Bayern's legend criticizes Borussia's business model, names Leverkusen the main rival for the title

When it comes to Borussia Dortmund, there is hardly a more successful club in Germany than the BVB. Not in the terms of titles and international success, but in terms of business model. The Millionairs have established themselves for buying young and unproven/half-proven players and giving them a chance in the first team, and selling them for a hefty profit afterwards. Names like Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski, Jandon Sancho, Mats Hummels, Christian Pulišić or Ousmane Dembele were hardly familiar to the wider football public, and yet then sporting director Michael Zorc recognized the value and stroke gold with them. Players like Erling Haaland or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were more famous when they chose Dortmund for their next club, but still Borussia made them famous and received huge amounts of money for them. And Bayern Munich legend doesn’t like it.

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Apart from Uli Hoeness, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is one of the most recognizable faces in the ranks of German champions, not only for his playing days, but his executive role. He has been in the club since 1991 first as a vice-president, and then as the Chairman of Executive Board from 2002 until 2021. When his successor Oliver Kahn failed, he was called in from retirement to save the project. And he doesn’t like the business model which his arch-rivals are using.

“There was a youth craze in German football; far too many transfers were made to create a business model in which the players were later sold for a profit. Here in Dortmund too. And then a Sancho goes to Manchester United, a Haaland to Manchester City, a Bellingham to Real. But that wasn’t just a loss for Dortmund, the entire Bundesliga is losing attractions” explained Rummenigge for Funke Media Group

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For him, that is the main reason why BVB are now behind both Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, why are obviously only contenders for the Bundesliga title. And Rummenigge thinks like that too, and praises his former player Xabi Alonso, now Bayer’s coach.

“He has a clear plan, he built his career very systematically: he was at his hometown club Real San Sociedad in his youth, then in the second team. He deliberately took the time to learn the coaching profession from the ground up. It was clear to me at the latest that he was going to be a great coach. It will be challenging for us to get Leverkusen away from there. They deserve great respect because they play really attractive football” said Rummenigge.