These are the problem children in the Borussia Dortmund squad

Next Saturday, Borussia Dortmund will start the 2021/22 competitive season in the DFB Cup against Wehen Wiesbaden. Some BVB players are currently and in the long term in particular in focus.

Borussia Dortmund’s preparation took place under difficult conditions, the new coach Marco Rose was not able to train once with the full squad. With the return of Thomas Delaney and Jude Bellingham on Monday, the coach has finally got all the players apart from Olympian Reinier.

However, there are also some problem children among them – for very different reasons. SPOX and Goal illuminate their individual situations.

Roman Bürki (goalkeeper, 30 years old, contract until 2023)

The Swiss still has a little less than a month to find a new club. With the commitment of Gregor Kobel as the new number one, Bürki, who already lost his place to compatriot Marwin Hitz in the preseason, has fallen to third and last place in the Dortmund goalkeeper hierarchy.

BVB: These players wore the number 7 before Reyna

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Giovanni Reyna will wear the number 7 at BVB in the future and thus follow in big footsteps. SPOX looks back and shows who its predecessors with the number were.

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Attention: Only since the 1995/1996 season have there been fixed shirt numbers in the Bundesliga. Before that, the clubs had the opportunity to assign the number to different players from game to game.

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1964/65: WILHELM STURM (from 1961 to 1971 at BVB).

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1964/65: FRANZ BRUNGS (from 1963 – 1965 with BVB).

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1965/66: REINHARD “STAN” LIBUDA (from 1965 – 1968 with BVB). The winger was one of the stars of the 1960s. He came from Schalke to BVB and then moved back to Gelsenkirchen. Was especially revered as a Schalke legend.

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1963/64 – 1966/67: REINHOLD WOSAB (from 1962 to 1971 at BVB).

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1977/78: BURKHARD SEGLER (from 1973 to 1980 at BVB).

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1982/83: MARCEL RADUCANU (from 1982 to 1988 at BVB).

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1982/83: MICHAEL ZORC (from 1981 – 1998 at BVB). Today’s sports director was a native of Borussia and later also captain of the titles of the 90s. However, “Susi” became famous with the number 8.

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1985/86: JÜRGEN “KOBRA” WEGMANN (from 1989 – 1993 with BVB). The center forward made a total of 138 games for BVB and scored 46 goals.

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1985/86: DANIEL SIMMES (from 1984 to 1988 at BVB).

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1987/88: THOMAS HELMER (from 1986 – 1992 at BVB). Before he became the star and captain of FC Bayern, Helmer started out in Dortmund, where he also won the DFB Cup in 1989.

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1988/89 – 1989/90: ANDREAS MÖLLER (from 1988 to 1990 and from 1994 to 2000 at BVB). Möller became famous with the number 10 in his second time in Dortmund. On the first attempt, however, he usually wore the 7.

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1990/91: DIRK HOFMANN (from 1990 – 1992 at BVB). Made only one game – with the number 7 – for BVB.

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1990/91 – 1991/92: GÜNTER BREITZKE (from 1988 – 1992 at BVB).

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1992/93: FRANK MILL (from 1986-1994 at BVB). The 1990 world champion scored 66 goals in 228 games for BVB. His shot from close range against Bayern on the empty goal in his first BVB game in 1986 will not be forgotten.

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1987/88 – 1992/93: MICHAEL LUSCH (from 1982 – 1993 at BVB).

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1992/93: FLEMMING POVLSEN (from 1990 – 1995 at BVB). Won the European Championship in 1992 with Danish Dynamite and helped Dortmund achieve the championship in 1995. He then became a sports disabled person after a serious knee injury.

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1993/94: LOTHAR SIPPEL (1992-1994 at BVB).

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1993/94: BODO SCHMIDT (from 1991 – 1996 at BVB).

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1993/94: STEFFEN FREUND (from 1993-1999 at BVB). The midfielder later wore the 4 and was part of all major successes such as the CL victory in 1997. Later active for Tottenham, Leicester and the FCK.

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1992/93 – 1994/95: THOMAS FRANCK (from 1990 – 1996 at BVB).

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1995/96: PATRIK BERGER (from 1995 – 1996 at BVB). Only played one year for BVB and only wore the 7 in the CL (at that time without fixed numbers). In the league he wore the 14th. Then went to Liverpool and played with the Czech Republic in the European Championship final 96.

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1995/96: CARSTEN WOLTERS (left) (from 1995 – 1997 at BVB).

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1992/93 – 2003/04: STEFAN REUTER (from 1992 – 2004 at BVB). The first “fixed” 7 at BVB. The midfielder was world and European champion and won three championships with Dortmund and the 1997 CL.

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2004/05: GUY DEMEL (from 2001 – 2005 at BVB).

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2005/06: DELRON BUCKLEY (at BVB from 2005 – 2009). The former Bochum and Bielefeld had a total of three numbers at BVB – in addition to the 7, the 26 and the 11th, but he was never completely convincing.

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2006/07 – 2009/10: TINGA (from 2006 – 2010 at BVB).

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2010/11: ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI (from 2010 – 2014 at BVB). Before the future world footballer took over the 9, he played with the 7 in his premiere season – mostly as a hanging tip behind Lucas Barrios. Munich resident since 2014.

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2011/12 – 2012/13: MORITZ LEITNER (from 2011 – 2016 at BVB). The former Munich Lion never really prevailed in Dortmund and lost to Augsburg and Stuttgart. Then it went to Lazio in 2016.

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2014/15: SHINJI KAGAWA (from 2010 – 2012 and from 2014 – 2019 at BVB). Mostly played with the 23rd, but had the 7th for a season after his return from Manchester. Was also loaned out to Besiktas once. Meanwhile in Thessaloniki.

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2013/14 – 2015/16: JONAS HOFMANN (from 2013 – 2016 at BVB). Came to the pros from the second team, but didn’t stay there long. After a loan to Mainz, he went to Gladbacher Borussia in 2016, where he became a national player.

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2016/17 – 2017/18: OUSMANE DEMBELE (from 2016 – 2017 at BVB). After just one promising season and unspeakable alternating theater, the Frenchman went to Barca for 135 million euros. However, it is never undisputed.

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2017/18 – 2020/21: JADON SANCHO (from 2017 – 2021 at BVB). Came at a bargain price from the youth of Manchester City and now says goodbye to Manchester United for at least 85 million euros.

That came as a surprise in view of a contract extension in June 2020, but Bürki simply didn’t play well enough last season. Now they will part ways, BVB still wants around five million euros for him.

The problem: Numerous interested parties have ultimately dropped out and now time is becoming increasingly scarce. Bürki will probably move abroad in the end and continue to train in Dortmund until then. The constellation is no longer ideal, even if the delayed transfer market certainly still offers opportunities for Bürki. He won’t have much time to acclimatize in the future club when the season is already in full swing.

BVB: The upcoming dates

date	meeting
August 7th	DFB-Pokal, 1st round against SV Wehen Wiesbaden (8.45 p.m. / Wiesbaden)
August 14th	Bundesliga, 1st matchday against Eintracht Frankfurt (6.30 p.m. / Dortmund)
17th August	Supercup final against FC Bayern (8.30 p.m.)