Borussia Dortmund

History of Borussia Dortmund: The Yellow Wall, the 1997 Champions League and the Spirit of the Ruhr

Born from a rebellion by young parishioners, Borussia Dortmund have become the symbol of popular, passionate football, carried by the largest standing terrace in Europe. Eight-time German champions and 1997 Champions League winners, they remain Bayern's great rivals.

1. Founded Against the Priest's Wishes (1909–1955)

On 19 December 1909, at the Zum Wildschütz inn, a group of young men from a Holy Trinity parish association founded a football club, despite opposition from their priest, who disapproved of the sport. They named it Borussia, after a nearby brewery, and adopted yellow and black. The club grew in the heart of the Ruhr mining and steel region, whose working-class identity it made its own.

2. The First Titles and Germany's First European Trophy (1956–1972)

Dortmund became German champions in 1956 and 1957, and again in 1963, the last title before the Bundesliga. In 1966 they beat Liverpool 2–1 after extra time in Glasgow to win the Cup Winners' Cup: the first European trophy ever won by a German club. Relegation followed in 1972.

3. The Westfalenstadion and Rebirth (1974–1994)

In 1974 the club moved into the Westfalenstadion, built for the World Cup and now the Signal Iduna Park, Germany's largest stadium. Its south stand, the Südtribüne, nicknamed the "Yellow Wall", holds around 25,000 standing supporters: the largest standing terrace in Europe. Promoted back to the Bundesliga in 1976, Dortmund won the German Cup in 1989.

4. Hitzfeld and the European Summit (1995–2002)

Under Ottmar Hitzfeld, with Matthias Sammer — the 1996 Ballon d'Or winner — Andreas Möller and Karl-Heinz Riedle, Dortmund were German champions in 1995 and 1996. On 28 May 1997 in Munich they beat Juventus 3–1 in the Champions League final, sealed by Lars Ricken's lob seconds after coming on. The Intercontinental Cup followed that year. Another league title came in 2002.

5. Near Bankruptcy, then the Klopp Revolution (2005–2014)

In 2005, after years of overspending, the club came close to bankruptcy and had to sell the rights to its stadium. Its recovery became a model. Jürgen Klopp, who arrived in 2008, built a young team based on Gegenpressing: champions in 2011 and 2012 — the latter with a league and cup double — then 2013 Champions League finalists at Wembley, beaten by Bayern. Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Mario Götze and Marco Reus embodied that generation.

6. The Talent Club and the 2025–26 Season

Dortmund then became the club that revealed Europe's greatest talents — Ousmane Dembélé, Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham — and won the German Cup in 2017 and 2021. In 2023 they lost the title on the final day; in 2024 they reached another Champions League final, lost 0–2 to Real Madrid at Wembley.

The 2025–26 season was harder on the European stage: Dortmund were eliminated in the Champions League play-off round by Atalanta (3–4 on aggregate). In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich won the title with a record 122 goals.

7. Looking to 2026–27: Challenging Bayern Again

Since the restart, Dortmund have pursued their model: identifying and developing young talent while seeking to become Bayern's main challengers once more. With more than eighty thousand spectators at every home match and a supporter culture unique in the world, Borussia remain one of the most endearing clubs in European football.

Honours, Stadium and Legends

Main honours: eight German championships (1956, 1957, 1963, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2011, 2012), five German Cups (1965, 1989, 2012, 2017, 2021), one Champions League (1997), one Cup Winners' Cup (1966) and one Intercontinental Cup (1997). Signal Iduna Park, with more than eighty-one thousand places, is the largest stadium in Germany. Historic goalscorers Adi Preißler and Lothar Emmerich, Michael Zorc, captain and later sporting director, Jürgen Kohler, Matthias Sammer, Roman Weidenfeller, local hero Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland shaped its history. The Revierderby against Schalke 04 is the most passionate rivalry in the Ruhr. The club's motto, "Echte Liebe" — true love — sums up the bond between Borussia and its city, and the Yellow Wall's pre-match rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" is one of the most moving sights in European football.