Borussia Dortmund news and rumours – ‘Tried to turn things around’: Niklas Süle reveals ‘really tough time’

Niklas Süle has again spoken about his weight problems during his professional career and admitted to the odd indulgence. Borussia Dortmund talent Mussa Kaba has suffered another setback.

More news and articles on BVB:

PSG reportedly have Gregor Kobel on their radar

Rapid comeback for Giannis Konstantelias reportedly possible

BVB may face the departure of Julian Ryerson

On the "After The Final Whistle" podcast, Niklas Süle revealed that during his career he may have "had three beers now and then and eaten at McDonald's too often". But he did not want "to feel like I had to live only for that for the next 15 years. Life is too short to do just one thing," he explained.

Süle repeatedly struggled with weight problems during his time at Bayern Munich and BVB. Injuries also brought him plenty of bad luck before he ended his career in the summer when his contract with Borussia Dortmund expired. "I always loved football, but I was never a player who put everything into football every single day. Football was not my life," Süle said.

Nevertheless, he tried to "turn things around". Süle once lost eleven kilos in four weeks, though he did not say when. It was probably the summer of 2024, when he returned for the start of BVB's training in excellent shape.

"I hired a private physiotherapist, a private chef and a house. Four weeks, training three times every day, eating every day. I think it was 1500 calories," Süle said, adding: "It was strange, but it was a great and really tough time. Great because I was proud of myself. It was something I had worked towards for a long time. Something I wanted to achieve. I had been missing that a little in football for a while."

Süle also used the subject to highlight a "problem in the football industry". After all, "not every player is the same and not every player is a stock, they're a human being. You feel less and less able to speak the way you normally speak. That honesty has taken a turn for the worse in a high-performance, money-driven business. That's just my opinion, but I think many players would agree. But I don't care whether they agree, because that has always been one of my views."

Now 31, Süle plays football as a hobby. He currently plays for amateur club SV Tiefenbach. "It's a different kind of pressure, of course. That dressing-room chat, going into the physio room and talking a bit of nonsense with your friends, was also the main reason I didn't want to take a break for a year or half a year. I wanted to go somewhere and still be part of a team. At a different level, in a different style. Without money, but with enjoyment," he said.

To his delight, the fuss surrounding him has "died down a bit now", Süle added. "I'm really glad about that, because I don't want to go into the ninth division and have five, six, seven camera crews at the ground for the first match. I want to go there, have three beers after the match, be with my friends, have a good time and live my life."

Mussa Kaba ranks among the biggest talents in BVB's youth ranks. The defensive midfielder has spent almost five weeks on the sidelines, however. According to the Ruhr Nachrichten, he has now suffered another setback.

At the start of October, Kaba dislocated his shoulder in Borussia Dortmund's U23 home match against SG Wattenscheid 09 in the Regionalliga Süd. He has now also suffered a ligament injury in the shoulder, further delaying his return.

The report gave no indication of how long he will be out, but the 17-year-old is unlikely to play again this year. Asked by the Ruhr Nachrichten, Ingo Preuß, sporting director of Dortmund's reserve team, said they would "not rush anything" and spoke of "several weeks" until a potential comeback.

Kaba has suffered setbacks before. In the summer of 2025, inflammation in his knee forced him to take a four-month break. Muscular problems kept him out in October, and an ankle injury sidelined him for just over a month in January 2026. From March to September, growth spurts and the associated muscular imbalances and severe hip problems kept him out.

So far this season, Kaba has played five times for the Regionalliga side without registering a goal involvement.