2009 – Departure an Ambitions

On May 12, 2012, Borussia Dortmund won the double for the first time - both the championship and the cup! It was one of the highlights of a breathtaking success story. In the 2017/2018 season, the club broke the revenue barrier of half a billion euros.

While the management, led by Hans-Joachim Watzke, drove forward the economic recovery and reduced debts by 126 million euros, the team played the "full-throttle football" promised by Jürgen Klopp and finished the 2008/2009 season without a home defeat for the first time in almost 20 years.

The new philosophy of relying on hungry but highly talented young players paid off from the start. The team won the hearts of the fans and returned to Europe. After an exciting offensive football display resulting in a fifth-place finish in 2010, Borussia Dortmund followed it up with their youngest championship-winning team, securing their seventh German championship. On May 14, 2011, BVB and league president Dr. Reinhard Rauball handed team captain Roman Weidenfeller the championship trophy, restoring pride to an entire region. Dortmund experienced a title celebration like never before seen in Germany.

The following year, BVB defended the championship with a new points record and then embarked on an extraordinary journey through Europe, leading to a final appearance in Wembley in 2013 after a 4-1 win over Real Madrid in the semi-final first leg. There, they lost a spectacular game to FC Bayern Munich in the last minute, 1-2. The Klopp era ended in May 2015.

In 2017, BVB once again won the cup, marking the culmination of an extraordinary decade with two championships, two cup wins, four runner-up finishes (missing out by just two points in 2019), and a total of six consecutive final appearances between 2012 and 2017.

While the management, led by Hans-Joachim Watzke, drove forward the economic recovery of BVB and reduced debts by 126 million euros, on the sporting front, the hiring of Jürgen Klopp as the new head coach set the stage for a new era of Borussia's success. In the wake of the narrowly lost and unlucky 1-2 defeat in extra time in the cup final against Bayern Munich, which secured the first European participation since 2003, Klopp brought new enthusiasm to the Borsigplatz. He promised "full-throttle football" - and his team played it, initially especially at home, where Borussia Dortmund finished the 2008/2009 season without a home defeat for the first time in almost 20 years, narrowly missing out on fifth place and another UEFA Cup participation with strong 59 points.

The new philosophy of relying on hungry but highly talented players paid off from the start. The team won the hearts of the fans and also returned to Europe. A fifth-place finish in 2010 with exciting attacking football was followed by Borussia Dortmund winning their seventh German championship with the youngest championship-winning team of all time. On May 14, 2011, league president Dr. Reinhard Rauball handed team captain Roman Weidenfeller the championship trophy - restoring pride to an entire region. Dortmund experienced a title celebration like never before seen in Germany.

Borussia Dortmund's first double in the club's history sent fans into a euphoric frenzy. The electrifying atmosphere, which had been building in Berlin for days, reached its peak in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

After the final whistle, neither players nor fans could contain themselves. The dominance of BVB supporters in the German capital was also evident in the football arena in the western part of Berlin. The black and yellow fans set the tone even before the game, celebrating their German champions as if they were in the Signal Iduna Park, 500 kilometers away.

When Norbert Dickel announced the starting lineup in his usual manner, the names of the future double winners echoed from the stands in deafening loudness. And within the first three minutes of the game, the atmosphere had already peaked. Before all the visitors had even found their seats, Shinji Kagawa put Borussia ahead, setting the stage for a black and yellow festivity. The Olympic Stadium was in an uproar; the celebrations and cheers knew no bounds.

And the Bayern fans on the other side of the stadium quickly realized who would set the tone that evening in terms of atmosphere as well. Dortmund celebrated, Bayern wept. This only briefly changed between the 25th and 41st minutes. When Roman Weidenfeller rushed out to stop Mario Gomez in the penalty area, half the stadium held its breath.

The momentary confusion gave way to realization: yes, there was a penalty. Once again, it was Robben versus Weidenfeller, just like a few weeks ago in the Bundesliga. This time, the Dutchman scored.

Silence. Then boundless jubilation again. If the Borussia fans excel at one thing, it is cheering their team on after a setback. When the game seemed to turn, and Munich briefly took the lead, the black and yellow crowd roared, and BVB rewarded them with a renewed 2:1 lead, followed by unending euphoria. Strangers embraced, celebrating together a historic victory that ended in an incredible result.

That Franck Ribery temporarily reduced the score to 2:4 was met with indifference by the Borussia fans. They preferred to celebrate others: Mitch Langerak, who admirably replaced the injured Roman Weidenfeller, or Robert Lewandowski, who crowned his wonderful season with a hat trick, or Mats Hummels, who converted the penalty and was the first to rush to the waiting BVB fans to celebrate this extraordinary triumph with them.

Some Borussia fans only believed it after the final whistle. Five goals - and five consecutive wins against FC Bayern. Champions and cup winners. A record-breaking team. All of this had to be shouted out. The jubilation was boundless, the party marathon had begun.

With the 2008 cup final against Bayern Munich, where Borussia Dortmund narrowly lost 1-2 in extra time, the future of the black and yellow team began. Berlin 2008 marked the first significant sporting success after six years of drought, and the start of a football fairy tale. A few weeks later, Jürgen Klopp arrived, awakening Borussia Dortmund from its slumber, while the management, led by Hans-Joachim Watzke, simultaneously drove the club's financial recovery, reducing debts by 126 million euros. The 2011/2012 financial year concluded with a record turnover of 215.2 million euros and a pre-tax profit of 39.3 million euros.

Borussia Dortmund, which stormed the league and the hearts of fans, won the German championship in 2011 with the youngest team ever, and defended the title the following year with the highest points total in history. For the first time in the club's history, they achieved the double, winning both the championship and the DFB-Pokal (5-2 in the final against Bayern Munich). Yet, there was criticism that "Europe was beyond their reach."

This criticism served as motivation. In the most competitive Champions League group stage ever, featuring the reigning national champions of Spain (Real Madrid), England (Manchester City), and Holland (Ajax Amsterdam), Borussia Dortmund emerged unchallenged. They eliminated title favorites Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2, 3-0) in the round of 16 and the "Galacticos" of Real Madrid (4-1, 0-2) in the semifinals. BVB's journey was halted only in the final: after a grand performance, they lost 1-2 to FC Bayern Munich due to an Arjen Robben goal in the 89th minute.