Photo: Светлана Бекетова / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I've always rated Hummels as the rare defender who won duels with his brain before his body. At 191 cm he had every physical tool, yet his game was built on anticipation, reading the striker's intention a beat early and stepping in with almost insulting calm. Add the raking diagonal passes and the knack for scoring in big matches, and you get a centre-back who shaped play rather than merely surviving it. Germany naming him Sportspersonality of the Year in 2011 felt right: he represented an idea of football as much as a position. For me, he remains the template modern ball-playing defenders still chase.
Overview
Mats Julian Hummels (German pronunciation: [ˈmats ˈhʊml̩s]; born 16 December 1988) is a German former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he was known for his tackling, anticipation, goal scoring ability and deadly crosses.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mats Hummels
- Name (Japanese)
- マッツ・フメルス
- Reading
- まっつ・ふめるす
- Born
- December 16, 1988 (age 37)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Origin
- Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 191 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2011 German Sportspersonality of the Year
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Association football player — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.