#29 Mats Hummels
"I realise in every year I don't win a title, I'm closer to retiring. The Champions League is a target for me in any case. I want to win this title." These the words of a Mats Hummels who had just announced that he wished to return to Bayern Munich after eight years at the Westfalenstadion. His decision was met with great anger from ‘Die Schwarzgelben’ faithful and this was a testament to the incredible player he had become there.
A World Cup winner, Hummels recently made an audacious request to the makers of video game FIFA 17 to improve his statistic for pace and there’s sufficient argument to suggest he’s a great ball-playing defender with physical versatility.
The 28-year-old won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and also made it to the Champions League final with them in 2013, so at both domestic and international level, he’s experienced success. For a defender, he’s still relatively young and some would argue he’s on the verge of his peak. Alongside German counterpart Boateng, Hummels could be the Bayern bedrock for years to come.
As with Pogba, Hummels needs to show success elsewhere, perhaps even outside of Germany, to climb this list, but one can’t help but feel he will see out his career in the heart of Bavaria.