Fortuna Düsseldorf
Encyclopedia
is a German association football club
based in Düsseldorf
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
. Founded in 1895 and entered the league in 1913 they were a fixture in top-flight play from the early 1920s up to the foundation of the nationwide Bundesliga
in 1963 where they participated in 22 seasons between 1966 and 1997.
In the late 1920s, Fortuna won its first honours as a first tier side; they captured a district level Bezirksliga title in 1927, sent their first representative to the national side in 1928 (Ernst Albrecht
), and took a second Bezirksliga title in 1929. The team continued to perform well into the 1930s winning their third and fourth district titles on their way to a Western German football championship
in 1931 and their greatest success, a German football championship in 1933 against FC Schalke 04
, who were on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side. Fortuna was the first team to win the title without conceding a goal in the final rounds of the tournament. They beat Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz
(9:0), Arminia Hannover
(3:0), Eintracht Frankfurt
(4:0) and finally FC Schalke 04 (3:0) on their way to the become first national champion from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area.
The following season the club began play in Gauliga Niederrhein
, one of sixteen top-flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. Düsseldorf dominated the division through the 30s as 5 times champions between 1936 and 1940 and made losing appearances in the national championship final in 1936 (1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg) and the final of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup), in 1937 (1:2 against FC Schalke). The club was relegated in 1942 but made a prompt return to the top flight the following season. In 1944–45 they began play as the combined wartime side Kriegsspielgemeinschaft TSV Fortuna/SC 99 Düsseldorf with partner Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899, but took part in only two matches as Nazi Germany fell before the advance of Allied armies.
The most notable players of that Era were Paul Janes
, Germany's most capped player of the 1930s (71 caps), member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8:0 in Breslau in 1937 and went on to win 10 out 11 games played during that year, Stanislaus Kobierski
, who earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal, Ernst Albrecht
and Jakob Bender
.
, Allied occupation authorities ordered the dissolution of all sports organizations in Germany. Fortuna was re-formed in 1945 and then played most of their football in the Oberliga West (I) in the years between 1947 and the creation of the Bundesliga
, Germany's professional football league, in 1963. They played as a lower-to-mid table side but did earn three appearances in the German Cup final in – 1957, 1958 and 1962 – but were not able to take the prize, losing each of those matches (against FC Bayern Munich
, VFB Stuttgart
and 1. FC Nuremberg). It was also the time of famous Toni Turek
, goal keeper for Germany's Miracle of Bern side at the 1954 World Cup, Erich Juskowiak
(30 caps and World Cup player in 1958) and later national team Coach Jupp Derwall who played in the Fortuna midfield.
in their Bundesliga premiere game Fortuna were immediately relegated, but returned in 1971 for a stay that lasted sixteen seasons and that included two third place league finishes (in the 1972/73 and 1973/1974 seasons). On December, the 9th, 1978 Fortuna obtained a 7:1 victory against FC Bayern Munich, up to date the highest away defeat for Germanys top club in their overall Bundesliga
-history. In addition Fortuna continued prosperous in German Cup play, making another three appearances: after losing in their fifth appearance in the final in 1978 against local rivals 1. FC Köln
0:2, they finally broke through and came away as cupholders in 1979 (1:0 against Hertha BSC Berlin
) and then repeated in 1980 (2:1 against 1. FC Köln). In this period they established a record for consecutive German Cup match victories (18 straight victories between 1978 and 1981).
Fortuna is among a group of four teams which have made frequent appearances in the German Cup final only to come away empty handed. Like 1. FC Kaiserslautern
they have just two wins against fives losses. 1. FC Köln has four wins and six losses in the Cup final, while FC Schalke has been frustrated most often with four wins and seven losses. Four of the Düsseldorfer's losses were by a single goal and two of those were in extra time.
The club's best turn in European competition was in the 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup Final where they finished as runners up to FC Barcelona
, losing 4:3 in extra time in an exciting finale at Basle. It was the first of four occasions that the Catalan club won the tournament.
Fortuna achieved their success mostly with hometown players like the famous Allofs-Brothers (Klaus Allofs
and Thomas Allofs
) or players, like Gerd Zewe
(440 games in the Bundesliga), Dieter Herzog
, Reiner Geye
, Wolfgang Seel
and Rudi Bommer who joined the team as nearly unknown players and ended as Internationals. Between 1960 and 1967 Peter Meyer
, scored 119 goals in 174 games.
Since relegation in 1987, Fortuna has bounced back forth between leagues, spending five more seasons in the Bundesliga in 1989–92 and 1995–97 and slipping as low as Oberliga Nordrhein
(IV) in 2002–04. In 2001 they escaped relegation to tier IV only because two other clubs were denied licenses to play in tier III for financial reasons. Fortuna had their own money problems at the time, but have since managed to put their house more or less back into order. Between 2001 and 2003 the club was sponsored by the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen
.
In 2008–09 Fortuna competed in the new 3rd Liga
, and finished 2nd, gaining automatic promotion to 2. Bundesliga
, where they finished 4th in their comeback season 2009–10. In this season Fortuna was the only side unbeaten in home-matches in the three top German (nationwide) leagues and in addition set an average attendance record (more than 28.000 per match) in their 115 year old club history.
(c)
Cup
International competition
Reserve team
earning 240 caps between them:
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
based in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
. Founded in 1895 and entered the league in 1913 they were a fixture in top-flight play from the early 1920s up to the foundation of the nationwide Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
in 1963 where they participated in 22 seasons between 1966 and 1997.
Foundation to World War II
The earliest roots of the association go back to the establishment of the gymnastics club Turnverein Flingern on 5 May 1895 in the village of Flingern, today one of the eastern quarters of Düsseldorf. Two other sides figure in the club's early history: Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein founded in 1908 and FK Alemania 1911, which was founded in 1911 and became Fortuna 1911 the following year. In mid-1913, these two clubs merged to form Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911, which played its debut season in the Westdeutschen Spielverband in 1913–14. TV Flingern joined Fortuna to create Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna on 15 November 1919.In the late 1920s, Fortuna won its first honours as a first tier side; they captured a district level Bezirksliga title in 1927, sent their first representative to the national side in 1928 (Ernst Albrecht
Ernst Albrecht (footballer)
Ernst Albrecht was a German footballer. He played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the team which won the 1933 German championship....
), and took a second Bezirksliga title in 1929. The team continued to perform well into the 1930s winning their third and fourth district titles on their way to a Western German football championship
Western German football championship
The Western German football championship was the highest association football competition in Western Germany, in the Prussian Province of Westphalia, the Rhine Province, the northern parts of the province of Hesse-Nassau as well as the Principality of Lippe, later to become the Free State of Lippe...
in 1931 and their greatest success, a German football championship in 1933 against FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, who were on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side. Fortuna was the first team to win the title without conceding a goal in the final rounds of the tournament. They beat Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz
Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz
Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz was a German association football club from the city of Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, today Gliwice, Poland.-History:...
(9:0), Arminia Hannover
Arminia Hannover
SV Arminia Hannover is a German association football club based in Hanover, Lower Saxony.- History :The club was founded in 1910 as FC Arminia Hannover and merged with Rugby-Verein Merkur in 1918, becoming SV Arminia-Merkur. Two years later they re-named themselves SV Arminia Hannover and captured...
(3:0), Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
(4:0) and finally FC Schalke 04 (3:0) on their way to the become first national champion from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area.
The following season the club began play in Gauliga Niederrhein
Gauliga Niederrhein
The Gauliga Niederrhein was the highest football league in the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gaue Essen and Düsseldorf replaced the Prussian province in...
, one of sixteen top-flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. Düsseldorf dominated the division through the 30s as 5 times champions between 1936 and 1940 and made losing appearances in the national championship final in 1936 (1:2 to 1. FC Nuremberg) and the final of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup), in 1937 (1:2 against FC Schalke). The club was relegated in 1942 but made a prompt return to the top flight the following season. In 1944–45 they began play as the combined wartime side Kriegsspielgemeinschaft TSV Fortuna/SC 99 Düsseldorf with partner Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899, but took part in only two matches as Nazi Germany fell before the advance of Allied armies.
The most notable players of that Era were Paul Janes
Paul Janes
Paul Janes was a German football player. He earned 71 caps and scored 7 goals for the Germany national football team from 1932 to 1942, and played in two World Cups: 1934 and 1938...
, Germany's most capped player of the 1930s (71 caps), member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8:0 in Breslau in 1937 and went on to win 10 out 11 games played during that year, Stanislaus Kobierski
Stanislaus Kobierski
Stanislaus "Tau" Kobierski was a German football player.Between 1931 and 1941, he played 26 times and scored 9 goals for the Germany national football team. He participated in the 1934 FIFA World Cup, and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal, in the first round 5-2 win over Belgium. His...
, who earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal, Ernst Albrecht
Ernst Albrecht (footballer)
Ernst Albrecht was a German footballer. He played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the team which won the 1933 German championship....
and Jakob Bender
Jakob Bender
Jakob Bender was a German footballer. In the 1930s, Bender was a squad member of Fortuna Düsseldorf, who in 1933 became German League champions....
.
Post War era
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Allied occupation authorities ordered the dissolution of all sports organizations in Germany. Fortuna was re-formed in 1945 and then played most of their football in the Oberliga West (I) in the years between 1947 and the creation of the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, Germany's professional football league, in 1963. They played as a lower-to-mid table side but did earn three appearances in the German Cup final in – 1957, 1958 and 1962 – but were not able to take the prize, losing each of those matches (against FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, VFB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
and 1. FC Nuremberg). It was also the time of famous Toni Turek
Toni Turek
Toni Turek, real name Anton Turek, was a German football goalkeeper.-Biography:Turek was born in Duisburg....
, goal keeper for Germany's Miracle of Bern side at the 1954 World Cup, Erich Juskowiak
Erich Juskowiak
Erich Juskowiak was a former football player for the German national team between 1951 and 1959. He earned 31 caps and 4 goals for Germany. His position was left back...
(30 caps and World Cup player in 1958) and later national team Coach Jupp Derwall who played in the Fortuna midfield.
1960s and 1970s
The club's performance was not good enough to earn them a place among the original sixteen teams chosen for the newly founded Bundesliga in 1963, but they did manage to play their way into the premier division three years later for a cameo appearance in the 1966–67 season. Despite a sensational 2:1 away win at recently crowned European Cup Winners Cup winners Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
in their Bundesliga premiere game Fortuna were immediately relegated, but returned in 1971 for a stay that lasted sixteen seasons and that included two third place league finishes (in the 1972/73 and 1973/1974 seasons). On December, the 9th, 1978 Fortuna obtained a 7:1 victory against FC Bayern Munich, up to date the highest away defeat for Germanys top club in their overall Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
-history. In addition Fortuna continued prosperous in German Cup play, making another three appearances: after losing in their fifth appearance in the final in 1978 against local rivals 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
0:2, they finally broke through and came away as cupholders in 1979 (1:0 against Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
) and then repeated in 1980 (2:1 against 1. FC Köln). In this period they established a record for consecutive German Cup match victories (18 straight victories between 1978 and 1981).
Fortuna is among a group of four teams which have made frequent appearances in the German Cup final only to come away empty handed. Like 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
they have just two wins against fives losses. 1. FC Köln has four wins and six losses in the Cup final, while FC Schalke has been frustrated most often with four wins and seven losses. Four of the Düsseldorfer's losses were by a single goal and two of those were in extra time.
The club's best turn in European competition was in the 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup Final where they finished as runners up to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, losing 4:3 in extra time in an exciting finale at Basle. It was the first of four occasions that the Catalan club won the tournament.
Fortuna achieved their success mostly with hometown players like the famous Allofs-Brothers (Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs is a retired German footballer, who played as a striker.A prolific goalscorer for club and country , his younger brother, Thomas, was also a professional footballer – and a striker.-Club career:Allofs began playing...
and Thomas Allofs
Thomas Allofs
Thomas Allofs is a retired German footballer, who played as a striker.The younger brother of another footballer, Klaus Allofs, he was a prolific goalscorer, having scored nearly 200 overall goals as a professional, always playing in the German first division .-Club career:Allofs started his...
) or players, like Gerd Zewe
Gerd Zewe
Gerd Zewe is a former German football player and manager.Zewe was a youngster for SV Stennweiler and an amateur for Borussia Neunkirchen...
(440 games in the Bundesliga), Dieter Herzog
Dieter Herzog
Dieter Herzog is a former German international football player.Herzog played in 250 Bundesliga matches for Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in his professional career, after starting his senior career with Sportfreunde Hamborn 07 in a lower division and joining Düsseldorf a year before...
, Reiner Geye
Reiner Geye
Reiner Geye was a German football player.His career started with TuS Duisburg 48/99 and Eintracht Duisburg. Since 1968 he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf. From 1971 to 1986 he played in the German Bundesliga for Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1...
, Wolfgang Seel
Wolfgang Seel
Wolfgang Seel is a retired German football player. He spent 12 seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken...
and Rudi Bommer who joined the team as nearly unknown players and ended as Internationals. Between 1960 and 1967 Peter Meyer
Peter Meyer
Peter Meyer is an international German footballer.Peter Meyer may also refer to:* Peter Meyer , American figure skater* Peter Meyer , German musician, member of the band Puhdys...
, scored 119 goals in 174 games.
1980s to present
Oberliga Nordrhein
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system...
(IV) in 2002–04. In 2001 they escaped relegation to tier IV only because two other clubs were denied licenses to play in tier III for financial reasons. Fortuna had their own money problems at the time, but have since managed to put their house more or less back into order. Between 2001 and 2003 the club was sponsored by the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.The band's name literally means "The Dead Pants" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "nothing going on" or "boring"...
.
In 2008–09 Fortuna competed in the new 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
, and finished 2nd, gaining automatic promotion to 2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
, where they finished 4th in their comeback season 2009–10. In this season Fortuna was the only side unbeaten in home-matches in the three top German (nationwide) leagues and in addition set an average attendance record (more than 28.000 per match) in their 115 year old club history.
Current squad
(c)
Honours
Championship- German championsGerman championsThe German champions is the general name given to winners of a Bundesliga sporting competition in Germany.-Current German championship holders:* Football 2010–11: Women's: 1...
hip winners: 1933 - German championsGerman championsThe German champions is the general name given to winners of a Bundesliga sporting competition in Germany.-Current German championship holders:* Football 2010–11: Women's: 1...
hip finalists: 1936 - Western German championsWestern German football championshipThe Western German football championship was the highest association football competition in Western Germany, in the Prussian Province of Westphalia, the Rhine Province, the northern parts of the province of Hesse-Nassau as well as the Principality of Lippe, later to become the Free State of Lippe...
hip winners: 1931
Cup
- German Cup winners: 1979, 1980
- German Cup finalists: 1937, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1978
- Western German Cup winners: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962
International competition
- European Cup Winners' Cup finalists: 1979
- Trofeo Ciudad de Palma winners: 1989
- Intertoto Cup winners: 1967, 1984, 1986
Reserve team
- German amateur championship winners: 1977
League History
- 1913–1914 C-Klasse (3rd tier) – Champions: 1914
- 1914–1918 B-Klasse (2nd tier) – Champions: 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918
- 1918–1919 A-Klasse (1st tier)
- 1919–1920 A-Klasse (2nd tier) – Champions: 1920
- 1920–1921 Gauliga Berg Mark (1st tier)
- 1921–1922 A-Klasse (2nd tier)
- 1922–1933 Gauliga Berg Mark (1st tier) – Champions: 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933
- 1933–1942 Gauliga NiederrheinGauliga NiederrheinThe Gauliga Niederrhein was the highest football league in the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gaue Essen and Düsseldorf replaced the Prussian province in...
(1st tier) – Champions: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 - 1942–1943 Bezirksklasse (2nd tier) – Champions: 1943
- 1943–1944 Gauliga Niederrhein (1st tier)
- 1944–1946 no contests (WW II)
- 1946–1947 Bezirksliga Berg Mark (1st tier) – Champions: 1947
- 1947–1949 Oberliga West (1st tier)
- 1949–1950 2. Liga West2nd Oberliga WestThe 2nd Oberliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1949 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, the most populous state of Germany....
(2nd tier) - 1950–1960 Oberliga West (1st tier)
- 1960–1961 2. Liga West (2nd tier)
- 1961–1963 Oberliga West (1st tier)
- 1963–1966 Regionalliga WestRegionalliga West (1963-74)The Regionalliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...
(2nd tier) – Champions: 1966 - 1966–1967 BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
(1st tier) - 1967–1971 Regionalliga West (2nd tier)
- 1971–1987 Bundesliga (1st tier)
- 1987–1989 2. Bundesliga2. Fußball-Bundesliga- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
(2nd tier) – Champions: 1989 - 1989–1992 Bundesliga (1st tier)
- 1992–1993 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
- 1993–1994 Oberliga NordrheinOberliga NordrheinThe Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German Football, the 4th tier of the German football league system...
(3rd tier) – Champions: 1994 - 1994–1995 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
- 1995–1997 Bundesliga (1st tier)
- 1997–1999 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
- 1999–2000 Regionalliga West/SüdwestRegionalliga West/SüdwestThe Regionalliga West/Südwest was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen from 1994 to 2000.- Overview :...
(3rd tier) - 2000–2002 Regionalliga NordRegionalliga NordThe Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...
(3rd tier) - 2002–2004 Oberliga Nordrhein (4th tier)
- 2004–2008 Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier)
- 2008–2009 3. Liga3rd LigaThe 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
(3rd tier) - 2009–2012 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
Recent Seasons
| Season | League | Position | DFB-Pokal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001/2002 | Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany... (3rd tier) |
17th* | DNQ |
| 2002/2003 | Oberliga Nordrhein (4th tier) | 8th | DNQ |
| 2003/2004 | Oberliga Nordrhein (4th tier) | 2nd | DNQ |
| 2004/2005 | Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier) | 8th | Round 1 |
| 2005/2006 | Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier) | 5th | DNQ |
| 2006/2007 | Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier) | 10th | DNQ |
| 2007/2008 | Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier) | 3rd | DNQ |
| 2008/2009 | 3rd Liga (3rd tier) | 2nd | DNQ |
| 2009/2010 | 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) | 4th | Round 1 |
| 2010/2011 | 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) | 7th | Round 1 |
Notable players (Internationals for the German National football team)
25 Fortuna players have made appearances with the national sideGermany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
earning 240 caps between them:
- Ernst AlbrechtErnst Albrecht (footballer)Ernst Albrecht was a German footballer. He played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the team which won the 1933 German championship....
(1928–1934) 17 caps - Klaus AllofsKlaus AllofsKlaus Allofs is a retired German footballer, who played as a striker.A prolific goalscorer for club and country , his younger brother, Thomas, was also a professional footballer – and a striker.-Club career:Allofs began playing...
(1978–1981) 21 caps (56 caps overall) - Jakob BenderJakob BenderJakob Bender was a German footballer. In the 1930s, Bender was a squad member of Fortuna Düsseldorf, who in 1933 became German League champions....
(1933–1935) 9 caps - Manfred BockenfeldManfred BockenfeldManfred Bockenfeld is a German former footballer.-External links:* at worldfootball.net...
(1984) 1 cap - Rudi Bommer (1984) 6 caps
- Kurt Borkenhagen (1952) 1 cap
- Theo BreuerTheo BreuerTheo Breuer is a German poet, essayist, editor, translator and publisher.-Life and work:...
(1933) 2 caps - Jupp Derwall (1954) 2 caps
- Reiner GeyeReiner GeyeReiner Geye was a German football player.His career started with TuS Duisburg 48/99 and Eintracht Duisburg. Since 1968 he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf. From 1971 to 1986 he played in the German Bundesliga for Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1...
(1972–1974) 4 caps - Hans Heibach (1938) 1 cap
- Dieter HerzogDieter HerzogDieter Herzog is a former German international football player.Herzog played in 250 Bundesliga matches for Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in his professional career, after starting his senior career with Sportfreunde Hamborn 07 in a lower division and joining Düsseldorf a year before...
(1974) 5 caps - Günter Jäger (1958) 1 cap
- Paul JanesPaul JanesPaul Janes was a German football player. He earned 71 caps and scored 7 goals for the Germany national football team from 1932 to 1942, and played in two World Cups: 1934 and 1938...
(1932–1942) 71 caps - Erich JuskowiakErich JuskowiakErich Juskowiak was a former football player for the German national team between 1951 and 1959. He earned 31 caps and 4 goals for Germany. His position was left back...
(1953–1959) 30 caps (31 caps overall) - Stanislaus KobierskiStanislaus KobierskiStanislaus "Tau" Kobierski was a German football player.Between 1931 and 1941, he played 26 times and scored 9 goals for the Germany national football team. He participated in the 1934 FIFA World Cup, and scored Germany's first ever World Cup goal, in the first round 5-2 win over Belgium. His...
(1931–1941) 26 caps - Kurt Krüger (1940) 1 cap
- Matthias Mauritz (1959) 1 cap
- Paul Mehl (1936) 2 caps
- Hans Neuschäfer (1956) 1 cap
- Wolfgang SeelWolfgang SeelWolfgang Seel is a retired German football player. He spent 12 seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken...
(1974–1977) 6 caps - Bernhard Steffen (1958–1960) 2 caps
- Anton Turek (1950–1954) 20 caps
- Willi Wigold (1932–1934) 4 caps
- Gerd ZeweGerd ZeweGerd Zewe is a former German football player and manager.Zewe was a youngster for SV Stennweiler and an amateur for Borussia Neunkirchen...
(1978–1979) 4 caps - Felix Zwolanowski (1940) 2 caps
Stadiums
- Lichtplatz (1908–19)
- Vennhauser Straße (1919–30)
- Paul-Janes-StadionPaul-Janes-StadionThe Paul-Janes-Stadion in Düsseldorf-Flingern is one of the home grounds of Fortuna Düsseldorf . It was built in 1930 by the team; now city-owned, it has been named since 1990 after the long-standing Düsseldorf and national football player Paul Janes...
(1930–53, 1970–72, 1975–76 (Evasive), 2002–05, 2005–07 (Evasive)) - RheinstadionRheinstadionThe Rheinstadion was a multi-purpose stadium, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium was built, near the Rhine, in 1926 and held 55,900 people, at the end of its life....
(1953–70, 1972–2002) - Multifunktionsarena Esprit Arena (2005–present)
- Air Berlin World (2011, Evasive)
Trivia
- Fortuna established a record for consecutive German Cup match victories (18 straight victories between 1978 and 1981).
- On December, the 9th, 1978 Fortuna obtained a 7:1 victory against FC Bayern Munich, up to date the highest away defeat for Germanys top club in their overall Bundesliga-history.
- Fortuna was the first German team that visited Africa for friendly competition in 1928 and the first German team that signed an African player (Charles GyamfiCharles GyamfiCharles Kumi Gyamfi is a retired Ghanaian footballer who is remarkable for being the first African player to play in Germany, when he joined Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1960....
) in 1960. - 10 years after the Cupwinners Cup final against FC Barcelona Fortuna won a rematch at Palma de Majorca against the Spaniards 2:1 taking the win at the traditional tournament Ciudad de Palma.
- 2009 Fortuna set an alltime attendance record for third level fooball in Germany. 50.095 visitors saw a 1:0 victory against Werder Bremen II that meant promotion into the 2nd Bundesliga.