Editorial
Why we wrote this dossier
From the very beginning, a special case. A problematic football city, an island in the middle of the Cold War. The club that was run with Berlin cheek but rarely with good judgment became the first Bundesliga side to be relegated for non-sporting reasons. Before that, operating under the motto "everyone else does it too," they'd been handing out money to players that should never have been handed out.
It fits the turbulent biography of the "Old Lady" that the club couldn't capitalise on the euphoria following the reunification of Berlin. And when money did arrive years later, it was thrown out with both hands. A passionate one-night stand with Europe's elite — but nothing more.
Hertha BSC — a club that has no shortage of urban legends, yet suffers from alpha-dog syndrome, and can't even win a title without a scandal. But it's precisely this roguish nature and the tension of the eternally pulsating capital that make the blue-and-whites so fascinating to their fans.
"AKTE HERTHA BSC" is for lovers and haters of the "Herthaner." History becomes legend, legend becomes myth. And myth becomes cult — or a reason for eternal cringing, depending on the event.
Club Profile
Facts, figures and milestones
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club e.V. — known as Hertha BSC or the "Old Lady" — is a sports club from Berlin. A founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963, the club is today based in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.
On 25 July 1892, Berliner Fußball Club Hertha 1892 was founded as one of Germany's first dedicated football clubs. Hertha's roots lie in the Gesundbrunnen district. Their old ground became famous under the nickname "Plumpe" — Berlin slang for water pump, after the pumps that lined the surrounding streets.
Good to Know
What few people know
Hertha BSC is a club of extremes. Scandals, disqualifications and financial irregularities are practically part of the club's DNA — not some modern phenomenon, but a tradition stretching back over 100 years.
In the 1918/19 season, the club illegally paid signing bonuses. After WWII, Hertha was suspended for four years due to ties with the Nazi regime. In 1965, Hertha became the first club to have its Bundesliga licence revoked.
Tasmania 1900 Berlin had to step in — and went down as the worst Bundesliga side ever, with 8 points from 60 under the old two-point system.
The 1931 title win was a scandal: Hertha trailed 1–2 and won 3–2 with two clear offside goals. The referee ignored his linesman both times.
For the Haters
Painful disasters and crushing defeats
The 1980s: Relegated in 1980, promoted again, straight back to last place, then down to the amateur league. Home games in front of 2,000 fans at the Poststadion.
The squandered title 2008/09: In spring 2009, Berlin dreamed of the championship. A 1–3 loss to Dortmund and a 0–0 against Schalke on matchday 33 killed the title hopes. A 0–4 defeat in Karlsruhe then knocked Hertha out of the Champions League spots.
Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski: UEFA Cup 2003, first-round exit against the Polish club with the reporter-friendly name. 0–0 and 0–1. Out.
For the Lovers
Great triumphs and glorious moments
Champions League 1999/00: Victories over Chelsea (2–1) and AC Milan (1–0). Reached the second group stage.
Runners-up 1974/75: 91,000 fans at the top-of-the-table clash against Gladbach (2–1).
Hertha Amateurs 1992/93: A third-division side reaching the DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen (0–1).
Most prolific season: 123 goals in the 2. Bundesliga 1980/81. Werner Killmaier scored 39.
Most Important Persons
The characters who shaped the club
Lifted Hertha from the shadows of the 2. Bundesliga back onto the international stage. Promotion in 1997, Champions League in 1999. A home game against Kaiserslautern drew 75,000 — a second-division record.
Hertha's most prolific goalscorer. Bundesliga top scorer in 1998/99 with 23 goals. After his playing career, became the club's general manager.
European Championship runner-up in 1976. 253 Bundesliga appearances, 83 goals. "Hertha will always be in my heart — I am a Herthaner."
Hertha's all-time appearance record holder. Part of the 1997 promotion team, retired in 2011, then became coach. Under Dárdai: Europa League in 2016 and 2017.
The club's first great football star. Six championship finals, two titles. Curious detail: he misspelled his own surname throughout his life — it was actually Sobeck.
240 Bundesliga games. Joined in 1969 for a then-record fee of 168,000 euros. Famous for his "backside-first" defending technique.
Personae Non Gratae
The ones fans would rather forget
December 2011 to February 2012. "It was a disaster, the absolute low point of my coaching career."
Arrived in 1990 as the great hope. Mediocre performances, endless injuries. Hertha got relegated, Rahn moved on.
Asked after a 3–7 loss to Bayern: "Have you ever lost by that margin?" — "Yes, in 1966 against my brother at Subbuteo." On leaving: "Anyone who takes the Hertha coaching job is either insane, football-stupid, or completely broke."
Tragic
Those who were dealt a bad hand
Alex Alves — The Brazilian Diva. A lonely death at 37. Signed for seven million euros, the most expensive transfer in club history. Scored "Goal of the Year" in 2000 from 52 metres. Never settled in Berlin. Died impoverished in Brazil in 2012.
Helmut "Fiffi" Kronsbein — Suspected of Murder. Successful coach 1966–1974. In 1983, the magazine Quick asked: "Did you murder your wife?" A later forensic report proved his innocence.
OMG — Oh My God
You couldn't make this up
Europe's least successful football capital. Rapid Vienna have 32 league titles. Hertha: two — almost a century ago.
The 1971 Bundesliga match-fixing scandal. No club took more bribe money than Hertha. 240,000 Deutschmarks for a single game. Fifteen players suspended.
The fog match against Barcelona. November 1999. "The second half was the best thing we've ever seen from Hertha — namely, nothing."
Lars Windhorst. 125 million euros for 37.5% of the club. Big City Club — OMG.
Fun Facts
Knowledge for blowhards, braggadocios and connoisseurs
Attendance record. 85,411 fans on 21 September 1963 against Köln. Unofficially 90,000 on 26 September 1969.
The only replayed cup final. 1977 against Köln: 1–1 after extra time, then 0–1 in the replay. The German FA introduced penalty shootouts as a direct result.
Why "Hertha"? Named in 1892 after a steamship on the river Havel. The ship's funnel was painted blue, white and yellow.
Hermann Horwitz. The first team doctor in German football. Jewish, murdered by the Nazis in 1943.
Special Moments
The "Nearly Man" enchants the German championship
A BILD reporter walks through the Brandenburg Gate carrying a replica of the championship trophy. Berlin dreams. Coach Lucien Favre takes the league lead on matchday 20: a 2–1 win over Bayern, Olympiastadion sold out.
On matchday 33, Hertha's 0–0 against Schalke comes down to Manuel Neuer. Just 14 points from the final nine games. One year after leading the league: dead last.
As the Berlin saying goes: "No hair on your head, but a comb in your pocket!"
Soccer Memes
and words of wisdom
"Working for Hertha means ageing prematurely."
Coach Fiffi Kronsbein, 1968"If you plant small trees and expect 100 kilos of fruit the next year, that's impossible."
Pál Dárdai, 2015/16"Our players can play 50-metre passes: five metres forward and 45 metres up."
Uwe Klimaschewski, 1981"I saw: goal. I was happy. Then I saw: no goal. Then it was shit."
Davie Selke, September 2019Otto Rehhagel in court, to a Fortuna lawyer: "Were you even at the game?"
Otto Rehhagel, Düsseldorf 2013"We sing Hertha, Hertha, Hertha BSC! That's the champion from the Spree!"
Hertha fans. Reality plays no role.