that point on Dortmund finished each Bundesliga season higher than the last until, in 2011, they were crowned champions of Germany.

They did the the double in 2012 and turned on the style in 2013, reaching the UEFA Champions League final. Their fast, fluid counterattacking football often relied on Hummels' ability to switch play from defence to attack with one of his trademark raking passes.

While neither club nor player quite hit the same heights in 2013/14, finishing second in the Bundesliga to a record-breaking Bayern was no disgrace. The Schwarzgelben also reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. In the summer, Hummels won the FIFA World Cup with Germany. This season, Dortmund have struggled in the Bundesliga but topped Group D in this competition. Here, their stylish No15 reflects on an action-packed few years for him and his club.

Lewandowski scored four against Madrid©AFP/Getty Images

Dortmund are now very popular across the world. Why do you think that is?

Hummels: You can explain it with the success we have achieved nationally, but also internationally when we almost managed to win the UEFA Champions League. We played against Real Madrid [in the 2012/13 semi-final first leg, which Dortmund won 4-1], a tremendous match, and a lot of people watch those games.

How strong is your attachment to Dortmund?

Hummels: We have developed together since I started here at the age of 19. We finished in 13th position in the domestic league that season. Nobody would have thought back then that we could develop and move to such high levels.

I just wanted to play a few matches and maybe manage to establish myself in the Bundesliga – that it would take such a path was not only improbable, but unrealistic.

Why have Dortmund been more effective in the UEFA Champions League than in the Bundesliga this season?

Hummels: There are many reasons we could point out. We started well in the Champions League. We won our first four matches, all deservedly. But in the Bundesliga it's completely different. We always fall behind with the first shot on goal and have just had bad luck.

The playing styles make a difference. In the Champions League we can play more on the counter, as we like to do. In the Bundesliga we can't play that way so often because of the dominant role we have played recently.

How much have injuries to yourself and other players affected the team's prospects?

Hummels: It's massive. We haven't been able to get any consistency in our team this season so far. It's a problem if İlkay Gündoğan is injured for 14 months, or if Marco Reus gets injured three times. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was injured, I was injured, Sokratis [Papastathopoulos] and Marcel Schmelzer were, so basically every player had his turn. All of that may have led to bad performances.

How much of a difference has the return of Gündoğan made?

Jürgen Klopp and İlkay Gündoğan©AFP/Getty Images

Hummels: Everybody knows he's a fantastic football player. After suffering such an injury, you can only hope that a player – and I mean any player, not just a team-mate – stays fit. If that is the case, there is no doubt about him having the qualities you need in defensive midfield.

Has the UEFA Champions League offered welcome relief from the domestic league?

Hummels: I have only started one Champions League match this season, in Istanbul [on matchday three], so I could not really feel that, but it was still nice, of course. We scored two early goals and managed to build our game around that. We have been missing that in the Bundesliga. We have only managed to [take the lead in a match] three times, and once with a two-goal advantage – that is just not enough.

You were at the heart of the team that made it to Wembley two seasons ago. What will it take for this current side to match that?

Hummels: First of all, you shouldn't think about that. If you are already thinking about the final now, then you probably won't make it there. We've made it into the last 16, that's nice for us, but it's just a bonus. The priority at the moment is fighting our way out of the relegation zone in the Bundesliga, and winning as many points as possible, no matter how.

What is your first memory of watching the UEFA Champions League?

Hummels: It was the first Champions League victory for Borussia Dortmund in the 1997 final, in Munich. I was eight years old and living in Munich back then. From that year onwards my interest in watching international matches grew.

When do you feel you made your mark on the UEFA Champions League?

Hummels: That's difficult. Maybe the match against Real Madrid in the [2012/13] semi-finals, the first leg when I made that terrible mistake and we conceded the equaliser, but in the end went on to win 4-1. I really thought that mistake was going to send us out. So those two matches against Real Madrid in particular are unforgettable from a personal and team perspective.

Who has been the toughest opponent you have faced in the UEFA Champions League?

Hummels: Good question. For me, the ones who are big and strong, the ones you get involved in a real duel with. So I am talking about players like Mario Mandžukić and Olivier Giroud, who I had a very intense tussle with in London. And also, of course, Robert Lewandowski.

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