Felix Nmecha is in his third season at Borussia Dortmund. He joined the club in the summer of 2023, but he struggled with long-term injuries in his first two seasons. Nowadays, however, he's a regular...
Felix Nmecha is in his third season at Borussia Dortmund. He joined the club in the summer of 2023, but he struggled with long-term injuries in his first two seasons. Nowadays, however, he's a regular in the starting 11. Since the start of the season, the midfielder has played all official matches, most recently playing almost the full 90 minutes. “I'm really enjoying the way I'm playing at the moment. I feel also feel really comfortable in my body,” said Nmecha in the BVB podcast, in which he also looked back once more.
In the winter of 2023/24, he was sidelined for three months with hip problems, and at the beginning of 2025, a ligament injury kept him out of the game for over two months. “The injury shaped me in ways I've never expected,” the midfielder wrote on Instagram. What he meant? “When you go through these stages, a lot goes through your mind. I grew mentally during this time,” said Nmecha. “It's not easy when you're not playing and you also see that the team isn't doing so well. Then you have to push yourself mentally every day. There were many things that helped me grow. After that, I was ready to help the team again.”
Despite the injuries, there is something positive that Nmecha takes from these two seasons. “I consider all the seasons I've spent at BVB so far, as good, because I've been able to grow. This is a journey for me.” He knows, “not every game will be good. Not every stage of a career will be good. However, I will try not to focus too much on what people say. The first year was good for me because I learned to play at a higher level. It wasn't easy of course, because of the injury, but it did help me grow mentally. The second year was good for me as well. I feel like I'm improving every year.”
He dealt with the setbacks in his own way: “I don't find my joy solely in football. I'm not just Felix the footballer. I believe because my identity is not too firmly rooted in football, I was still able to find joy and peace during that time. That helped me a lot. When you play, you get fitter and you also get into the rhythm. Then you have more self-confidence and things will start to go better.”
Things have been going increasingly well for the number 8 since his return to the pitch in April 2025. Initially, he came on twice as a substitute, but he started in each of the last five matches of the season. In these seven matches, BVB secured six wins and one draw, and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, thanks in part to Felix Nmecha. “Ever since last season, when I was back in the starting 11, I've seen myself as a leading player. That also makes a difference mentally, because then you have higher expectations of yourself. And thanks to the time spent here, you also get to know your teammates better and you know which passes to play to which player,” says the 25-year-old, who has continued his good performances this year.
He played in all 24 league matches, scoring four goals and providing two assists. “We were all very happy to go into the winter break as second in the table, but there's definitely still room for improvement. We know that as well. We know how much quality we have in our team. We're on the right track, but we have to keep going. Personally, I would like to improve match by match, to help the team,” he says, elaborating: “We want more decisive wins and decide games earlier on. You always give it all you have in a game, but when you're up 3-0 with still 20 minutes to play, that's different from leading only 1-0. Then you still have to be fully focused.”
For Nmecha, the season is far from over when the Bundesliga season comes to an end. The player of the German team has his sights set on the World Cup this summer: “That's extra motivation because it's obviously a clear goal. I simply try to take it one game at the time. I don't go into every game thinking that I have to play well because of the World Cup. But it's definitely a huge dream for which I have to work hard, so that hopefully I can make that dream come true.”Christina Reinke
Category: General Sports
