BVB boss recalls emotional moment: “The biggest defeat of my life
Hans-Joachim Watzke – the man behind BVB’s success
Managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke has experienced many highs and lows with Borussia Dortmund. One day in particular sticks in his memory.
On 27 May 2023, Borussia Dortmund made football history. However, from the perspective of managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke, it was not a positive moment, but a tragic one. On that day, a victory against Mainz 05 would have meant the first championship title in ten years for the Black and Yellows. But it was not to be.
BVB was at the top of the table going into the last matchday. A simple victory would have been enough to secure the championship trophy. Instead, everything turned out differently: Dortmund were already 2-0 down in the 24th minute, but salvaged a 2-2 draw at the last minute with goals from Raphaël Guerreiro and Niklas Süle. Nevertheless, the draw was not enough for BVB, as FC Bayern won 2-1 away in Cologne thanks to a last-minute goal from Jamal Musiala.
When the trophy was so close for Dortmund – yet remained out of reach
At the end of the day, both clubs were level on points in the table, but the record champions had the better goal difference. For Watzke, this was one of the most bitter moments. At the press conference, he openly stated: ‘Mainz was the biggest defeat of my life. It will always remain so.’ – even though BVB didn’t actually lose the game. Nevertheless, it felt like a defeat.
‘I’ve been doing this job for a long time, but yesterday felt even worse than losing the 2013 Champions League final,’ he told kicker magazine the day after the match against Mainz. Back then, Dortmund lost the final 2-1 to Bayern Munich. Watzke has been managing director of BVB since 2005 and knows how to deal with setbacks.
Nevertheless, he is finding it difficult to come to terms with what has happened: ‘Missing out on the 2023 championship is a trauma that continues to have an impact today,’ said Watzke in an interview with 11Freunde in June 2025. ‘If we had become champions, we would have broken through Bayern’s phalanx and there would be a whole new story to tell after the Klopp era,’ added the 66-year-old.
Since 27 May 2023, BVB has no longer been in contention for the championship. The chances of winning the trophy have been significantly slim in the last two years. The biggest success since then was reaching the Champions League final in 2024, where the Black and Yellows ultimately had to admit defeat to Real Madrid. The sporting consequences were still noticeable until the very end. (lw)
viba_1997 on
I watch Borussia since 2012, I have to be honest in saying I have never experienced a more traumatizing thing in football and I hope I will never get through such a feeling ever again. I even get flashbacks when I just see our stadium in the afternoon with that half sun, half shadow look. It was horrible!
I was numb for a week, I failed half my exams in June and it is the moment that made me to be a more pessimistic person generally in my life.
I really hope that in the next years, we undo that by winning the league.
EmSoLow on
Tragic day that. Could only imagine the massive weight on the players that fell on top of them after that result finished and they had to stare at the fans in the stadium, knowing that millions more were caught between anger, disappointment and sadness.
Weirdly enough, the Sule goal was the one that launched me into a massive rant at the time, hating how that goal didn’t come 10 minutes earlier, replaying all the chances that Haller, Reus, Brandt and whoever else had in that second half in my head and how they didn’t score and cursing out games like the 3-3 draw against Stuttgart or the embarrassing collapse against Bremen in the 2-3 game early into the season.
There has been considerable time since that day so it’s not really a conversation topic anymore but it’s crazy how just 1 more goal could have changed our trajectory of so many. Terzic could have been a legend, Haller would have completed the storyline of coming back to save our season and secure the title after we had a poor Hinrunde, Bayern with their “the treble was at risk” talk and whatever else.
I really want to see the players and staff celebrating a trophy with the fans. Started supporting the club before the 17/18 season started and as much as I enjoyed the Pokal win, no fans being present really handicapped the moment from being better. Until that day, I’ll be waiting, maybe not patiently, but I’ll be waiting.
3 Comments
BVB boss recalls emotional moment: “The biggest defeat of my life
Hans-Joachim Watzke – the man behind BVB’s success
Managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke has experienced many highs and lows with Borussia Dortmund. One day in particular sticks in his memory.
On 27 May 2023, Borussia Dortmund made football history. However, from the perspective of managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke, it was not a positive moment, but a tragic one. On that day, a victory against Mainz 05 would have meant the first championship title in ten years for the Black and Yellows. But it was not to be.
BVB was at the top of the table going into the last matchday. A simple victory would have been enough to secure the championship trophy. Instead, everything turned out differently: Dortmund were already 2-0 down in the 24th minute, but salvaged a 2-2 draw at the last minute with goals from Raphaël Guerreiro and Niklas Süle. Nevertheless, the draw was not enough for BVB, as FC Bayern won 2-1 away in Cologne thanks to a last-minute goal from Jamal Musiala.
When the trophy was so close for Dortmund – yet remained out of reach
At the end of the day, both clubs were level on points in the table, but the record champions had the better goal difference. For Watzke, this was one of the most bitter moments. At the press conference, he openly stated: ‘Mainz was the biggest defeat of my life. It will always remain so.’ – even though BVB didn’t actually lose the game. Nevertheless, it felt like a defeat.
‘I’ve been doing this job for a long time, but yesterday felt even worse than losing the 2013 Champions League final,’ he told kicker magazine the day after the match against Mainz. Back then, Dortmund lost the final 2-1 to Bayern Munich. Watzke has been managing director of BVB since 2005 and knows how to deal with setbacks.
Nevertheless, he is finding it difficult to come to terms with what has happened: ‘Missing out on the 2023 championship is a trauma that continues to have an impact today,’ said Watzke in an interview with 11Freunde in June 2025. ‘If we had become champions, we would have broken through Bayern’s phalanx and there would be a whole new story to tell after the Klopp era,’ added the 66-year-old.
Since 27 May 2023, BVB has no longer been in contention for the championship. The chances of winning the trophy have been significantly slim in the last two years. The biggest success since then was reaching the Champions League final in 2024, where the Black and Yellows ultimately had to admit defeat to Real Madrid. The sporting consequences were still noticeable until the very end. (lw)
I watch Borussia since 2012, I have to be honest in saying I have never experienced a more traumatizing thing in football and I hope I will never get through such a feeling ever again. I even get flashbacks when I just see our stadium in the afternoon with that half sun, half shadow look. It was horrible!
I was numb for a week, I failed half my exams in June and it is the moment that made me to be a more pessimistic person generally in my life.
I really hope that in the next years, we undo that by winning the league.
Tragic day that. Could only imagine the massive weight on the players that fell on top of them after that result finished and they had to stare at the fans in the stadium, knowing that millions more were caught between anger, disappointment and sadness.
Weirdly enough, the Sule goal was the one that launched me into a massive rant at the time, hating how that goal didn’t come 10 minutes earlier, replaying all the chances that Haller, Reus, Brandt and whoever else had in that second half in my head and how they didn’t score and cursing out games like the 3-3 draw against Stuttgart or the embarrassing collapse against Bremen in the 2-3 game early into the season.
There has been considerable time since that day so it’s not really a conversation topic anymore but it’s crazy how just 1 more goal could have changed our trajectory of so many. Terzic could have been a legend, Haller would have completed the storyline of coming back to save our season and secure the title after we had a poor Hinrunde, Bayern with their “the treble was at risk” talk and whatever else.
I really want to see the players and staff celebrating a trophy with the fans. Started supporting the club before the 17/18 season started and as much as I enjoyed the Pokal win, no fans being present really handicapped the moment from being better. Until that day, I’ll be waiting, maybe not patiently, but I’ll be waiting.