Borussia Dortmund's 10 best signings of the decade (2010-2019)
The decade between 2010 and 2019 was a successful one for Borussia Dortmund; not only did they win two successive Bundesliga titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, they also claimed the DFB-Pokal on two occasions, made the Champions League final in 2012-13, and finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga on 4 occasions – cementing themselves as the closest contenders to Bavarian giants Bayern Munich.
Part of their success was down to a series of excellent managers; the first half of the decade saw Jurgen Klopp in control while Thomas Tuchel succeeded him before the excellent Lucien Favre eventually took over in 2018, but a lot of it also had to do with some smart, successful signings.
In chronological order, here are Borussia Dortmund’s 10 best signings of the last decade (2010-2019).
#1 Lukasz Piszczek (2010)
Unlike their domestic rivals Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund traditionally haven’t had the financial muscle to able to simply buy whichever players they like. They’ve had to rely on smart signings often at bargain prices, and none of their signings in the last decade were as big a bargain as Polish defender Lukasz Piszczek, who joined the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2010.
Piszczek had played for Hertha Berlin largely as a central defender, but the 25-year old had never really nailed down a starting berth – making just 68 appearances over his 3 seasons there. When he came to Dortmund, though, Jurgen Klopp converted him into a right-back to almost immediate success.
The Polish international won back-to-back Bundesliga titles at Dortmund in his first two seasons, chipping in with 4 goals and 12 assists across both. Piszczek remains at the club today as a first-team regular; since joining he’s made 324 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben as one of their most consistent players – not bad for a free transfer!