Dortmund midfielder Bender extends his contract until 2021
Sven Bender has extended his contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2021.
The Germany international put pen to paper on his new deal on Tuesday and appealed to some of his team-mates to follow his example in committing their long-term future to the Westphalian club.
"I'd like to thank [general manager] Hans-Joachim Watzke and [director of sport] Michael Zorc for the faith they have shown in me," the midfielder said on his club's website.
"We had very good talks which led to this conclusion. I'm extremely pleased to be able to carry on wearing this black and yellow shirt in future.
"I would be pleased if one or two of my team-mates would follow suit in the coming weeks."
Bender, 26, joined Dortmund in 2009 and won the Bundesliga title in 2011 and 2012. He has made a total of 144 Bundesliga appearances for the club.
"In addition to his indisputable sporting abilities, Sven Bender is an extraordinarily important figure of integration in our club," said Watzke.
"I'm personally very pleased that a player with such a strong character has chosen a prolonged future with Dortmund."
