From Munich to St. Pauli
© Imago
After 22nd game days, Eintracht Frankfurt has never had any more points and never a better goal difference than this season – but the Hesse has been waiting for the lead in the Bundesliga since August 1999. When the SGE greeted the last time from the very top, Erich Ribbeck was DFB coach, at Bayern Saß Ottmar Hitzfeld played on the bench and Vincent Kompany played as a 13-year-old in the youth of RSC Anderlecht. Only a Bundesliga club is waiting for his return to the 1st place.
For the fourth time, Eintracht has a yield of 42 points after 22 game days-twice before the introduction of the three-point rule, the last time 2020/21. Despite this performance, the distance to the league leader from Munich is 13 points. In August 1999, the SGE under coach Jörg Berger started 3-0 against Unterhaching, a 3-2 at SC Freiburg and led the league. Nevertheless, they slipped into the relegation battle and could only hold the class with Ulm on the last match day in a direct duel. With today’s second division clubs Kaiserslautern, HSV, Schalke, Hertha, Paderborn and third division club Arminia Bielefeld, it was not that long since you were at the top in the Bundesliga.
Among the current first division teams, only the “dry spell” of FC St. Pauli is longer – the last time was almost 30 years ago. At the start of the 1995/1996 season, they won 4-2 against 1860 Munich and greeted the top – it was the only time in the club’s history. At the end of a match day, Holstein Kiel and FC Augsburg have never held the lead. While the Kielers are in the football house for the first time this season, the Fuggerstädters did not succeed in 14 years.
BVB trauma after the last lead
The fans of Borussia Dortmund are likely to remember their last lead. With an away win at FC Augsburg on the 33rd matchday, the black and yellow took first place from FC Bayern, who lost to RB Leipzig at home. The first German championship since 2012 was within reach, but a week later you couldn’t get over a 2-2 against Mainz 05. Since Jamal Musiala scored the Munich winning goal in Cologne shortly before the end, FC Bayern became champion again. The BVB still released its 182nd league lead, which thus took second place behind Bayern, who were 875 times first.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (138), Werder Bremen (121) and Hamburger SV (113) follow in places three to five. In the recent past, however, the clubs from northern Germany have contributed little to add to the leadership leaders. The Bremen were at the top for the last time in January 2007, at HSV it was the case in September 2009. The fans of 1. FC Köln are waiting much longer. The triple champion was 93 times the leader, most recently in 1990.
RB Leipzig made the leap to the top 14 times in nine years, last time in October 2020. Since then, the Saxons have paid 520 million euros for new players, only more invested in FC Bayern. Eight Bundesliga clubs were leaders during this period, including Union Berlin, Heidenheim and Freiburg.