Champions League winner, 30, looks unrecognisable as he scores on debut for ninth-tier club

A FORMER Champions League winner looked unrecognisable as he came out of retirement. The star only announced his retirement from football in May. A former Champions League winner has returned to football Credit: X He lined up for ninth-tier German outfit SV Tiefenbach Credit: X That came off the back of a third major ACL injury. However, still only 30, he is back in football – playing for a ninth-tier club. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The German was part of Bayern Munich‘s side that won the Champions League in 2020. He also collected five Bundesliga medals, two DFB-Pokal Cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup for the Bavarians. The defender – who played at two World Cups and earned 49 caps – added a Champions League runner-up medal in 2024, plus a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics for his country. His final Bundesliga appearance came in May as a late sub for Borussia Dortmund in a 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. But just three months later, the centre-back returned to the field in a familiar colour. This time, though, he was sporting the yellow of his new team SV Tiefenbach, who play in the Kreisliga Baden-Wurttemberg – the ninth tier in Germany. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK The former defender thundered in a header Credit: X He played in midfield and pulled the strings Credit: X The German international signed plenty of autographs Credit: X The bulky 6ft 5in giant even powered in a header to score on his debut. However, he struggled to keep it tight at the back as Tiefenbach lost 7-2 to SG Kirchardt in their district league season opener. The man wearing the No22 was none other than Niklas Sule. Fans were delighted to see the famous face in action for Tiefenbach as he passed the ball around with ease, deployed in midfield rather than his traditional centre-back role, despite limited training time. And he spent time after the match posing for selfies and signing autographs for supporters. Coach Jason Walzel told Badische Neueste Nachrichten: “I think he’s enjoying it more playing a bit more offensively now. “He was there on Saturday and then again on Thursday and Friday. “I don’t think it was planned that he would one day actually play in the Kreisliga. “The boys are happy, he’s a great guy.” Niklas Sule won the Champions League with Bayern Munich Credit: Alamy He finished his pro career with Borussia Dortmund but struggled with ACL injuries Credit: AP Comment now