During the Champions League triumph in 1997, numerous protagonists made their mark in the history books of Borussia Dortmund. For a former BVB professional, the final victory against Juventus Turin was the darkest chapter of his career.
Wolfgang Feiersinger was actually one of the top performers in the Champions League in his debut season in 1996/1997 with Borussia Dortmund.
The Austrian libero played seven out of ten games on BVB’s way to the final of the premier class, four of them over the full 90 minutes.
For example, his top performances in the two semi-final duels against the star ensemble of Manchester United remain unforgotten.
“That day was the lowest point of my entire career”
For the final in Munich’s Olympic Stadium against Juventus Turin, however, the then BVB coach Ottmar Hitzfeld Feiersinger left the squad surprisingly and at short notice – a real blow for the 57-year-old today.
“That day was the low point of my entire career. As crazy as it sounds, because we were Champions League winners with BVB that day. It was a crazy turning point in my life because I played all the games before that. And the way it was communicated back then wasn’t nice,” said Feiersinger in an interview “Sport1” return.
BVB: Wolfgang Feiersinger “angry” and “brutally disappointed”
Hitzfeld informed him of the decision in favor of Matthias Sammer, who had been injured for a long time, in a telephone call during the short training camp before the game in Munich.
“A world collapsed in me. The bad thing was that there weren’t 18 men in the squad at the time, only 16. So I wasn’t even allowed to sit on the bench. It was a bitter moment,” said Feiersinger, who was one of them “mental state of emergency” reported.
“It wasn’t really real for me when I had to watch the game from the stands,” he was “angry” and “brutally disappointed,” said the ex-professional.
BVB departure an issue, but …
Although he celebrated with his teammates in the dressing room despite his disappointment at not being considered after the 3-1 win in the final, leaving BVB was an issue for him. “But I was 32 and playing football for the best club in the world.”
Ultimately, Feiersinger stayed until 2000 and then ended his career in his home country.
He later spoke to Hitzfeld, Feiersinger said. “He was able to credibly assure me that it was the hardest decision of his coaching career.”