Alina Grijseels to leave Borussia Dortmund at end of season | OneFootball

Alina Grijseels has been a Borussia Dortmund women's handball player for nine seasons now, but the captain and BVB will part ways at the end of the campaign. The 26-year-old has decided to move abroad.

"This was an enormously difficult decision for me and I thought about it very hard," said Grijseels, adding: "But I believe that it's the right move for my sporting development to take this step now. It was definitely not a decision against Borussia Dortmund, but rather in favour of a new challenge, even if that sounds terse. The decision certainly wasn't easy."

Grijseels came to Dortmund at the age of 18 and quickly established herself as an important component of what was then still an ambitious second-division club. She helped secure promotion to the Bundesliga in her first year and then qualified for the Final Four of the DHB-Pokal. The highlight of her time at BVB came in May 2021, when she became the first Black & Yellow player ever to lift the championship trophy.

"I will never forget that moment as long as I live. It was my big dream to reach the very top of the table with BVB at some point. I'm going to really enjoy my last months in Black & Yellow and give everything to mark my farewell with qualification for the Final Four. I'm very grateful to the club and everyone involved with it for these special 09 years and I of course wish BVB all the best for the future. And who knows, maybe we'll see each other again someday."

Rupert Thiele,  the acting head of the women's handball department, deeply regrets the playmaker's departure: "In Alina, we're not only losing our absolute leader, but also a great person. In sporting terms, but particularly on a human level too, we'll find it difficult to fill the gap she leaves behind. It was our express desire to continue this era of cooperation with Alina."