Debut 30 years ago: key stats from BVB’s Champions League history | OneFootball

The day after tomorrow, Borussia Dortmund will play away at Juventus Turin, marking the first matchday of the new 2025/26 Champions League season. This will be BVB’s 20th participation in Europe’s premier competition, whose format has undergone several changes over the years. The club has taken the time to compile all the relevant statistics from these previous 19 campaigns.

Borussia Dortmund made their Champions League debut, coincidentally, with a home match against none other than Juventus Turin—the same opponent they will face on Tuesday. September 13, 1995, was the day Dortmund returned to Europe’s most important club competition for the first time since 1964/65, when they had reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Inter Milan. Although they lost their opener 1-3 to Juventus, that did not stop BVB from experiencing many glorious moments, not least the triumph over the same club in 1997.

In total, Borussia Dortmund has played 179 matches in the Champions League so far. Their record stands at 88 wins, 35 draws, and 56 defeats. The team has reached the final three times: first in 1997, which remains the only time Dortmund won the trophy. In 2013, they lost to FC Bayern Munich, and in 2024, to Real Madrid.

Photo: IMAGO

Lars Ricken Secured BVB’s Only Title Win in 1997

This brings us to two of the only seven clubs that have reached the final more often than BVB. These are:

When BVB won the title in 1997, it was thanks to two goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle and the legendary chip from today’s sporting director Lars Ricken. That victory was part of a run of seven consecutive wins, which remains Dortmund’s longest winning streak in the Champions League to this day. A new streak could, of course, begin on Tuesday. After all, last season ended with a 3-1 second-leg win over FC Barcelona, though it wasn’t enough to advance.

BVB also shares a place in the Champions League record books with Legia Warsaw, as their 8-4 victory over the Polish side remains the highest-scoring match in the competition’s history.

The most goals for BVB in this competition have been scored by Marco Reus with 24, followed by Robert Lewandowski with 17, and Erling Haaland, who netted 15 times for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Marco Reus also tops the list for most Champions League appearances for BVB, having played 72 times, ahead of Mats Hummels (66) and Lukasz Piszczek (54), though Julian Brandt, who has played 52 times so far, is likely to surpass Piszczek soon. Whether Brandt will be available on Tuesday, however, remains uncertain at this time.

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