• Started 33 of the 34 matches in Borussia Dortmund's successful Bundesliga title defence, providing style as well as substance at the back as Jürgen Klopp's team won the competition with a record tally of 81 points.

• Helped the Schwarzgelben to a domestic double, scoring a penalty in the German Cup final against his former club FC Bayern München as Dortmund eased to a 5-2 victory in Berlin.

• Went into his first senior international tournament armed with a new five-year club contract and starred in the Germany team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2012, appearing in every minute of the Nationalmannschaft's five-match campaign.