“I’m one of the five best defenders in Germany”, says Hummels after not being called up for the European Championship

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels was left out of Germany’s squad list for the European Championship. The 35-year-old athlete spoke about his absence this Wednesday and admitted he was sad about coach Julian Nagelsmann’s decision.

“I can understand the idea that the group has grown since March. It’s disappointing for me individually because I’m currently one of the five best defenders in Germany. I have the self-confidence to say that,” he said in an interview with Bild.

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The player is having a great time at Borussia Dortmund. With excellent defensive performance and a goal scored against Paris Saint-Germain, he was a key player in the team’s qualification for the Champions League final, which will be played against Real Madrid this Saturday, at 4pm (Brasília time), in Wembley, England.

Hummels also spoke about possible reasons why he was not called up.

“If I understand correctly, they were issues more linked to age, such as physical shape. If I had had a phase like the one I recently had before [dos amistosos] March, perhaps he would have been called up for the European Championship”, he reported.

Previously, Julian Nagelsmann had already revealed that he had spoken to the defender and midfielder Leon Goretzka, from Bayern Munich, who was also left out.

“I had long conversations with both of them, and they were extremely disappointed that they weren’t called up. I think it’s understandable that they’re sad about that,” he said at the press conference in which he revealed the squad list, on the 16th.

The Eurocup will be played between June 14th and July 14th, in Germany. Before the competition, the German team will play two friendlies in their country, against Ukraine and Greece, on the 3rd and 7th of June, respectively.