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Where Borussia Dortmund's starting XI from 2013 Champions League final are now

01 June 2024 , 06:00
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Jurgen Klopp was in charge when Borussia Dortmund last played a Champions League final at Wembley (Image: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp was in charge when Borussia Dortmund last played a Champions League final at Wembley (Image: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund are back at the scene of their heartbreaking Champions League final defeat 11 years ago.

After an iconic semi-final victory over Real Madrid, legendary manager Jurgen Klopp took his odds-toppling team to Wembley for an all-German clash with Bayern Munich. Having just surrendered the Bundesliga title to treble-hunting Bayern, resurgent under boss Jupp Heynckes, Dortmund lined up with an XI now baked in nostalgia.

A surprisingly open first half finished goalless, only for Mario Mandzukic to break the deadlock and put Bayern ahead on the hour mark. Ilkay Gundogan quickly responded from the penalty spot, with Dante fortunate not to be shown a second yellow card after taking down Marco Reus.

Their joy was short-lived, though, as Ajern Robben stole the show in the 89th-minute winner to avenge Bayern's penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea in Munich the season prior. Klopp's Dortmund were crestfallen and not until this season has the club returned to a Champions League final, with only two players still standing and ready to face Real Madrid under the Wembley arch on Saturday.

Let's take a look at where Dortmund's famous XI from Wembley 2013 are today.

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Roman Weidenfeller

An ever-present in Dortmund's run to the final, Weidenfeller captained Klopp's side for the majority of the campaign. The former Kaiserslautern goalkeeper kept four clean sheets in the Champions League that season and a year later would pick up a World Cup winners' medal in Brazil with Germany. After 453 appearances over 16 years at Dortmund, during which he won two Bundesliga titles, Weidenfeller took off his gloves for the final time in 2018.

Lukasz Piszczek

Not yet retired, Piszczek turns 39 this month but is still turning out for third-tier Polish side LKS Goczalkowice-Zdroj as player-manager. The Poland international fought through the pain barrier at Wembley as he struggled with a long-standing hip issue and his task was to keep Franck Ribery quiet.

Piszczek managed that for almost the entirety of the game, only for Ribery to hold him off in the dying embers and play Robben in with a deft back-heel. His 11 years with BVB included two Bundesliga titles and three DFB Pokal cup wins, the last of which came in 2021 and marked his final game in professional football.

Neven Subotic

Nearly the hero of the night with his goal-saving challenge to deny Robben at 1-1, Subotic's partnership with Hummels is the stuff of legend at the Westfelenstadion. The Serbia international, who grew up in Germany and the United States, joined French side Saint-Etienne in 2018 to end his decade-long association with Dortmund before spells with Union Berlin, Denizlispor in Turkey and Austrian outfit Rheindorf Altach, retiring in 2022.

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Where Borussia Dortmund's starting XI from 2013 Champions League final are nowMats Hummels was unable to stop Ajern Robben from snatching victory late on (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Mats Hummels

The first of Dortmund's two survivors this weekend, Hummels was making his name as one of the best centre-backs in the world during the 2012-13 season. Let go by Bayern in 2009 after 14 years with the club, the cool, calm and composed defender would return there in 2016 once Klopp was at Liverpool and many of his star team-mates had moved on from Dortmund.

Hummels returned to Dortmund in 2019 and although it's been a mixed five years, his immaculate performances in both legs against Paris Saint-Germain reminded us why he's one of the best defenders of his generation. The 35-year-old even scored in the second leg, all while doing his job in defence alongside the talented Nico Schlotterbeck. Hummels' future beyond his return to Wembley is yet to be decided.

Marcel Schmelzer

A one-club man, Schmelzer's finest moment of the 2012-13 Champions League came in the group stage, where Dortmund once again beat Madrid on home soil and he netted the winner. The German left-back spent the best part of two decades at Dortmund and now works as a coach in their academy. Schmelzer's final two seasons with the club came without him making a competitive appearances, as he dealt with a long-term knee injury which ultimately ended his career.

Sven Bender

The twin brother of former Bayer Leverkusen ace Lars Bender, the midfielder battled injury throughout the season to prove himself fit for nine of Dortmund's 13 Champions League fixtures. Bender even had a chance to score a rare goal in the final but fired his shot straight at Manuel Neuer from inside the box. Sven joined Lars at Leverkusen in 2017 but he's now back at Dortmund and part of current manager Edin Terzic's coaching staff, so watch out for him in the dugout.

Where Borussia Dortmund's starting XI from 2013 Champions League final are nowIlkay Gundogan equalised from the penalty spot (Boris Streubel/Getty Images)

Ilkay Gundogan

Picked up from Nurnberg for a bargain £3.5million in 2011, the fact Gundogan was on penalties for Dortmund on such a momentous occasion summed up what Klopp and his team-mates thought of him at just 22 years of age. A controlling presence in midfield, the boyhood Schalke fan enjoyed half a decade with BVB before becoming Pep Guardiola's first signing at Manchester City.

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In England, Gundogan won nearly all there is to win, including being captain on the night of their treble triumph last May. With an eye for a pass and ability to score goals with runs from deep, the 33-year-old continues to be crucial at international level and will captain Germany at this summer's European Championship before returning to Barcelona for a sophomore season.

Jakub Blaszczykowski

The second of our Polish trio, Blaszczykowski was a nuisance all night long at Wembley, testing a young David Alaba with his blistering speed down the flank. A fan favourite at Dortmund and integral to their double-winning 2011-12 campaign, the right winger proudly captained Poland as they hosted Euro 2012, memorably scoring a screamer against Russia.

Klopp adored Blaszczykowski's work rate and tenacity, making him a staple of his tenure. Two separate ACL tears blighted the later years of his career and after hanging up his boots with Wisla Krakow, he was given a send-off as Poland played Germany in a specially-arranged friendly last June.

Marco Reus

The man who'll definitely leave Dortmund after Saturday's final, Reus made a mockery of their decision to release him as a youngster when he was re-signed from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012 and rapidly became one of Europe's most dangerous forwards. Able to score a variety of goals, he was tipped to go down as an all-time German great before injuries took their toll.

Sadly missing out on the 2014 World Cup, the 35-year-old was denied the chance to play consistently in his prime years and will now look for pastures new in the upcoming transfer window. Reus won Dortmund's penalty against Bayern and if he can have a similar impact against Madrid, it may well be the most important of more than 400 appearances in black and yellow.

Where Borussia Dortmund's starting XI from 2013 Champions League final are nowMarco Reus will leave Borussia Dortmund after Saturday's final (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Kevin Grosskreutz

Not many players can say that they've played in as many positions as Grosskreutz, who's remembered in his home city of Dortmund for being the ultimate utility man. An industrious winger who could play on both sides of midfield, and the same at full-back, he even went in goal against Hoffenheim on the final day of Dortmund's league campaign in 2013 after Weidenfeller was sent off.

What he didn't have in talent, Grosskreutz certainly made up for in hard work, and he came into Klopp's first-choice starting XI because of an injury to Mario Gotze. The talented midfielder had already agreed to join Bayern for £31.5million that summer - news which emerged before the final.

Grosskreutz emotionally waved goodbye to Dortmund in 2016 and he never quite settled elsewhere, whether that be with Turkish behemoths Galatasaray or at Stuttgart and Darmstadt back in Germany. The 35-year-old subsequently dropped down the leagues and is now playing for amateur side Wacker Obercastrop in the sixth tier.

Robert Lewandowski

Completing the Polish trio, Lewandowski is now more remembered for his record-breaking career with Bayern rather than Dortmund, who gave him his first break in the Bundesliga by signing him from Lech Poznan. Famously scoring four against Real in the semi-final first leg, Lewandowski forced Neuer into a brilliant save early on at Wembley but was starved of chances thanks to Dortmund's lack of possession.

The prolific Pole went on to join Bayern in 2014, scoring an astonishing 344 goals in 375 games for the Bavarians - five of those coming in the space of nine minutes and 40 of them breaking the all-time Bundesliga record in a single season. Lewandowski finally got his hands on the Champions League trophy in 2020 and has just been reunited with ex-Bayern manager Hansi Flick at Barcelona, having fired them to the La Liga title in his first season. Who says he's a one-league wonder, eh?

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Nathan Ridley

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