10 football stories that would make great movies

#6 The Yellow Wall: The re-emergence of Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund were Champions League winners in 1997, but in 2004, they were under severe financial crisis and remained in the Bundesliga with the financial aid of Bayern Munich. Dortmund were not able to match the level they produced earlier and languished as a mid-table club.

But in 2008, they appointed Jurgen Klopp as their manager. Klopp took over a club that finished a disappointing 13th in the previous season and in his first season, Klopp guided Dortmund to a Super Cup win over Bayern Munich. The club finished in a respectable sixth place in his first season and fifth position in the next season.

In 2010/11, Klopp led Dortmund to the Bundesliga title and accumulated 81 points – the highest points tally in the history of the Bundesliga at that time. They also set the record for the longest unbeaten run. In 2011/12, they completed their first domestic double.

Dortmund’s league campaign in the following season was not very impressive and they lost both the titles they were defending, but the German club did exceptionally well in the Champions League that season. They were grouped with Spanish champions Real Madrid, English champions Manchester City and Dutch champions Ajax, but still topped the group without losing a single game. They defeated Real Madrid again in the semi-final before setting up a date with Bayern in the final.

The club gained immense worldwide acclaim and fan following for the way the club rose up without injecting money heavily into the club. And many neutrals around the world wanted to see them win the Champions League to complete the fairy tale.

Sadly Dortmund lost the game after Arjen Robben scored the winner in the 89th minute of the game. But Dortmund were labelled as the people’s champions.