The past decade was one filled with its ups and downs for one of Germany\u2019s most beloved clubs. Picking the best starting eleven of all the amazing players that have donned the black and yellow shirt from 2010 to 2019 is quite difficult. In every position, there are at least two players to choose from. Here is Borussia Dortmund’s team of the decade.<\/p>\n
Many of the positions on Dortmund\u2019s team of the decade will be clear shoo-ins’, and choosing J\u00fcrgen Klopp as the manager might be the most obvious. The former Mainz 05 manager joined the Black and Yellows in 2008, just three years after Dortmund narrowly avoided bankruptcy. Klopp\u2019s first two seasons in charge of Dortmund were periods of rebuilding, and that is exactly what he did.<\/span><\/p>\n During his time at the club, Klopp won two Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal, two DFL-Supercups and came runner up in the UEFA Champions League.<\/p>\n No disrespect to <\/span>Roman B\u00fcrki<\/span><\/a>, but <\/span>Roman Weidenfeller<\/span><\/a> is an absolute Dortmund legend. The goalkeeper made 349 appearances over his 16 years at the club, winning the Bundesliga in 2011, the domestic double in 2012, and making it all the way to the Champions League Final in 2013. Weidenfeller missed just three matches from 2010 to 2012. B\u00fcrki took over the number one spot in 2015, demoting the Dortmund legend to the bench. Weidenfeller retired in 2018.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After a three year stint at Hertha Berlin, <\/span>Lukasz Piszczek<\/span><\/a> moved to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer in the 2010 summer transfer window. The young Pole solidified his position as J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s right back. Until 2018, his position in Dortmund\u2019s side was unquestioned, but that changed with the arrival of the pacey <\/span>Achraf Hakimi<\/span><\/a> in 2018. In total, Piszczek has made 244 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is where things become slightly awkward, as we now get to the first of the three Dortmund players that moved to FC Bayern M\u00fcnchen. <\/span>Mats Hummels<\/span><\/a> joined Bayern\u2019s academy when he was just six years old, but made just one first-team appearance before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2009. Under Klopp, he came into his own. Hummels missed just three matches during the two <\/span>Meisterschale <\/span><\/i>winning seasons from 2010 to 2012, while playing a pivotal role in reaching the Champions League Final in 2013. <\/span><\/p>\n In 2014, Hummels became captain, but in 2016, he made the controversial decision to return to Bayern. While Hummels\u2019 reasoning, going home to Munich and returning to his boyhood club, was understandable, the decision put a stake through the hearts of Dortmund fans. Despite the move, Hummels is unquestionably Dortmund\u2019s best centre back of the decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While Hummels was the star central defender at Dortmund, earning all of the plaudits, <\/span>Neven Suboti\u0107<\/span><\/a> was always by his side during the club\u2019s golden years. The partnership formed between the two was legendary, helping Dortmund to an undefeated <\/span>r\u00fcckrunde <\/span><\/i>of the title-winning 2011\/12 league campaign. Hummels is good with the ball at his feet, while Suboti\u0107 is a warrior who never backs out of a challenge. The two made one of the best centre back partnerships in Bundesliga history.<\/span><\/p>\n Dortmund\u2019s back four from 2010 until 2015 was amazing, making it is almost impossible not to put <\/span>Marcel Schmelzer<\/span><\/a>, a product of Dortmund\u2019s academy, at left-back. Schmelzer is the final piece of the defensive wall that made the glory years under Klopp possible. In the 2010\/11 title-winning season, the German did not miss a single minute of league play. While <\/span>Rapha\u00ebl Guerreiro<\/span><\/a> has kept the former captain on the bench, Schmelzer\u2019s service to Borussia Dortmund from 2010 to 2015 was stellar.<\/span><\/p>\n Every title-winning side needs a midfielder that is willing to do the dirty work. <\/span>Sven Bender<\/span><\/a> was exactly that, acting as the first line of defence for Hummels and Suboti\u0107. The German midfielder was a crucial part of the two title-winning sides and Dortmund\u2019s improbable run to the Champions League Final in 2013. Although <\/span>Nuri Sahin<\/span><\/a> was the star in 2010\/11, he immediately left for Real Madrid in the summer. <\/span>Axel Witsel<\/span><\/a> was also considered, but Bender was a key component of two title-winning seasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u0130lkay G\u00fcndo\u011fan<\/a> is the definition of a classy midfielder. The German international’s touch, vision, and passing ability are why Pep Guardiola rates him so highly. G\u00fcndo\u011fan joined Dortmund in 2011, playing a crucial role in the 2011\/12 title, and netting the equaliser against Bayern in the 2013 Champions League Final. Injury problems hampered his final seasons at the <\/span>Signal-Iduna Park<\/span><\/i>, but G\u00fcndo\u011fan\u2019s sheer ability guarantee him a spot in the decade eleven, even over the likes of Sahin or Witsel.<\/span><\/p>\n While his career faltered after a 2013 move to Manchester United, people often forget just how good Shinji Kagawa was from 2010 to 2012. He scored goal after goal in the league and netted the opener in Dortmund\u2019s five-goal thrashing of Bayern in the 2012 DFB Pokal Final. It might be controversial, but Kagawa gets the nod over <\/span>Mario G\u00f6tze<\/span><\/a>, simply down to preference. G\u00f6tze\u2019s move to Bayern, a decision which truly harmed German football as it jump-started Bayern\u2019s complete and utter domination of the Bundesliga, is unforgivable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Marco Reus<\/a> is the first player in the team of the decade that did not lift the <\/span>Meisterschale <\/span><\/i>with Dortmund, but his inclusion comes at no surprise. While he struggled with injuries, Reus is simply a world-class player. He has been incredibly unlucky throughout his career, missing the 2014 world cup and not winning the league with Dortmund. Reus\u2019 loyalty to the black and yellows, however, something that not many Dortmund stars have shown, makes him a true legend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here is where many will disagree. Where is <\/span>Jakub B\u0142aszczykowski<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Kevin Gro\u00dfkreutz<\/span><\/a>, true Dortmund legends who played pivotal roles in winning those two league titles? Well, <\/span>Jadon Sancho<\/span><\/a> is not only more skilful than both, but more effective, and is well on course to becoming one of Europe\u2019s<\/a> best players. His performances last season were absurd. The Englishman scored thirteen and set up nineteen, doing this at the young age of 18-years-old. Dortmund are known for developing young talent, and Sancho might be their best product yet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n No matter how much the Pole\u2019s move to Bayern hurt, it is impossible to not have <\/span>Robert Lewandowski<\/span><\/a> in the team of the decade. If anything, his move was not the most painful. That award goes to Mario G\u00f6tze. G\u00f6tze is Dortmund born and bred, while Lewandowski has no deep connections to the club, and Hummels could always say he was returning home. <\/span><\/p>\n Either way, Lewandowski was a phenomenal servant of the black and yellows. He scored thirty goals in the 2011\/12 campaign, including the title-sealing winner against Bayern on matchday 30, and four in the first leg of the 2013 Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.<\/span><\/p>\n We cannot forget about the world-class <\/span>Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang<\/span><\/a> and the importance that <\/span>Lucas Barrios<\/span><\/a> played in Dortmund\u2019s 2010\/11 title win, scoring sixteen goals. Despite his heartbreaking move to Bayern in 2014, however, Lewandowski is miles ahead of any Dortmund centre forward over the past decade.<\/span><\/p>\n Roman B\u00fcrki\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kevin Gro\u00dfkreutz<\/span><\/p>\n Jakub B\u0142aszczykowski<\/span><\/p>\n Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang<\/span><\/p>\n Mario G\u00f6tze<\/span><\/p>\n Sebastian Kehl<\/span><\/p>\n Nuri Sahin<\/span><\/p>\n Main Photo<\/p>\nTeam of the Decade Formation: 4-3-3.<\/span><\/h2>\n
Goalkeeper: Roman Weidenfeller<\/span><\/h3>\n
Right Back: Lukasz Piszczek\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Center Back: Matts Hummels<\/span><\/h3>\n
Center Back: Neven Suboti\u0107<\/span><\/h3>\n
Left Back: Marcel Schmelzer<\/span><\/h3>\n
Midfield: Sven Bender<\/span><\/h3>\n
Midfield: \u0130lkay G\u00fcndo\u011fan <\/span><\/h3>\n
Midfield: Shinji Kagawa<\/span><\/h3>\n
Right Wing: Marco Reus<\/span><\/h3>\n
Left-Wing: Jadon Sancho<\/span><\/h3>\n
Center Forward: Robert Lewandowski<\/span><\/h3>\n
Team of the Decade Bench:<\/span><\/h3>\n