Last year’s Champions League final quickly stopped being about Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid, and instead Mats Hummels vs Edin Terzic, at least in Germany.
The pair were plastered all over front and back pages before the Wembley final after Hummels publically admitted he was ‘furious’ with Terzic‘s tactics during a disastrous first half of the season.
It was also widely reported that the duo clashed before the game, with Hummels later giving Dortmund an ultimatum of ‘it’s either me or him’.
Given the club were in a Champions League final and Hummles was approaching retirement, it looked like Terzic had won out, that is until he handed in his resignation in June.
To add even more drama, Hummels then also left, with his relationship with the club seemingly tarnished by taking on the head coach.
Now at Roma, the 36-year-old has looked back on the rift, telling Il Messaggero: “I didn’t have an idyllic relationship with Terzic, but there was respect.
“On the eve of the Champions League final, I expressed my disappointment about how we played in some games, but there was nothing more to it.”
Hummels also reflected on his relationship with Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann who left him out of the country’s Euro 2024 squad despite his stellar displays for BVB.
Responding to reports that the pair fell out, he said: “I was very surprised when that came out. I think he’s a good coach and have never had a problem with him.”
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