Mats Hummels was a key player on the 2014 team that brought Germany its first World Cup championship in a generation. And this season he’s anchored a Bayern Munich defense that has conceded a league-low 15 goals in 28 games while closing in on what is certain to be an unprecedented fifth consecutive Bundesliga title.
A berth in a second European Championship final is within reach as well.
That’s a resume few players in soccer history can challenge. But if you ask Hummels, the real sporting pioneer in his family is his mother, Ulla Holthoff, a former water polo star who became the first woman to serve as a soccer commentator on German television.