Dortmund's Schmelzer on 1997, 2013 and Monaco
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
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Yet to watch a replay of Dortmund's 2013 final loss, defender Marcel Schmelzer hopes that this time his side can be "the ones that get to climb the steps", 20 years on from their maiden success.
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A boyhood Dortmund fan, left-back Marcel Schmelzer has been with the club since he was 17, and has experienced plenty of ups – and one notable down – with the club. He speaks to UEFA.com about growing up with BVB, and what it would mean to win the UEFA Champions League.
On Dortmund's victory in the 1997 UEFA Champions League final ...
My brother and I weren't allowed to watch the match because it was on too late. We only heard the result the next morning. We were Dortmund fans so we were very happy, and for a German team to win the Champions League was great for everyone in the country.
I supported Dortmund. I used to get Dortmund kits for Christmas, and Dedé was my role model in my position. There were other teams I could have moved to, but after my trial with Dortmund in 2005 it was clear I would transfer from Madgeburg to BVB.
Borussia Dortmund is like a family to me. I've been here for 12 years and instead of driving to work, coming here feels like driving home. There's a great togetherness – everyone is close to one another at this club.
On taking on Monaco ...
They'll definitely be two very interesting games. Monaco have some outstanding attacking players – some very quick, tricky players. They're top of the French league, ahead of PSG, and on top of that, they beat Manchester City. Perhaps they don't look so strong on paper, but when you see them play they're fantastic. They will be two absolutely top games, but me and my defensive team-mates will do everything in our power to make sure they are not as interesting as the matches against City, where there were 12 goals over the two legs.
On losing 2-1 to Bayern in the 2013 final ...
I've never watched a replay; the only bit I've seen is the goal we conceded at the end. Up until the last few minutes, it was an outstanding Champions League season for the whole club. It's something that will always be remembered and it was a fantastic experience. It was 50-50. We put in a really good performance, but in the end we just ran out of steam.
Back then, we didn't have the strength-in-depth that we have today. We only had about 12 or 13 players who were good enough to be in contention for a starting place in the Champions League, and there were a lot of young players in the squad too, so it was a very difficult task against Bayern. Of course, it's the dream of everyone who played that night – and those who have joined since – to get there again and not just be the ones who stand on the pitch watching at the end, but be the ones that get to climb the steps.
Winning the Champions League would be the greatest thing I could do with my club. We had the opportunity to play in one final, which we lost despite a good performance. That makes our dream even bigger and all our work and training is for that purpose.