For the Lovers
Key triumphs and major victories
Borussia Mönchengladbach's greatest successes: Gladbach won the German championship in 1969/70 and 1970/71, achieving the first-ever Bundesliga title defence. The team then won three consecutive championships — 1974/75, 1975/76 and 1976/77. Gladbach are two-time UEFA Cup winners (1975, 1979) and three-time DFB-Pokal winners (1960, 1973, 1995).
UEFA Cup 1973, 1980 and European Cup 1977: Three times they came agonisingly close. The international final appearances in the UEFA Cup in 1973 and 1980, and in the European Cup in 1977, also rank among the club's great achievements. In 1977, they lost the European Cup final to Liverpool — a defeat that still stings.
Fortune in Düsseldorf's Rheinstadion: The last international title came rather fortunately. On May 23, 1979, Borussia beat Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Cup final in Düsseldorf. A 1-0 win (first leg 1-1) saw Udo Lattek's side lift the trophy — thanks to a fortunate penalty decision.
DFB-Pokal winners 1973: In 1973, Borussia Mönchengladbach beat 1. FC Köln 2-1 after extra time in what is widely considered the greatest DFB-Pokal final in history. The decisive goal was scored by Günter Netzer, who substituted himself on in his final match for Gladbach, three minutes into extra time — one of the most iconic moments in German football.
DFB-Pokal winners 1960: The first national title — and the most surprising — was not won by Borussia Mönchengladbach, but by a club with a different name: as "Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach," the team defeated Karlsruher SC 3-2 in the final. This was years before Weisweiler, before Netzer, before any notion of Gladbach as a footballing force. The squad was composed of honest amateurs and part-time professionals who treated the cup run as a glorious adventure rather than a strategic campaign. That they won it remains one of the most charming underdog stories in German cup history.
DFB-Pokal winners 1995: Gladbach's last national title to date came in 1995. Bernd Krauss's team featuring Effenberg, Pflipsen, Andersson and Dahlin won 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final against second-division side VfL Wolfsburg.
The Eberl Renaissance: Back in Europe
What Max Eberl built from 2011 onwards with Lucien Favre was the greatest success of the modern era. Borussia qualified three times for the Champions League (2015/16, 2016/17, 2020/21) and played in European competition for several consecutive years — Europa League and qualifying rounds included. Gladbach became the third or fourth force in the Bundesliga, behind Bayern and BVB, on a level with Leverkusen. The club was a consistent top-6 side. It was the most successful period since the 1970s — which made the subsequent collapse all the more painful.
Champions League Nights 2020/21
In a brutal group with Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, Gladbach fought their way through as group winners to reach the round of 16. The 2-2 against Real Madrid at Borussia-Park — in front of empty stands due to Covid — remains one of the surreal highlights. In the sixth group match, the team hammered Shakhtar 6-0. In the last 16, Manchester City proved too strong (0-2, 0-2) — an honourable exit against the eventual 2023 Champions League winners.
The 5-0 Against Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal 2021
On October 27, 2021, Gladbach wrote DFB-Pokal history. Second round, Borussia-Park, Wednesday evening under Adi Hütter. Manu Koné struck after 80 seconds, Ramy Bensebaini added two more in the 15th and 21st minute — 3-0 after 21 minutes. In the second half, Breel Embolo completed the rout with two goals (52', 57'). It was the heaviest cup defeat in FC Bayern Munich's entire history. Embolo was involved in all five goals. Bayern sporting director Salihamidžić called it a "collective blackout." That same night, Gladbach ended Bayern's 85-match scoring streak — the longest by any team in Europe's top five leagues at the time. The entire stadium sang the club anthem.
Return of Fan Culture After Covid
After the Covid ghost games, the Nordkurve returned. After months of silence, after empty stands during Champions League nights, Borussia-Park was full again. It was a moment only understood by those who were there — when the noise came back, for an instant everything was as before.
OCTYPE html>For the Lovers
Key triumphs and major victories
Borussia Mönchengladbach's greatest successes: Gladbach won the German championship in 1969/70 and 1970/71, achieving the first-ever Bundesliga title defence. The team then won three consecutive championships — 1974/75, 1975/76 and 1976/77. Gladbach are two-time UEFA Cup winners (1975, 1979) and three-time DFB-Pokal winners (1960, 1973, 1995).
UEFA Cup 1973, 1980 and European Cup 1977: Three times they came agonisingly close. The international final appearances in the UEFA Cup in 1973 and 1980, and in the European Cup in 1977, also rank among the club's great achievements. In 1977, they lost the European Cup final to Liverpool — a defeat that still stings.
Fortune in Düsseldorf's Rheinstadion: The last international title came rather fortunately. On May 23, 1979, Borussia beat Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Cup final in Düsseldorf. A 1-0 win (first leg 1-1) saw Udo Lattek's side lift the trophy — thanks to a fortunate penalty decision.
DFB-Pokal winners 1973: In 1973, Borussia Mönchengladbach beat 1. FC Köln 2-1 after extra time in what is widely considered the greatest DFB-Pokal final in history. The decisive goal was scored by Günter Netzer, who substituted himself on in his final match for Gladbach, three minutes into extra time — one of the most iconic moments in German football.
DFB-Pokal winners 1960: The first national title — and the most surprising — was not won by Borussia Mönchengladbach, but by a club with a different name: as "Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach," the team defeated Karlsruher SC 3-2 in the final. This was years before Weisweiler, before Netzer, before any notion of Gladbach as a footballing force. The squad was composed of honest amateurs and part-time professionals who treated the cup run as a glorious adventure rather than a strategic campaign. That they won it remains one of the most charming underdog stories in German cup history.
DFB-Pokal winners 1995: Gladbach’s last national title to date came in 1995. Bernd Krauss’s team featuring stars Effenberg, Pflipsen and Dahlin defeated VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 in the final in Berlin. It was a dominant performance that briefly rekindled memories of the golden Weisweiler era. Stefan Effenberg, the enfant terrible of German football, was at his imperious best — controlling the midfield with an arrogance that his critics called insufferable and his admirers called genius. For Gladbach fans, the 1995 Pokal remains the last tangible proof that their club can still compete with the best on the big occasion.