**Hertha BSC** is a German football club based in Berlin. They started in 1892. Hertha Berlin was one of the founding clubs of the DFB (Deutscher Fußball Bund or German Football Association) in Leipzig in 1900.

History
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### Early years

*BFC Hertha 92* (Berlin Foortbal Club Hertha 92) was formed in 1892. Its name and team colours were taken from a steamship with a blue and white funnel. One of the men who founded the club had taken a day trip on this ship with his father. Hertha is a variation on the name Nerthus, a Germanic fertility goddess.

Hertha always played well, but were not financially successful. They won the first Berlin championship final in 1905. Because of money troubles in 1920 Hertha merged with the richer *Berliner Sport-Club* to form *Hertha Berliner Sport Club*. The new team was still successful, but never the best. Hertha BSC was in the German championship final every year from 1926 to 1930, but were only able to win in 1930. Hertha and BSC split in 1930, and Hertha won the championship again in 1931.

*Hertha* was Germany's second most successful team during the inter-war years.

### Play under the Third Reich

German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into sixteen top-flight divisions, which saw *Hertha* playing in the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg. The club continued to be successful in their division, regularly finishing in the upper half of the table and capturing the divisional title in 1935, 1937, and 1944. However, they did not do well nationally, and never got past the early rounds of the national championshipships.

### Postwar play in divided Berlin

After World War II, occupying Allied authorities banned most organisations in Germany, including sports and football clubs. *Hertha* restarted at the end of 1945 as *SG Gesundbrunnen* (named after a district of northern Berlin) and resumed play in the Oberliga Berlin - Gruppe C. The thirty-six teams of the first season of the postwar Oberliga Berlin were reduced to just 12 the next year and the club found itself out of first division football and playing in the Amateurliga Berlin. By the end of 1949, they had become *Hertha BSC Berlin* again.

In the 1949/50 season the Soviets would not allow *Hertha* to play against East German teams, because they had signed some players and a coach who had left the Dresden club *SG Friedrichstadt* for West Berlin. A number of sides from the eastern half of the city were forced from the Oberliga Berlin to the newly established DDR-Liga beginning with the 1950-51 season.

Throughout the 1950's there was a rivalry with *Tennis Borussia Berlin*, but the idea of the two merger between the two clubs in 1958 was rejected.

### Bundesliga

Hertha was a founder of the Bundesliga in 1963 and was Berlin's reigning champion. But Hertha was demoted after the 1964-65 season because the club had tried to bribe players to play in the city after the Berlin Wall had been built, and players did not want to move to the city. To keep a Berlin team in the Bundesliga, *Tasmania 1900 Berlin*, were promoted instead. Tasmania were the worst side ever in the Bundesliga history. *Hertha* returned to the Bundesliga in 1968-69 and became Berlin's favourite side.

*Hertha* had to sell the team's former home ground in 1974 when investigations about the match fixing scandal of 1971 showed that the club was 6 million DM (€3 million) in debt.

The team continued to enjoy a fair measure of success during the 70s but gradually slipped down into the third tier Amateur Oberliga Berlin where they spent two seasons (1986-87 and 1987-88).

After two turns in the Bundesliga (1982-83 and 1990-91) Hertha was immediately relegated after poor performances. *Hertha'*s amateur side was more successful, getting to the final of the German Cup in 1993 where they lost 0:1 to Bundesliga side *Bayer Leverkusen*.

By 1994 Hertha BSC was 10 million DM (€5 million) in debt. More land had to be sold and a new sponsor and management team were found. By 1997 *Hertha* got back into the Bundesliga. The y were the first Berlin club in 10 years to be in the top division. Since then they have generally finished in the top third of the Bundesliga.

Most recently, bright spots for the side have been a continuous string of appearances in international play in the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League beginning in the 1999 season, and the signing of players such as Sebastian Deisler and Brazilian international Marcelinho, named the Bundesliga's player of the year in May of 2005. Hertha has also invested heavily in its own youth football academy, which has produced several players with Bundesliga potential.

The team was close to relegation in the 2003-04 season, but managed to finished 4th the following season. Hertha only missed out on the Champions League after they were held to a draw on the final day by Hannover 96, which saw Werder Bremen over take them for the spot on the final day. As a thank-you gesture, Werder sent the Hannover squad ninety-six bottles of champagne. In 2005-06 the *Herthaner* finished 6th, and qualified for the UEFA Cup by defeating FK Moskva in the Intertoto Cup.

Stadium
-------

 The Berlin Olympic Stadium
*Hertha BSC* plays its matches in Berlin's Olympiastadion. It is biggest stadium in Germany except for *Borussia Dortmund'*s Westfalenstadion.

The Olympiastadion hosts the annual German Cup final and was the site for six matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup as well as the tournament final.

From 1904 to 1963, *Hertha'*s home ground was the Plumpe in Wedding's Gesundbrunnen district. A new stadium was built there in 1923. *BSC* left that site when it joined the Bundesliga in 1963. It was the sale of the Plumpe site in 1974 helped the club avoid bankruptcy

Players
-------

### Current squad (2009/10)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
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| 

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | GK | Czech Republic Czech Republic | Jaroslav Drobny |
| 2 | DF | Brazil Brazil | Kaka |
| 3 | DF | Germany Germany | Arne Friedrich (captain) |
| 4 | DF | Switzerland  Switzerland | Steve von Bergen |
| 5 | DF | Serbia Serbia | Nemanja Pujicinovic |
| 6 | DF | Germany Germany | Christoph Janker |
| 7 | MF | Brazil Brazil | Cicero |
| 8 | MF | Hungary Hungary | Pál Dárdai |
| 10 | MF | Brazil Brazil | Raffael |
| 13 | DF | Germany Germany | Marc Stein |
| 16 | MF | Brazil Brazil | Lúcio |
| 17 | MF | United States United States | Bryan Arguez |
| 18 | FW | Poland Poland | Artur Wichniarek |
| 20 | MF | Germany Germany | Patrick Ebert |
| 23 | FW | Bulgaria Bulgaria | Valeri Domovchiyski |
| 25 | MF | Romania Romania | Maximilian Nicu |
| 26 | MF | Poland Poland | Lukasz Piszczek |
| 27 | FW | Tunisia Tunisia | Amine Chermiti |
| 28 | MF | Switzerland  Switzerland | Fabian Lustenberger |
| 30 | GK | Germany Germany | Christopher Gäng |
| 31 | MF | Albania Albania | Fanol Perdedaj |
| 44 | MF | Serbia Serbia | Gojko Kacar |

 |

### Players out on loan 2007/08

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 15 | DF | Brazil Brazil | Rodnei *(on loan at 1. FC Kaiserslautern)* |
| 33 | FW | Brazil Brazil | André Lima *(on loan at Botafogo)* |

 |

### Squad Changes 2009/10

**In:**

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | DF | Serbia Serbia | Nemanja Pujicinovic *(on loan from FK Rad)* |
| 6 | DF | Germany Germany | Christoph Janker *(from 1899 Hoffenheim)* |
| 18 | FW | Poland Poland | Artur Wichniarek *(from Arminia Bielefeld)* |
| 31 | MF | Albania Albania | Fanol Perdedaj *(from Hertha Youth)* |

 |

**Out:**

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | DF | Germany Germany | Sofian Chahed *(Released)* |
| 6 | MF | Croatia Croatia | Marco Babic *(Released)* |
| 9 | FW | Serbia Serbia | Marco Pantelic *(Released)* |
| 11 | FW | Ukraine Ukraine | Andrej Voronin *(loan return to Liverpool FC)* |
| 12 | GK | Germany Germany | Christian Fiedler *(Retired)* |
| 14 | DF | Croatia Croatia | Josip Simunic *(to 1899 Hoffenheim)* |
| 15 | DF | Brazil Brazil | Rodnei *(loaned to 1. FC Kaiserslautern)* |
| 21 | DF | Argentina Argentina | Leandro Cufre *(loan return to AS Monaco)* |
| 38 | MF | France France | Ibrahima Traoré *(to FC Augsburg)* |

 |

### Famous Past Players

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| * Brazil Alex Alves
* Germany Mario Basler
* Germany Rafael Busch
* Turkey Yıldıray Baştürk
* Germany Erich Beer
* Germany Stefan Beinlich
* Germany Fredi Bobic
* Netherlands Dick van Burik
* Iran Ali Daei
* Germany Sebastian Deisler
* Argentina Christian Giménez
* Belgium Bart Goor
 |   | * Germany Thomas Helmer
* Germany Hendrik Herzog
* Germany Lorenz Horr
* Hungary Gábor Király
* Germany Andreas Köpke
* Croatia Niko Kovač
* Germany Axel Kruse
* Turkey İlhan Mansız
* Brazil Marcelinho
* Germany Norbert Nigbur
* Germany Michael Preetz
 |   | * Germany Carsten Ramelow
* Germany Otto Rehhagel
* Germany Marko Rehmer
* Germany Giuseppe Reina
* Norway Kjetil Rekdal
* Germany Wolfgang Sidka
* Germany Johannes Sobek
* Iceland Eyjólfur Sverrisson
* Germany Andreas Thom
* Germany Poland Dariusz Wosz
* Poland Tomasz Kuszczak
 |

Honours
-------

* **German Champions: 2**
	+ 1930, 1931
* **2. Bundesliga Champions: 2**
	+ 1990, 2011
* **Oberliga Berlin Champions: 8**
	+ 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933
* **Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg Champions: 3**
	+ 1935, 1937, 1944
* **Premiere League Cup Champions: 2**
	+ 2001, 2002
* **UEFA Intertoto Cup Champions: 1**
	+ 2006

Other websites
--------------


Wikimedia Commons has media related to ***Hertha BSC Berlin***.

* Official website Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
* Abseits Guide to German Soccer
* Hertha Berlin statistics Archived 2007-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
* HerthaUnser official Fanclub Archived 2020-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
* Hertha Berlin formations at football-lineups[*permanent dead link*]
* "the old lady" Hertha-Ship Archived 2014-08-13 at the Wayback Machine