For a long time BVB was not as close to the championship title in the Bundesliga as it was this year. Now the unloved Ruhrpott rivals Schalke 04 could play a key role in the fight for the title. However, this situation is not entirely new. The Royal Blues Dortmund had already provided decisive support on the home stretch twice before. A look back.
There must be very special circumstances when the tone between Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen is suddenly more forgiving than hateful. But that is exactly the case these days. Only recently, Thomas Westphal, acting mayor of Dortmund, promised the Schalke team an entry in the city’s golden book. Shortly thereafter, Karin Welge, the mayor of Gelsenkirchen, spoke up. She too would be happy to receive an invitation.
The background to the Ruhrpott’s internal flattery is the upcoming Bundesliga match day. On Saturday (May 13th from 3.30 p.m.) the Royal Blues will be visiting FC Bayern, the current leaders of the table. Reason enough for the pursuers of BVB to leave the old ditch behind – at least for a weekend – and to strengthen the back of the other rivals.
It wouldn’t be the first time that FC Schalke 04 of all things would get a BVB championship off the ground. The blue and white neighbors already played a major role in Dortmund’s double success in the 1990s.
Werder Bremen and Mario Basler – the team of the hour
We jump back to the 1994/95 season – to a time when there was not only a brisk fight for the title, but also several clubs were involved. Three games before the end of the season, the top five clubs were only six points apart. Because the two-point rule still applied at the time, only the first two teams had a realistic chance of winning the trophy: leaders Werder Bremen and pursuers Borussia Dortmund.
The North Germans had taken the top position from BVB just a few weeks earlier in a direct duel (3:1). Now it’s up to Mario Basler and Co. again against a representative of the Ruhr area: FC Schalke 04 is the name of the next item on the programme. From the point of view of the green-whites it was a must, as the Gelsenkirchen team, who were in no man’s land in the table (10th), ultimately had nothing to win or lose.
Necessity is the mother of invention – Möller as a double agent
However, the necessary pinch of motivation should be provided. Andi Möller, of all people, who was midfield strategist on behalf of Dortmund at the time, was supposed to make representations at what was then Schalke’s Park Stadium. Even before the game kicked off, he was photographed grinning happily in the midst of a cluster of Schalke fans. Good face to the blue and white game, so to speak. Whether it was Möller’s surprising photo opportunity or Bremen’s growing jitters about the title – it took just under an hour before S04 were already 4-0 up and the game (4-2 after 90 minutes) was decided.
On the move in the “enemy” camp: BVB player Andreas Möller (centre) surrounded by young Schalke fans.
Because BVB couldn’t get more than 1-1 against Mönchengladbach at the same time, the rival’s pass should remain largely unused – but it wasn’t useless. On the last day of the game, Bremen blundered again, this time at Bayern (1:3). But now Dortmund was on the spot, passed – also because of Schalke’s preparatory work – and brought the first championship into the pot since the Bundesliga was founded 32 years ago.
It’s not over yet – the cooperation continues
However, Dortmund’s success story shouldn’t end there. In the following season, 1995/96, Matthias Sammer, Michael Zorc and Co. also had a chance at the Bundesliga title. But once again it was none other than FC Schalke 04 who provided the decisive support.
By the 33rd matchday of the season, BVB had worked their way up to a three-point lead (the three-point era had meanwhile begun). Unlike last year, however, this time the major title competitor did not come from the north, but from the south: FC Bayern was back on the big Bundesliga stage.
Calm makes perfect
As if the season had been conceived from a script, the Munich team should actually make a guest appearance at Schalke on the penultimate day. The team that put BVB on a master course last season can do the same again. And so it happened. The miners, driven by ex-Bayer Olaf Thon, won the duel against the record champions (already at the time) 2-1 and crowned BVB as Bundesliga leaders for the second time in a row.
For Bayern goalkeeper Kahn, the defeat was only a logical consequence of all the torment in the club. “We had so many problems and so much circus. It’s actually almost normal that you don’t become champion”, said the then 26-year-old after the game. Would he say that again today?