page_title: Der Klassiker
section_title: The feud begins
hierarchical_section_title: Der Klassiker / History / The feud begins
caption_attribution_description: فارسی: کلاسیک آلمان
context_page_description: Der Klassiker, also known as the "German Clasico", is the name given in football to any match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. They are two of the most successful teams in German football, having won a combined total of 22 of the past 26 Bundesliga titles as of 2020. The two teams fought closely for the Bundesliga title in the early 2010s, and met in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final.
  However, the nature of the rivalry has been called into question, with many disputing the fixture being a "classic" due to the there being little historic rivalry between the teams, in contrast to the long history of many other prominent football derbies in Germany, including Dortmund's Revierderby with FC Schalke 04 and the various Bavarian football derbies involving Bayern Munich and 1. FC Nürnberg.
context_section_description: The rivalry between the clubs grew during the 1990s, as Dortmund's stature increased to challenge perennial title favourites Bayern, winning two Bundesliga titles in 1994–95 and 1995–96.
  In 1996, Bayern captain Lothar Matthäus accused Germany teammate Andreas Möller of being a 'crybaby', wiping imaginary tears from his face; Möller reacted by slapping Matthäus. At the end of that season, Dortmund won the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final which happened to be played at the Olympiastadion, Bayern's home ground.
  The teams met in the quarter-finals of the next edition of the Champions League, and Dortmund prevailed over two legs thanks to a single goal from Stéphane Chapuisat. That summer, Bayern hired Dortmund's successful coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to work for them. Tempers flared twice during Bayern and Dortmund's second meeting in the 1998–99 Bundesliga, as Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn first attempted a flying kung-fu kick at Chapuisat, and later appeared to bite Heiko Herrlich's ear.
  In the early 2000s both clubs remained successful, as Bayern lost one Champions League final (1999) then won another (2001) in addition to more domestic success, while Dortmund won the 2001–02 Bundesliga and reached the UEFA Cup final the same year. An angry 2001 league meeting between the pair was notable for 10 yellow cards and three red being shown (a Bundesliga record for indiscipline). However, Dortmund soon fell heavily into debt, and a €2m loan from Bayern in 2004 was a major reason for them being saved from bankruptcy. 
  On 19 April 2008, the two sides clashed in the 2008 DFB-Pokal Final for the first time that took place in Berlin. Luca Toni opened the scoring on 11 minutes, but Mladen Petric drew BVB level in stoppage time, forcing 30 additional minutes. The Italian completed his double in extra time, thus lifting Bayern to cup glory.
caption: Location of the two teams in Germany
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