Hans-Joachim Watzke: Mats Hummels very disappointed after World Cup snub

Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted that Mats Hummels was left very disappointed after being left out of Germany’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hansi Flick announced Germany’s 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup earlier this week, and there was no place in the team for Mats Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund defender has been in excellent form this season so the decision to leave him out came as a big surprise.

And Hans-Joachim Watzke has now admitted that Hummels needs a few days to get over the extreme disappointment of not being called up to the Germany squad for the tournament in Qatar. The Borussia Dortmund CEO made an appearance on BILD-TV on Sunday, where he said:

"“I’ve talked to both of them, to Hansi Flick as well as to Mats Hummels, but I’m not going to talk about it much. What is clear, though, is that Mats is incredibly disappointed.”“The only thing I can reveal from the talks is that Mats was really upset. He has won so many German championships, has been so successful, so it’s understandable. He still needs a few days to get over it.”"

Hummels has been one of the top defenders in the Bundesliga so far this season. But he hasn’t featured for Germany since last year’s European Championships. And Flick opted against recalling him into the squad for the FIFA World Cup with a view towards the future.

Mats Hummels said earlier this week that being left out of the Germany squad is one of the bigger disappointments of his career. And the disappointment still appeared to be on his mind on Friday, as he had a game to forget against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Hummels, who helped Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, has won 76 caps for his national team. The 33 year old has made a total of 449 appearances for Borussia Dortmund across two spells, and also made his 400th appearance in the Bundesliga on Friday.