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Now known as one of the superpowers in German and European football, Dortmund have made a mark as one of the most feared teams to play against.
While their supporters are considered to be the most passionate and their stadiums one of the most difficult to play in, one wonders how they reached the level they are at today. Analyzing their past, it would appear that the club went through a very difficult period, after which they managed to finally bask in the success they deserve.
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Having been founded by a group of seventeen players in 1909 who were unhappy playing for the Trinity Youth, which was a club sponsored by the church and played football being looked over by the stern priest, the name was borrowed from the Borussia brewery in Dortmund.
Recently, as a commentator said before a Dortmund match, “In case you’ve spent the last few decades on a different planet, Dortmund are in black and yellow”. Such is the significance of the colours they show off, which initially the club donned in 1913.
The club played in local leagues and didn’t enjoy too much success until finally they decided to bring in players which led to financial problems and managed to survive only through the generosity of a local supporter who opened his pocket for them.
While playing in the Gauglia Westfalen, a major league in the 1930-50 period, they developed a rivalry with FC Schalke who are still considered major rivals to them. It is considered a disgrace if a player switches amongst these clubs, just as between clubs like Arsenal and Spurs.
After brief success in the 1960s, the club was relegated from the Bundesliga in 1972 which was triggered by financial problems yet again.
However, this time they needed no helping hand and managed to get back into the major league just four years later and also moved to their current stadium, the Westfalenstadion. The financial issues continued through the 1980s, and they just managed to escape relegation in 1986.
The decade that turned things around
With a new manager taking charge of the club, it was all up from there for the German club. Ottmar Hitzfeld made the team strong competitors for the Bundesliga and the European cup too.
Having won back to back league titles in 1995 and 1996 under the captaincy of European footballer of the year Matthias Sammer, they managed to pull off a historic win against Juventus in the ’96/97 Champions League final despite having to deal with legends like Zidane and Del Piero.
They went on to win the Club World Cup too that year. It was a major season for them, and they became the ‘talk of the town’ amongst fans around the world.
Borussia Dortmund with the UEFA Champions League trophy
The third Bundesliga title for the club in 2002 was much more than just an achievement, as Matthias Sammer who had won the trophy earlier as a player, this time lifted it up as the manager and was penned down in Dortmund history for this remarkable feat.
However, the 21st century wasn’t too kind for the club as financial problems never seemed to leave their side and ultimately led to the sale of their stadium. It seemed to only get worse as they didn’t qualify for the Champions league in the ’02/03 season, losing out to Club Brugge in the qualifying stage.
Things got so out of hand that a loan from rivals Bayern Munich was what it took for the Dortmund players to get their salaries during the 2003 campaign. The club was in utter shambles. A few years down the road, they again struggled with bankruptcy and had to cut down salaries of the players until they had to rename their stadium “Signal Iduna Park” under a sponsorship agreement which helped stable their situation a little.
However, the supporters stood by the club despite the problems they faced and are known to be the most passionate supporters in all of Europe. Dortmund also boasts of having the highest average attendance of around 80 thousand whenever the team gets on the field.
Dortmund fans greet their team quite uniquely
The 2006/07 season saw them almost face relegation while the next season was termed to be their worst in 20 years. Managers walked in and walked out as they weren’t able to give them team any success. Soon, Jürgen Klopp took over in 2008 and little did the supporters know, that they had found their man.
The era of Klopp
The 2010/11 season was a revelation as the club won the title with two games to spare and guaranteed safe passage to the Champions league. A year later, they managed to defend their title, once again with two games to play. They also set the record for maximum number of points (81) by a German club in a season. They finished the season in style by winning the double for the first time, taking out Munich in the DFB Pokal final.
The next season however saw them lose out to Bayern in the league by a huge margin of 25 points and also face defeat in the Champions League final to them. What added salt to the wounds was Mario Goetze’s transfer to their rivals but the club didn’t let it bother them too much.
It seems as though it has been drilled into the people that one player doesn’t make a team, and that every time the players step onto the pitch, there’s no reason they can’t come out on top. And having a manager of such potential, simply makes them ooze with belief.
Like the saying goes, “if you cut though any of the Dortmund players, you’d find ‘black and yellow’ inside”. Such is the love the players have for the club and its fans who throng the stadiums day in, day out.
Currently feared by almost every club in the world, they have become a force to reckon and expectations rise from the club every time they get on the field.
Rising from the ashes to becoming a superpower – it does seem like a dream indeed.
