How will Watzke be remembered among BVB fans? | OneFootball

Hans-Joachim Watzke has been Borussia Dortmund’s CEO for the past twenty years. He earned his degree in Business Management from the University of Paderborn and used to run his own company, Watex Schutz-Bekleidungs GmbH, which produces gear for firefighters.

The golden era of Watzke’s leadership mostly revolved around an iconic coach, Jürgen Klopp. After the German former Mainz coach was hired, BVB enjoyed one of the best eras in the club's history. The team won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012. There was also the DFB Pokal victory, in which the side thumped Bayern 5-2.

The 2013 all-German Champions League final against Bayern Munich was probably one of the best moments, but it ended in heartbreak. The journey to Wembley, however, made many football fans fall in love with the club. The memorable comeback against Malaga and the Robert Lewandowski four-goal show against Real Madrid in Dortmund were the pick of the bunch.

Even though problems started to rise after Klopp left in 2015, BVB remained competitive. The team finished second in the 2015/16 season chasing Bayern closley while winning the DFB Pokal in 2017. A terrorist attack before a Champions League quarter-final game on the team bus, however, was one of the dark memories of the 2016/17 season.

There have been plenty of managerial changes and inconsistent performances on the pitch, both in terms of results and playing style. BVB missed out on the league title on the last matchday of the 2018/19 season. Then coach Lucien Favre didn’t manage to connect with the fans and eventually got sacked in December 2020.

Interim coach Edin Terzic won the DFB Pokal in 2021 and later helped the team reach the Champions League final in 2024 after replacing Marco Rose, who only stayed for one season at the club. The most heartbreaking moment for all BVB fans recently was losing the league title on goal difference at the last minute in May 2023.

Watzke, who announced he would step down from his role in autumn, recently had an interview with The Guardian. In the interview, he admitted that losing the label of the second most powerful club in German football to Bayer Leverkusen is a sad moment for him, but he said the financial performance of the club has been good.

In the 2023/24 season, BVB finished 5th in the Bundesliga, which was a disappointing result but still enough for direct Champions League qualification. The best moment was the run to the Champions League final, which boosted revenue.

Borussia Dortmund has been profitable for the past two successive seasons, for which Watzke gets praised. In the 2023/24 season, pre-tax profit was said to be 44 million euros, which is more than quadruple the previous year, according to a blog that analyzes the business of football.

Despite the positive financial strides, many fans are dissatisfied with the direction of the club. There are continuous online debates and criticisms toward management and players.

The hierarchy has been accused of prioritizing financial success rather than trophies. The fact that many star players have left the club over the years has also been a bitter pill to swallow for the Dortmund faithful.

It seems like BVB always loses a star player in the summer, and this has been happening since the success started in 2011. Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid in 2011, Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United in 2012, Mario Götze to Bayern Munich in 2013, Robert Lewandowski to Bayern in 2014, Mats Hummels, İlkay Gündoğan, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all leaving in the summer of 2016... the list goes on to as recently as Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid in 2024.

Fans have felt the club has just been a factory for talent, even though Watzke vehemently denies it.

There are mixed feelings among BVB fans regarding Watzke now. He is seen as the savior who stepped up for the club, but also as someone who made some poor decisions that caused the club to slip down the power rankings.

In February, UEFA announced that Watzke is among the 11 candidates for seven member positions on the UEFA Executive Committee, which will be for a four-year term. It looks like we haven’t seen the last of him in football.