Dortmund in Champions League final is a reason to celebrate football but they must not pop open the champagne yet

It was fitting that Mats Hummels was the one who headed home the goal which eventually sealed the Champions League final spot for Borussia Dortmund. Those who have followed the club over the past decade may have preferred Marco Reus to do the honors but this was more befitting.

Ousted by Bayern Munich after just one game, it was during his eight-year stint at Dortmund that Hummels had become one of the most reliable centre-halves in the world. So much so that the serial Bundesliga winners in Munich came back calling again, this time with a five-year contract. Multiple injuries, a considerable dip in form, tensions behind the scenes with the management, and his stay was cut short in 2019. It was a bad break up that left the 31-year-old being referred to as a ‘washed’ defender. Which is when Dortmund took him under the cloak again.

At 35, if anything, Hummels has been Dortmund’s standout performer in the Champions League this season. A confident central defensive figure, who hasn’t just been brave with his tackles and astute with his markings, but has also been the unspoken leader of their stern backline. A towering header on a night even Kylian Mbappe failed to find the target – thanks in large part to him – was further reaffirmation of his return to being at his very best. That’s why Hummels’s scoring and Dortmund winning is a modern day sporting fairytale that needs to be celebrated.

Poaching-land becomes promise-land?

Hummels wasn’t the first Dortmund talent to be poached by Bayern, and he hasn’t been the last. Over the years, the club has become a popular hunting ground for buyers with deeper pockets. Dortmund has provided an excellent base for players to grow but haven’t been the compulsive title winners, nor a