From his first goal to his last home game: Julian Brandt looks back on seven years at BVB | OneFootball

“A special moment for me was my first Bundesliga match, when I scored my first goal for Dortmund,” says Julian Brandt, looking back in the BVB podcast, now he's facing his last home game. One last time, the walk through the tunnel towards the Yellow Wall. For the man who turned 30 a few days ago, this “walk-out to warm up” is the number one moment before every home game: “That walk, the tunnel, the expanding view – and then you see the immense scale of it.”

Julian Brandt joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2019 at the age of 23 and, in his first interview with members’ magazine BORUSSIA, he formulated sentences that demonstrated reflection and maturity, while also revealing much about the football romantic within him: “I went to Dortmund simply because I wanted to. I don’t just want to sell myself to a club. I always try to remember why we actually play football: because we enjoyed it even as small children.”

Brandt's brilliant ball control instilled a unique passion for football. He would sometimes have fans on their feet, leaving them gaping in disbelief, as with his technically superb goal a little over a year ago against TSG Hoffenheim, when his recognition of open space, his sprint into it, the volley from a tight angle, and the ball hitting the back of the net, formed a near-perfect symbiosis.

“Close to winning every title with BVB”

The only downside: In Brandt's seven years at BVB, only two titles were won: the Supercup at the very beginning in 2019 and almost two years later, the DFB Pokal in 2021, played in front of empty stands during the COVID pandemic. “I was so close to winning every title with BVB. When I arrived, we won the Supercup. We won the DFB Pokal in my second year. Then there was the possibility of the league title, the Champions League the following year. We could have been standing there with everything we’ve could have wanted. Of course, that brings a touch of melancholy, because I think: What could have been?” Brandt reflects on narrowly missing out on the championship in 2023 and the Champions League final in 2024. “But I can put that into perspective and say: it doesn’t make my time here any less valuable. I don't base the value of my time at the club on material things or successes. I know that’s what football is about, and ultimately, that’s why we play football. But my time here wouldn’t be any better with two more titles. It’s also about other moments, about the things you experience, the games and moments I’ve had here. That’s what makes up a season, not just the final match.” Even the fact that he never got to travel around Borsigplatz despite winning the cup doesn’t make the title any less valuable in his opinion, “because the situation was simply what it was worldwide, and nobody could change it. The cup is no less precious than if it were won in front of a crowd.”

“Always a cohesive team”

Julian Brandt has had 107 teammates in his seven years at Borussia Dortmund – something he’s very proud of: “There wasn’t a single player I had any issues with, or with whom I felt I couldn’t sit down and talk.” One thing remained constant over the years: “No matter the season – I always played in a cohesive team. A team that lived and trained for each other, that tried to help each other. I felt there was a healthy inner spirit, yet still a competitive one – and that you had a unit. That’s not something you can take for granted at a level where, in the end, it’s really about pressure, performance, and also personal feelings.”

Two players in particular had a lasting impact on him: “When I think about how Piszczu and Schmelle trained, even though they had physical problems towards the end. There wasn’t a single moment where you felt: Oh, they’re taking it easy today. They always gave it their all. And that spurred you on: you just followed them and did the same.”

Julian Brandt has played 305 of his 588 professional matches to date – more than half – in a Borussia Dortmund jersey. In those 305 competitive matches, he has scored 57 goals and provided 70 assists. Only Andy Möller (100 exactly) and Marco Reus (131) have provided more assists in BVB history.