Outgoing Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt hit 300 appearances milestone for the club on Sunday when he came on in the dying embers of their Haamburg win.
With the turnaround complete and the BVB leading 3-2 in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Niko Kovac brought on the veteran midfielder to see off the final few seconds of the clash.
However, that didn't spoil it for im as Brandt appeared jubilant of reaching the milestone nonetheless, breaking into a smile on the field before embracing Kovac after the clash.
The Croatian manager heaped praise on the midfield stalwart after the clash:
"“He’s played 300 games for BVB, provided countless assists and scored countless goals. That’s a great career for a very great club. Above all, what Jule shows as a person is unique.""said Kovac
Brandt joined Dortmund from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 and has been an instrumental figure in the Dortmund setup ever since. He's bagged 56 goals and assisted another 69, while picking up the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and a runners-up medal in the 2024 Champions League final too.
But the player is now confirmed to leave Signal Iduna Park this summer after seven years as big changes await Dortmund, who are looking to rope in younger players. His 300 appearances for Dortmund puts him in 20th place on their all-time list, and could climb further up with the club set to play a few more games before the end of their campaign in May.
Andreas Moller at 301 is within sight whereas Christian Worns at 303 is also someone Brandt could surpass in the coming weeks. When questioned upon Brandt's chances at playing in the home stretch of their season, Kovac sounded optimistic.
"“I hope he gets significantly more minutes in the coming games.”"said Kovac
Perhaps, Michael Zorc's all-time record of 572 appearances for Borussia Dortmund remains out of reach. Brandt, nonetheless, will go down in history as among the best players for the club, having influenced the side in many ways over the years.
His departure could leave a massive void, leaving the BVB to find a new talisman in the centre of the park who could carry the weight of the team's shoulders like Brandt normally did during key clashes, and even be a vital figure in the attack.
Borussia Dortmund return to action from the international break on Saturday, 4 April with an away game against VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.