“A true Borusse”: Kehl fights back tears at BVB farewell | OneFootball

After more than 20 years, Sebastian Kehl’s time at Borussia Dortmund has finally come to an end. At the team’s last home game of the season, the former BVB captain and sporting director was given an emotional farewell at Signal Iduna Park.

Emotional scenes at Signal Iduna Park: Before the last home game of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt (3:2), Borussia Dortmund officially said goodbye to Sebastian Kehl. The former captain and sporting director stood visibly moved in front of the South Stand and repeatedly fought back tears. After more than two decades in total, a defining era at BVB has now come to an end.

Kehl was already honored before kickoff together with Julian Brandt, Niklas Süle, and Salih Özcan. As the fans applauded loudly, stadium announcer Norbert Dickel addressed emotional words to the former midfielder. “Borussia is not just saying goodbye to a player, a captain, but to a true Borusse,” echoed through the stadium. The line “once a Borusse, always a Borusse” drew particularly loud applause from the stands.

Kehl was clearly touched by the fans’ reaction. Time and again, the 46-year-old applauded toward the South Stand, and later he even joined the supporters in a shared Laola wave. Meanwhile, the message “Thank you for more than 20 years in black and yellow” was displayed on the LED screen.

BVB fans celebrate Kehl with applause and chants

The former Germany international joined Dortmund in January 2002 and won the German championship in his very first season. In total, Kehl made 362 competitive appearances for BVB. As captain, he led Borussia to the league titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as the domestic double under Jürgen Klopp. After his playing career, he returned to the club’s management in 2018, initially working as head of the licensed players department before becoming sporting director in 2022.

Photo: IMAGO

However, the partnership came to an end in spring 2026. After the 3:2 win over Hamburger SV in March, Kehl was placed on leave. According to reports, the reason was internal tensions with managing director for sport Lars Ricken.

Despite the turbulent final months, emotions dominated the farewell. Dickel once again paid tribute to Kehl with the words: “Sebastian was never indifferent to Borussia Dortmund. Not on the pitch, not off it. Full of passion, fight, and heart.” The fans responded with minutes of applause and chants for one of Dortmund’s most influential figures of recent decades.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.