After eight and a half years as a Foal, goalkeeper Yann Sommer has left Borussia Mönchengladbach to join FC Bayern München with immediate effect.
“Yann came to us with the request to move to FC Bayern,” said Borussia’s sporting director Roland Virkus. “Because of how much this club owes him, we explored the possibility of meeting his wishes, which we have been able to do for an acceptable fee and under the condition that we find an adequate replacement for him immediately. We would like to thank Yann for his incredible performances for Borussia and for eight and a half years of absolute professionalism, and wish him all the best for the future.”
Yann Sommer has been a Gladbach player since 2014. The 34-year-old Switzerland international arrived as the successor to Marc-André ter Stegen and developed into one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Overall, Sommer, who was vice-captain since 2018, played 335 games in all competitions for Borussia – 272 in the Bundesliga, 21 in the DFB-Pokal and 42 in Europe. Sommer didn’t miss a single minute of football in 2014/15 and 2019/20 seasons. This term saw his permanent presence disrupted in the second round of the DFB-Pokal against Darmstadt, when he suffered an ankle injury. He returned to action just in time for Switzerland’s World Cup campaign.
A place in the history books
Sommer was not only a reliable man between the sticks for Borussia, but also went on to break a number of records. The Swiss goalkeeper has made the most appearances for the club among foreign players. As well as that, he made an incredible 19 saves on matchday 4 away to FC Bayern (1-1), breaking the record for a Bundesliga game. Since data collection began in 1992, no Bundesliga goalkeeper had ever made more than 14 saves in a game, with Sommer’s own record up until that match 12 saves.
Sommer won his first cap for Switzerland in 2012 and has gone on to represent his country 80 times, including 67 times in competitive matches. He previously played 31 games for the U21s, as well as 34 more matches for younger age groups.
The Foals would like to thank Yann Sommer for his incredible performances at the club over the last eight and a half years, and wish him all the best for the future!
