For the Haters
Fortuna Düsseldorf have the rather unflattering reputation a...
Fortuna Düsseldorf have the rather unflattering reputation across German football of being a classic yo-yo club....
Fortuna Düsseldorf have the rather unflattering reputation across German football of being a classic yo-yo club.
Oberliga Nordrhein: Fortuna’s greatest footballing embarrass...
Oberliga Nordrhein: Fortuna’s greatest footballing embarrassment came outside the first and second Bundesliga.
Oberliga Nordrhein: Fortuna’s greatest footballing embarrassment came outside the first and second Bundesliga. In 2001/02, 17th place in the third-tier Regionalliga Nord meant relegation to the Oberliga Nordrhein.
Four coaches: 20th place, only six wins –
Four coaches: 20th place, only six wins – a club negative record – and four worn-out coaches (Josef Hickersberger, Rolf Schafstall, Horst Köppel and Jürgen Gede) made 1991/92, the mammoth Bundesliga season with 20 teams, the absolute low point.
a club negative record – and four worn-out coaches (Josef Hickersberger, Rolf Schafstall, Horst Köppel and Jürgen Gede) made 1991/92, the mammoth Bundesliga season with 20 teams, the absolute low point. From 1999 onward, an entire decade in amateur football followed.
The heaviest Bundesliga defeat: Fortuna’s worst Bundesliga d...
The heaviest Bundesliga defeat: Fortuna’s worst Bundesliga defeat remains the 0–7 (0–2) against VfB Stuttgart in the 1985/86 season.
The heaviest Bundesliga defeat: Fortuna’s worst Bundesliga defeat remains the 0–7 (0–2) against VfB Stuttgart in the 1985/86 season. On 15 March 1986, the Swabians swept through the Düsseldorf Rheinstadion like a tornado thanks to goals from Michael Spies, Karl Allgöwer and five strikes from Jürgen Klinsmann.
The heaviest away defeat: Fortuna Düsseldorf lost 7–0
The heaviest away defeat: Fortuna Düsseldorf lost 7–0 at Bayern Munich on matchday 21 of the 1981/82 season....
at Bayern Munich on matchday 21 of the 1981/82 season.
The longest losing streak: F95 lost ten games
The longest losing streak: F95 lost ten games in a row from matchday 31 to 34 of the 1990/91 season and then through matchday 6 of the following one....
in a row from matchday 31 to 34 of the 1990/91 season and then through matchday 6 of the following one.
The low point: 0–6 in the Oberliga against
The low point: 0–6 in the Oberliga against Wuppertal.
Wuppertal. In a meeting of two former Bundesliga clubs, Fortuna Düsseldorf were torn apart 0–6 (0–2) by Wuppertal on 30 November 2002 at the Stadion am Zoo. Good thing only 5,000 spectators saw it.
The most embarrassing turnaround in a Bundesliga match
The most embarrassing turnaround in a Bundesliga match against Fortuna: matchday 31 of the 1990/91 season.
against Fortuna: matchday 31 of the 1990/91 season. While football Germany was gripped by the title duel between Kaiserslautern and Bayern, a wildly dramatic match unfolded at the Rheinstadion. Düsseldorf led 3–0 against VfL Bochum through goals from Jørn Andersen, Martin Spanring and Thomas Allofs – yet did not even salvage a point.
Michael Rzehaczek, Josef “Jupp” Nehl, Dirk Helmig and Frank “Funny” Heinemann turned the match around between the 36th and 69th minute. Older fans felt déjà vu, because the same thing had happened in 1980 when Fortuna threw away a 3–0 lead at 1860 Munich.
Drama against HSV: Düsseldorf, 3 August 2009. In
Drama against HSV: Düsseldorf, 3 August 2009.
the first round of the DFB-Pokal against Hamburger SV, Fortuna suffered one of the bitterest defeats in their history. It was 3–3 after 120 minutes. Andreas “Lumpi” Lambertz had cancelled out HSV’s 3–2 lead – built by two goals from Germany international Piotr Trochowski – in stoppage time of extra time and had the Düsseldorf arena rocking.
But in the penalty shootout the Hamburg side stayed cool in classic Hanseatic fashion. They converted four penalties, while Oliver Caillas and Sebastian Heidinger both failed against HSV goalkeeping legend Frank “Fäustel” Rost.
From the perspective of everyone who wished Fortuna
From the perspective of everyone who wished Fortuna anything but good luck, the most delightful Bundesliga season was 1986/87....
anything but good luck, the most delightful Bundesliga season was 1986/87.
Most defeats: Fortuna Düsseldorf lost 21 matches in
Most defeats: Fortuna Düsseldorf lost 21 matches in the 1986/87 top-flight season.
the 1986/87 top-flight season. Not even in 1991/92, when they finished 20th in a 20-team Bundesliga and had to walk down the famous stairs of the Rheinstadion, did they lose that many – “only” 20.
Although: in 1992/93 Fortuna actually lost 23 matches.
In the second Bundesliga.
Longest run without a win: 19 games without
Longest run without a win: 19 games without victory.
victory. F95 managed that in the 1991/92 Bundesliga season from matchday 19 to 37.
The Bundesliga’s shooting gallery: minus 49 – that
The Bundesliga’s shooting gallery: minus 49 – that was Fortuna’s goal difference in 1986/87, with 91 goals conceded.
was Fortuna’s goal difference in 1986/87, with 91 goals conceded. Add 21 defeats and it becomes their worst Bundesliga season on every level.
Fewest points: this negative record also came in
Fewest points: this negative record also came in the season after the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
the season after the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Fortuna collected just 27 points. After matchday 31, a 1–3 defeat to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, it was already clear that the club could at best still reach the relegation playoff.
Relegation was only mathematically sealed after the final matchday, when their protest against a supposedly irregular goal in a 2–2 draw in Bochum was rejected by the DFB and Fortuna had to leave the Bundesliga after 16 years.
Particularly embarrassing, too, was the collapse in the
Particularly embarrassing, too, was the collapse in the second half of 1983/84: Fortuna ended the first half in 6th place with title ambitions and 21:13 points, then finished only 17th in the second-half table with 8:26 points.
second half of 1983/84: Fortuna ended the first half in 6th place with title ambitions and 21:13 points, then finished only 17th in the second-half table with 8:26 points. They ended up a disappointing 14th.
Relegation in 2012/13: Fortuna also owed their most
Relegation in 2012/13: Fortuna also owed their most recent relegation to a catastrophic second half of the season.
recent relegation to a catastrophic second half of the season. Only on the final matchday did the team drop into a relegation spot – something unique in Bundesliga history.
F95 — Financial Stability Score
Fortuna Düsseldorf — Detaildaten werden aus dem DFL 2.BL-Report nachgepflegt. Aufstiegskandidat mit Großstadt-Potenzial.
For the Haters — Update 2020–2026
Relegation in 2019/20 under Uwe Rosler was painful, but not unexpected.
Relegation in 2019/20 under Uwe Rosler was painful,
Relegation in 2019/20 under Uwe Rosler was painful, but not unexpected.
but not unexpected. More bitter for the fans was the failure in the 2024 promotion play-off against VfL Bochum, when the return to the Bundesliga seemed almost within touching distance — and still did not happen.