“We were robbed five times in Dortmund”

Former BVB striker Jan Koller looked back on his time in Dortmund in an interview. The Czech revealed frightening details.

Koller, who celebrates his 50th birthday on March 30, was a goalkeeper for Borussia from 2001 to 2006 and won the German championship with BVB in 2002.

In 2006 he left Dortmund for AS Monaco, although BVB would have liked to have continued with him. His wife at the time “wanted to see something different,” Koller said table football. “We were also robbed five times in Dortmund, we just didn’t feel comfortable anymore. I was afraid to leave them alone when we were away.”

Koller scored a total of 79 goals for BVB. But perhaps his most famous moment happened in his own penalty area: In November 2002, he scored against FC Bayern after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saw a yellow card and Dortmund was not allowed to make a change. BVB lost 1:2, Koller kept his box clean for around 25 minutes.

“Back then, after training, I often put on my gloves to let the lads take a few free kicks at my goal,” said Koller. The experience of playing in goal for two years as a teenager in the Czech Republic also helped him.

After his time in Dortmund, Koller later played for 1. FC Nürnberg – a “huge mistake” for him in retrospect: “I had a difficult time, it was my own fault.”

Background: When he was celebrated by BVB fans after a 0-0 draw in Dortmund, FCN fans took offense at him: “When we came back from an away game, the player names were called out – and we both ignored and attacked. Tomas Galasek was picked up by his wife, I had to climb into his trunk to escape the fans. That was a heavy blow.”

Koller ended his active career in 2011. Today he works as a TV expert.