In 1973 (and shortly in the course of the 1976–77 season), Rüssmann was banned temporarily from club action by the German Football Association, but given the allowance for appearances in foreign leagues.
Cash-strapped, Schalke had to sell him to arch-rival side Borussia Dortmund at that time with Rüssmann staying on at Westfalenstadion until he retired in 1985 after 48 goals in 453 Bundesliga matches.
Six years after the scandal, he was enjoying a bright season with his club and the German Football Association had eased their restrictions concerning players involved in the scandal (see Klaus Fischer) in the meantime, Rüssmann was re-called by Helmut Schön to debut for the West Germans in a friendly win against Yugoslavia in April 1977.
[3] Steady performances lead to more call-ups and regular caps resulted in Rüssmann earning a spot in the 1978 FIFA World Cup squad of West Germany.
On 10 November 1998, Rüssmann was finally out of the door at Mönchengladbach following a complete change of environment caused by an ongoing disastrous run of results in the Bundesliga since 1996.