Niclas Füllkrug returns to Borussia Dortmund on Friday with Werder Bremen, aiming for points rather than reunions. The 33-year-old striker spent one season at BVB and calls it the most successful year of his career.
The sporting fact
Füllkrug scored 15 goals in 43 competitive matches for Dortmund. He reached the 2024 Champions League final with the club, where BVB lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. He joined West Ham United that summer and later spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan.
His spell in England and Italy was not among the stronger periods of his career. The return to Bremen has changed that. Füllkrug has scored three times in four Bundesliga appearances since coming back to the Weser.
“The combination of the environment, the team and the energy is right,” Füllkrug said. “I chose the emotional route by returning to Werder. There was some risk in that, but it has already paid off.”
Werder had taken seven points from their previous three league matches before the international break. Füllkrug felt the pause arrived at the wrong time. Bremen also suffered a 7-0 friendly defeat in Enschede during the break.
He was absent from Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad, which contained 44 players. Füllkrug has 24 caps and 14 international goals. Germany did not score through a striker in their last four internationals.
Daniel Thioune believes his centre-forward can matter at Signal Iduna Park. “The conviction was there that Niclas could help us,” the Bremen coach said. “Many of our players have not experienced that stadium before. It helps to have someone who knows its force and perhaps how to quieten it down.”
Füllkrug expects a special evening but set the priority clearly. “We are there to play football and take points,” he said. “Meeting friends can happen afterwards, once we have the points.”
Next Spieltag
Werder visit Borussia Dortmund on Friday at 20:30. Füllkrug will then return to Signal Iduna Park again on 27 October, when Bremen face BVB in the DFB-Pokal at 20:45.
Thioune sees a route back into the Germany picture if Füllkrug keeps scoring. “If Niclas appears on the scoresheet week after week, the national coach will surely take the A1 north at some point,” he said.
