After a career affected by major injuries and spent at some of Germany's biggest clubs, Niklas Sule is now experiencing football from a very different perspective in the ninth tier.
He's had tenures at Bayern, Dortmund, and Hoffenheim, and won the Champions League with Bayern in 2020, but has had a tough time maintaining the top level and will now be playing at a club with two of his best friends.
After a well decorated career in the Bundesliga as well as a handful of appearances for the German national team, center back Niklas Sule has just recently made his debut for ninth tier side SV Tiefenbach.
The amateur German side plays in the Baden-Wurttemberg Kriesliga, with their home pitch based in Ostringen-Tiefenbach.
In an unexpected twist, Sule made his Tiefenbach debut in midfield rather than in his familiar centre-back position. He even scored, although SV Tiefenbach were beaten 7-2 by SG Kirchardt.
"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," Tiefenbach manager Jason Walzel told Badische Neueste Nachrichten, as per Daily Mail after their opening match of the season.
How Injuries Changed Niklas Sule's Career
Throughout his career in the Bundesliga, Sule suffered two major anterior cruciate ligament injuries during his professional career, first at Hoffenheim in 2014-15 and again while at Bayern Munich in 2019.
The injuries were major setbacks, while periods of his career were also affected by questions over his physical condition and weight, particularly during his time at Bayern that both Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick had directly addressed to him at different times when they managed the club.
After making only 11 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund last season and narrowly avoiding another serious knee injury, Sule decided it was time to experience football away from the pressure of the professional game.
"I'm really looking forward to finally experiencing football from a completely different perspective – where it's solely about the sport itself and not about business or money.
"What's more, two of my best friends play for SV Tiefenbach, one of whom is even a coach here. After 13 years as a professional footballer, it's an absolute treat for me to be able to stand on the pitch with my buddies and fully enjoy this wonderful sport once again.
"And last but not least, my home golf club, where I love spending a lot of time, is also located in Tiefenbach," the defender had said back in May.
Niklas Sule's Career: From Bundesliga Titles to the Champions League
Before beginning his new chapter with SV Tiefenbach, Sule built an impressive career at the highest level of German and European football.
He developed into a senior professional at Hoffenheim before earning a move to Bayern Munich in 2017, where he became part of one of the most successful periods of his career.
At Bayern, Sule won multiple Bundesliga titles and played a role in the club's 2020 UEFA Champions League triumph.
He later joined Borussia Dortmund in 2022, continuing his career at the top level of German football and adding further experience in European competition.
Sule also represented Germany on 49 occasions and was part of the squad that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
His career has included major trophies, appearances at the highest level and some of football's biggest clubs. That is what makes his decision to play ninth-tier football alongside friends such an unusual and refreshing chapter.
For Sule, however, the move to SV Tiefenbach is not about rewriting his career. It is about enjoying football again.
