90min's Definitive A to Z of Borussia Dortmund
By Ben Carter
Borussia Dortmund.
A club who needs absolutely no introduction, with their popularity helping to make them one of Germany's top teams, as well as one of the most well supported across the world.
But just how much do you really know about BVB?
Well, strap yourselves in for a quirky history lesson on Borussia Dortmund, with 90min's definitive A to Z for the Black & Yellows.
A if for Alfred Preissler
With a record of 175 goals in 294 games for Borussia Dortmund, it's easy enough to see why Alfred 'Adi' Preissler is a key figure in the club's history.
What makes the late Preissler all the more important to Dortmund is that he was spearheading their attack when they won back-to-back league titles in the 1950s - their first-ever piece of major silverware.
B is for Manfred Burgsmüller
With how data used to be collected, it's never always possible to know exactly how many goals a player scored during their career.
One thing that is for sure, however, is that Manfred Burgsmüller was one of Borussia Dortmund's best.
C is for Cup
Unlike in other parts of the world, Germany still holds its domestic cup - the DFB-Pokal - in very high regard and its the most recent piece of silverware which Borussia Dortmund have lifted, excluding the Super Cup.
D is for Hubert Dewald
Hubert Dewald wasn't actually connected to Borussia Dortmund in any direct way. He wasn't a football player, manager, or even a fan of the game.
But Father Dewald, a chaplain at Catholic Holy Trinity in Dortmund in the early 1900s, was a vital figure in the club's creation in 1909.
Dewald tried to stop the 40 members of Catholic Holy Trinity form forming Borussia Dortmund. He succeeded with 22 of them, but the remaining 18 went on the become the founding members of the club.
E is for Echte Liebe
It's Borussia Dortmund's motto, meaning "true love".
F is for Eintracht Frankfurt
In Bundesliga history, Borussia Dortmund have picked up more wins against Eintracht Frankfurt (45) than any other team.
Across all competitions, only Borussia Mönchengladbach have lost more games against Dortmund.
G is for Gegenpressing
What more needs to be said?
It was a style that brought in Borussia Dortmund's most successful decade.
H is for Hoesch
No, Hoesch isn't a person. It was the steel and mining company which transformed Dortmund and the surrounding areas.
At its peak, Hoesch employed 25,000 people and many of those went on to form the community that was the birthplace of Borussia Dortmund.
I is for International
It's easy to forget that for most of us, Borussia Dortmund have been on the edge of bankruptcy at least once during our lifetime.
These days, the club are one of the most recognisable - and, crucially, stable, teams across all corners of the planet.
J is for Jürgen Klopp
The man, the myth, the unequivocal legend.
K is for Kohlenpott
It's another reference to Borussia Dortmund's history, at Kohlenpott - literally, 'coal pot' - is Germany's industrial Ruhr region, which homes the club and also their fierce rivals, Schalke 04.
L is for Lars Ricken
Borussia Dortmund have only ever won one Champions League trophy. And for that, who else is there to thank but Lars Ricken.
The hometown hero didn't actually score the winning goal in the final against Juventus in 1997 - Karl-Heinz Riedle's brace would have been enough in their 3-1 win - but Ricken ensured the result was beyond doubt with an outrageous chip.
Truly, a goal for the Champions League history books.
M is for Max Michallek
A name that won't be known by many, but Max Michallek was one of Borussia Dortmund's first real icons.
Nicknamed 'the spider', he wasn't actually called Michallek. In reality, his actual surname Michalski was changed to disguise his Polish origins.
N is for Nuri Şahin
He won't go down as one of Borussia Dortmund's best-ever players, but Nuri Şahin's records at the Westfalenstadion are unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
The Turkey international is the youngest ever player to feature at senior level for the club, while he's also the club's youngest goalscorer.
O is for Ottmar Hitzfeld
Klopp might be the most memorable Borussia Dortmund manager of all time, but even then he couldn't deliver the biggest prize of them all; the Champions League.
Only one manager has ever done that for Dortmund. And that is, of course, Ottmar Hitzfeld.
P is for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Since Borussia Dortmund's most recent financial crisis, the club have made a name for themselves for plucking young talents from across the world before selling them on.
But no import at Dortmund has ever made an impact quite like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who to this day is still the club's top-scoring foreigner of all time.
Q is for quail
This one might be a bit of a stretch, but if you can find a better 'Q' for Borussia Dortmund then let us know.
We're well aware this says 'Q for quail'. But actually, the Q is for chickens.
After all, a quail is basically just a posh chicken, isn't it?
Anyway, after winning the Bundesliga title in 2011, Jürgen Klopp and Hans-Joachim Watzke went out to celebrate. The now-Liverpool boss woke up alone in the back of a truck in an abandoned garage, with the roads all around closed.
After eventually finding Aki Watzke, they both had to pay €200 to get a lift somewhere more familiar by a complete stranger, who just so happened to be carrying hundreds of chickens in his station wagon.
Now that is how you celebrate winning a league title.
R is for Reinhard Rauball
He's not known as the saviour of Dortmund for nothing, as in each of Reinhard Rauball's terms as their president, he's saved the club from bankruptcy.
Along with Hans-Joachim Watzke and Thomas Tress, Rauball was one of the masterminds behind keeping Borussia Dortmund's head above water at the start of the 21st century.
S is for Matthias Sammer
Borussia Dortmund aren't a club who are too well known for having the best players in the world in their squad as, by the time anyone nears that status, they're usually snapped up by European football's financial powerhouses.
But in 1996, midfielder Matthias Sammer lifted the Ballon d'Or - which, to this day, makes him Germany's most recent recipient of the award.
Sammer went on to make 153 appearances during a six-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, even captaining the club during the Champions League final against Juventus.
T is for Torjägerkanone
Given their status as one of Germany's biggest teams, it could come as a surprise that Borussia Dortmund players have only finished as the Bundesliga's top scorer in five different seasons.
Lothar Emmerich lifted the Torjägerkanone - literally, the 'goal hunter's cannon' - in back to back seasons during the 1960s, but he was the only player for the club to win the trophy until the 21st century.
Brazilian import Márcio Amoroso was the top goalscorer in 2001/02, while more recently Robert Lewandowski (13/14) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (16/17) also picked up the Torjägerkanone.
U is for the United States
Considering Borussia Dortmund was the home of Christian Pulisic until very recently, it's no surprise to see the club become so popular in the United States.
Even though America's biggest wonderkid is now in the Premier League, Dortmund aren't cutting ties with the States that easily and now have Gio Reyna taking Pulisic's mantle in the Bundesliga.
V is for Vier
1964. 1988. 2011. 2017.
Four dates for four DFB-Pokal trophies.
W is for Roman Weidenfeller & Hans-Joachim Watzke
It's impossible to mention just one of these figures when it comes to Borussia Dortmund, as both Roman Weidenfeller and Hans-Joachim Watzke have been crucial in their history.
Weidenfeller will arguably go down as the club's best-ever goalkeeper, who more than most played a crucial part in Dortmund's double-winning season.
Aki Watzke might have already been mentioned a few times throughout the course of this list, but his importance behind the scenes for this modern-day Borussia Dortmund can't be underplayed.
X is for Dortmund x Puma
Multi-million euro sponsorship deals are nothing new, but rarely do teams stick it out with one kit manufacturer like Borussia Dortmund have with Puma.
Their initial deal began in 2012, but Borussia Dortmund recently signed a new one with Puma which runs until 2028.
Y is for the Yellow Wall
Dortmund's 'Yellow Wall' is the most well-known stand in football.
Holding 25,000 fans, the Südtribüne - the term Yellow Wall is actually quite a recent nickname which is believed to have originated from the British press - has been a key part of Borussia Dortmund's ever-increasing popularity.
Z is for Michael Zorc
He's regarded as one of the best sporting directors for good reason, but Michael Zorc's history with Borussia Dortmund goes well beyond his duties off the pitch.
As a player, Zorc holds the record for the most appearances at the club, while he's also one of their all-time top goalscorers.
Since joining the club in 1978, Susi has been an ever-present at Borussia Dortmund in one capacity or another.
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