Borussia Dortmund

As many of you know, I am an avid soccer fan and follow professional soccer. My favorite team is Borussia Dortmund, a professional soccer club in Germany.

I'm guessing most of you haven't heard of Borussia Dortmund before, so I'll provide you with some background information: they're the best team in the world. Enough said.

I must admit that I wasn't always a Dortmund fan. When I started following professional soccer, I was a Messi/FC Barcelona fan (yes, I was one of those kids). In my defense, I didn't know much about soccer then. It was only when I grew a brain that I began to love Dortmund. I first watched them while browsing a shady website used to stream soccer games. I accidentally clicked on a link that gave me access to their game. Too lazy to find another game, I decided to watch. I was really amazed by their high intensity. They pressured the ball in such a systematic and smart way. Their play was quick and exciting. They were just really fun to watch. 

Borussia Dortmund, unfortunately, isn't the most successful club. This lack of trophies almost led me to return to my old team, Barcelona, in the 2014-2015 season. 2014-2015 was an amazing season for Barcelona; they won the treble for the second time, a feat that no other European team has accomplished. Dortmund on the other hand, finished 7th in the league, got eliminated in both the Champions League and DFB-Pokal. In fact, I have experienced a lot of heartbreak as a Dortmund fan. Here's a list of all the times we nearly won silverware (during my time as a fan):

Runners-up in the Bundesliga (domestic league)

• 2012-2013
• 2013-2014
• 2015-2016

Runners-up in the DFB-Pokal (domestic cup)

• 2013-2014
• 2014-2015
• 2015-2016

And the most painful of all:

Runners-up in the UEFA Champions League:

• 2012-2013

I still have nightmares of that game. The 2012-2013 season was the year when I first became a Dortmund fan, and I was elated that this random new team that I stumbled upon had the chance to win the Champions League, the biggest club competition in Europe. I remember the final vividly. We played extremely well. We dominated the whole game and deserved to win. The universe, however, wanted to be cruel and had other plans for my beloved team. In the 89th minute, in the dying embers of the game, the bald Dutch magician, Arjen Robben, stuck. A tiny mistake from our defense and a brilliant dribble from the forward ended with the ball in the back of the our net. My heart broke. I cried for two days. I grieved for the next two weeks. 

Considering the high quality of our team, we don't really deserve to have so many fruitless seasons. I love the Dortmund players. Marco Reus is an absolute legend and is one of the best players in the world. Jaden Sancho is one of the best young talents in the world. Our team is typically mostly comprised of young talented players who often go on to become world class players. The issue is, our players often leave our club. Here's a list of some of the amazing players to leave our club:

• Robert Lewandoski
• Mario Gotze
• Mats Hummels
• Sokratis Papastathopoulos
• Ousmane Dembele
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan
• İlkay Gündoğan

I was particularly hurt by the departure of Robert Lewandoski. He was our best striker and one of our star players. We signed him early in his career and helped him develop as a player. We helped him create his name. All this generosity, however, was not enough for him. After the 2013-2014 season, he signed for our rivals, Bayern Munich, betraying all of his teammates and fans. I was devastated and angry when I found out the news.

It's safe to say that I have experienced a lot of heartbreak as a Dortmund fan. We recently, however, won the DFB-Pokal in the 2016-2017 season, where we exacted our revenge on Bayern Munich, knocking them out in the semi-finals. It was a truly glorious moment and a campaign that I will remember for the rest of my life. I love Borussia Dortmund, however, not because of the trophies, but because of the fans and players. Borussia Dortmund is known for having one of the best fanbases in the world. In fact, the support is so strong that we have been nicknamed "the Great Yellow Wall." This nickname is given because at home games, all you can see is a sea of yellow shirts and flags in the stands.

Recently, we have been playing out of this world. We are currently on a five game win streak, top of the Bundesliga, and top of our Champions League group. Today, we won 4-0 against Atletico Madrid, one of the best teams in the world. On the other hand, Bayern Munich is having small crisis and struggling to string wins together.

This year is our year.

Heja BVB!