20 September 2023 , 05:30
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Until 2019 Union Berlin were almost exclusively known beyond Germany for their quirkiness. The Christmas carols, blood donations and tales of fans rebuilding their stadium would commonly appear online and briefly pique interest for people who could not name a single player.
Yet the charitable gestures and community spirit threatened to mask a more important reality: this is one of Europe’s best run clubs.
No longer, of course; that secret has become common knowledge and as Die Eisernen, the Iron Ones, face Real Madrid in their Champions League debut this evening, they are an admirable outlier in a sport drowning in money and politics.
For optimists they are proof that with patience and expertise a competitive team can reach the game’s pinnacle competition without petrostate billions American hedge fund investment or heritage wealth.
They are a model of sustainable growth and much of it comes down to Urs Fischer, the mainstay in the dugout since 2018, and sporting director Oliver Ruhnert.
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The squad has been built gradually over a few years within a strict budget but now features serial winner Leonardo Bonucci and Robin Gosens, who almost equalised for Inter Milan in last season’s final.
Leonardo Bonucci's experience will be a major influence in the Union squad.Brenden Aaronson has joined for the season from Leeds and Chelsea have loaned young striker David Datro Fofana, while West Ham fans will recognise Alex Kral, the holding midfielder, doing what he was meant to do in a single ineffective season in East London.
But these big names - relative to the club’s past - have fit into the existing model rather than force Fischer into altering his system. Union enjoy sitting back, letting opponents commit a mistake and then seek to punish them with a direct and rapid transition.
The only negative might be that Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, their compact home in the eastern suburb of Kopenick, will not host their games because its capacity is only around 20,000. Not so long ago visitors could turn up a couple of hours before a game, queue for a cheap ticket and enjoy an experience unlike any earlier.
Former Swiss international Urs Fischer has seen Union Berlin improve steadily since his arrival in 2018.Even during the days of mediocrity in the 2. Bundesliga it had become a destination for football tourists who would come for the raucous atmosphere and stay for beers in the forest.
Instead they will use the Olympiastadion on the opposite side of the capital; the vast and sweeping bowl inhabited by the neighbours they have comfortably surpassed. And fans have been able to buy tickets for all three group games for just £64, less than one ticket at many Premier League grounds grounds.
Joined in Group C by Napoli and Braga, they have designs on finishing second to Real and reaching the round of 16. "When you get a group like that, it just makes you happy," Fischer said.
He added that starting at the Bernabeu is "a reward" for their achievements. For Gosens "it's a really beautiful group with three great away trips.” Yet a failure to progress will not change the direction of their journey to this point.
The word project is too often used by football clubs but Union’s is genuine, coherent and working without a glitch. In a sport where the majority are too quick to lose their mind, Die Eisernen are a lesson that sanity can succeed.