How many Bundesliga titles have Borussia Dortmund won?
No side in the history of German top division football has finished runners-up on more occasions than Borussia Dortmund (11).
But it’s the club’s innate competitive spirit that sees them competing regularly at the top end of the table.
In fact, only Bayern Munich (32) have won more top flight titles in the Bundesliga era than BVB (5 – level with Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Even in the pre-Bundesliga days, ‘die Schwarzgelben’ lifted three league titles – two more than Bayern.
That total was only bettered by Nuremberg (8) and Revierderby rivals Schalke (7).
Nuremberg’s total of nine top division titles is all that separates Dortmund (8) from their ‘der Klassiker’ rivals.
The Bavarian giants and Hamburg are the only other German teams to lift Europe’s most prestigious honour – the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern’s three successive titles from 1974 to 1976 came before HSV’s 1983 triumph and before 1997, the year ‘die Borussen’ became kings of Europe.
Having since added three further European crowns to their trophy cabinet, the side from the Allianz Arena have had the rest of the Bundesliga in a strong chokehold.
The Black and Yellows have finished as runners-up to Bayern in seven of the past 11 seasons.
Each year seems to bring familiar heartbreak to Signal Iduna Park, although few final days have hurt more than last season’s against Mainz.
With each passing year, fans live in hope that Bayern’s reign will finally end.
But it’s now been 11 years since there was a different champion.
They were Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund.
This article takes a journey back in time to those sweet coronation days in North Rhine-Westphalia.
2011-2012
Points Total (Record): 81pts (W25 D6 L3)
Manager: Jürgen Klopp
Top Scorer: Robert Lewandowski (22)
Other Silverware: DFB-Pokal
Klopp’s Black and Yellows were the first team in Dortmund history to win the league-cup double in 2011-2012.
Jurgen Klopp went big celebrating Dortmund’s Bundesliga title in 2011 😂 pic.twitter.com/lkkeFJYI4M
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 5, 2019
But things didn’t quite start as the club would’ve wanted.
A penalty shootout derby defeat to Schalke in the Supercup preceded a very shaky start to the campaign.
Three wins and three losses from the first seven Bundesliga matches left the club in eighth place.
But BVB wouldn’t lose again. Five draws and 23 wins propelled them to a phenomenal title win.
Klopp’s men stormed to the title with several blitzing wins, but it was a double of 1-0 wins over Bayern that truly reflected the team’s experience and knowhow.
Those six points counted towards the eventual eight-point lead which brought the crown back to Signal Iduna Park.
Sebastian Kehl’s winner in the derby at Schalke meant the club had one hand on the title with three games to go.
Goals from Ivan Perisic and Shinji Kagawa against Borussia Mönchengladbach sealed the title at home just one match later.
Legends
Kagawa’s 25 goal contributions from attacking midfield were integral to the team’s successes and earned him a summer move to Manchester United.
But Robert Lewandowski was the star; the Polish legend played every game, scoring 22 times while claiming 10 assists.
Roman Weidenfeller, Mats Hummels, Lukasz Piszczek, Marcel Schmelzer, Ilkay Gundogan and Jakub Błaszczykowski are just some of the icons of this side.
That Bundesliga title may have been the last honour of this side, but this humble team of unassuming superstars flexed their muscles on the European stage a year later, winning the hearts of football fans all over.
It may have ended in heartbreak in London, but this team will be impossible for the Yellow Wall to forget.
2010-2011
Points Total (Record): 75pts (W23 D6 L5)
Manager: Jürgen Klopp
Top Scorer: Lucas Barrios (16)
Other Silverware: N/A
That 2012 triumph saw Dortmund go back-to-back for only the third time in the club’s history.
Just a year earlier, Klopp’s methods had clicked and were yielding significant results.
In the DFB-Pokal, the club were eliminated in the second round by fifth tier side Kickers Offenbach on penalties.
Meanwhile in Europe, Sevilla and PSG pipped ‘die Borussen’ to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League.
An opening day defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga left feelings of uncertainty among the Yellow Wall.
But Klopp’s men delivered a perfect response, producing two seven-game win streaks in an unbeaten streak of 15 games, which included a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich.
At Signal Iduna Park, the Black and Yellows were a different entity, not losing once after the opening day.
3-1 wins away at Leverkusen and Bayern were real statements of intent.
Goals from star striker Lucas Barrios and Robert Lewandowski in a 2-0 win over Nuremberg with three games to go sealed the title in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Lewandowski, along with Kagawa and Piszczek, capped off a sensational debut campaign with ‘die Schwarzgelben’.
Meanwhile, this season also saw the emergence of Mario Götze – one of the finest products of the BVB academy.
Cult heroes Nuri Sahin and Kevin Großkreutz also had a hand in 14 and 15 goals respectively.
With the likes of Sven Bender and Neven Subotic also ever-presents, this was the team that started it all.
2001-2002
Points Total (Record): 70pts (W21 D7 L6)
Manager: Matthias Sammer
Top Scorer: Marcio Amoroso (18)
Other Silverware: N/A
Borussia Dortmund’s last title win before the Jürgen Klopp days was a bizarre one.
Former player and club legend Matthias Sammer had become manager and led the club to its sixth national title and third of the Bundesliga era.
An enthralling title race saw Dortmund pip Bayer Leverkusen to the ‘Meisterschale’ by a point and pip Bayern Munich by a further point.
This was the infamous Leverkusen side which finished as runners-up in three competitions.
17 years ago today, Zinedine Zidane did THIS to Bayer Leverkusen. 🙈🙈@bayer04_en‘s 01/02 season:
Runners-up in the Bundesliga (lost out on the final day)
Runners-up in the Champions League
Runners-up in the German Cup#Vizekusen 🙃pic.twitter.com/WffMJGKDK8— DW Sports (@dw_sports) May 15, 2019
Despite the usual importance of the head-to-head factor in title races, ‘die Schwarzgelben’ managed to win the title without beating either side, or Revierderby rivals Schalke, for that matter.
Three points out of a possible 18 in those fixtures were ultimately insignificant thanks to spells of good form elsewhere throughout the campaign.
An away defeat at Wolfsburg in the first round of the Pokal allowed BVB to pay some attention to their continental commitments.
European run and the final day
Despite going unbeaten at home in the Champions League group stage, away defeats to Liverpool and Boavista saw ‘die Borussen’ finish third in the group, dropping down to the Europa League instead.
Copenhagen, Lille and Slovan Liberec were dealt with by Sammer’s side, before an iconic Marcio Amoroso hat-trick in the semi’s dismantled a Milan side which included the likes of ‘Pippo’ Inzaghi, Rui Costa and Andrea Pirlo.
Club legend Lars Ricken’s late strike at the San Siro took the Black and Yellows to the UEFA Cup final, where Feyenoord ran out 3-2 winners.
Despite the heartbreak, that Bundesliga title made this a very memorable year for the club.
Czech duo Jan Koller and Tomas Rosicky formed part of a dynamite attacking force, while Jürgen Kohler, Dede and Jens Lehmann provided a solid foundation at the back.
With Leverkusen and Bayern winning on the final day, Dortmund had one simple task: beat Werder Bremen.
Paul Stalteri put the visitors in front, before goals from Koller and Ewerthon turned it around at Signal Iduna Park, sealing the club’s first league title in six years.
1995-1996
Points Total (Record): 68pts (W19 D11 L4)
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Top Scorer: Michael Zorc (15)
Other Silverware: DFL-Supercup
Sammer had quite the season as a player six years prior to his title win as manager.
The sweeper was a key man in the Black and Yellows’ title win under Ottmar Hitzfeld and won the European Championships in 1996 with Germany.
This saw Sammer win the Ballon d’Or. He remains the latest German to receive the accolade.
That 1995/96 campaign was kicked off in the best possible fashion by Borussia Dortmund, who lifted the Supercup after a 1-0 win over ‘Gladbach.
Hitzfeld’s side also advanced from their Champions League group, only to lose to eventual runners-up Ajax in the quarter-finals.
That Ajax side fell short when facing Juventus in the final. But a year later, this legendary Dortmund side beat the Italians in Munich to win their first ever UCL title.
Despite defeat to Ajax and defeat to Karlsruhe in the Pokal quarter-finals, the 1997 European champions enjoyed a strong league season, eventually finishing six points ahead of Bayern.
Schalke actually did BVB a favour, beating Bayern with a game to go, meaning a point at 1860 Munich was enough to be crowned champions.
1994-1995
Points Total (Record): 49pts (W20 D9 L5)
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Top Scorer: Michael Zorc (15)
Other Silverware: N/A
Hitzfeld’s heroes of the mid to late 90’s also went back-to-back.
The ‘Meisterschale’ also resided at Signal Iduna Park a year earlier.
This time around, Kaiserslautern knocked ‘die Schwarzgelben’ out of the Pokal in the second round.
In Europe, BVB saw off Motherwell, Slovan Bratislava, Deportivo La Coruña and Lazio to reach the UEFA Cup semi-finals where Juventus awaited again.
This time, the Old Lady came out on top, with goals from Roberto Baggio and Jürgen Kohler, who moved to the Westfalenstadion that summer, seeing them over the line.
Hitzfeld’s side lost just once in the first half of the season, as they defeated their challengers in the process.
Julio Cesar was a stalwart in defence, Steffen Freund a regular in midfield, Michael Zorc, Sammer, Andreas Möller, Ricken all remained, while Karl-Heinz Riedle and Stéphane Chapuisat were a deadly duo up front.
In the Bundesliga, in the final season where two points were awarded for a win, there was no Bayern or Leverkusen to be seen.
Instead, Kaiserslautern and Freiburg finished three points behind, with Werder Bremen running the Black and Yellows closest with a one-point deficit.
Bremen led the league going into that final day, however.
Bayern this time came to the rescue, beating Werder in Munich, meaning goals from Möller and Ricken against Hamburg saw the ‘Meisterschale’ finally return to Dortmund.
When will number nine come?
Borussia Dortmund were also German champions in 1956, 1957 and 1963 – the final season of the previous regional ‘Oberliga’ format.
In the Bundesliga era, BVB are one of only four clubs to defend a title.
Along with Borussia Mönchengladbach, Dortmund are the only side to do so on multiple occasions.
Can Edin Terzic be the next man to bring the ‘Meisterschale’ back to Signal Iduna Park? Only five managers have been able to do so before.
Dortmund are still unbeaten after 16 matches in the Bundesliga 😮💨👏 pic.twitter.com/o0dxg9DDZH
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 21, 2023
This club has boasted some fantastic teams and players. There’s certainly been some special title wins. The Yellow Wall are yearning for that feeling again.
