Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (German pronunciation: [ʔɛm ʔɛs faʊ ˈdyːsbʊɐ̯k]), is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed Die Zebras for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963, although they are now playing in the third tier of German football.

MSV Duisburg
Full nameMeidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg
Nickname(s)Die Zebras (The Zebras)[citation needed]
Founded1902; 122 years ago (1902)
GroundMSV-Arena
Capacity31,514[citation needed]
ManagerBoris Schommers
League3. Liga
2022–233. Liga, 12th of 20
WebsiteClub website
Current season

History edit

 
Historical chart of MSV Duisburg league performance
 
Bernard Dietz

Early years edit

The club was founded in 1902 as Meidericher Spielverein, representing the city of Meiderich, which became a district of Duisburg in 1905.[citation needed] In 1905, they absorbed the club Sport Club Viktoria Meiderich.[citation needed] In 1967, they took on their current name, acknowledging their role as the city's most popular and successful side.

While Duisburg has always been a competitive side,[according to whom?] real success has so far eluded them.[vague] Early in their history, they won a number of[quantify] local championships, and even enjoyed[tone] a pair of undefeated seasons (1913–14) when they scored 113 goals while only giving up 12.[citation needed] In 1929, they won the first Niederrhein championship and qualified for the first time for the national championship rounds, repeating the feat in 1931.

However, the club then went into a tailspin[tone] from which they did not really recover until the 1950s, when they began once again to field competitive sides. During World War II, the club came close to folding, but returned to play after the war, emerging as city champions in 1946. In 1951, Duisburg earned promotion to the top-flight Oberliga West with their first-place finish in the 2. Oberliga West. The Oberliga West was the most competitive division of German football at the time, and except for the 1954–55 season, Duisburg would play first division football there right up to the time of the formation of the Bundesliga.

Entry to the Bundesliga edit

 
Former logo of MSV Duisburg

The club's play was good enough to earn a place as one of the original 16 teams in Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga, in 1963.[citation needed] That first season was their most successful as they finished second, behind champions 1. FC Köln.[citation needed] The "Zebras" spent nearly 20 years in the upper league before slipping to the 2. Bundesliga in 1982–83 and then becoming one of German football's "elevator teams", named for their frequent up and down moves between divisions.[citation needed] Even then, they played another eight seasons in the Bundesliga over two-and-half decades.

Current edit

 
MSV Duisburg Anniversary logo used in the 2022–23 season

MSV Duisburg won promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2007–08 season by way of a third-place finish in the 2. Bundesliga, behind Karlsruher SC and Hansa Rostock. Duisburg defeated Rot-Weiss Essen in a dramatic[according to whom?] contest on the last day of the season 3–0, which secured their promotion for the fifth time in the last two decades while relegating Essen. However, the club fared poorly in top flight play and was again relegated after an 18th-place result. In 2008–09, they focused on the re-promotion, but although they lost only twice under their new coach Peter Neururer and went unbeaten for 12 matches after him taking office, they missed the promotion. During the next season, they focused on the promotion again, but after a heavy 0–5 defeat in the DFB-Pokal against FC Augsburg, Neururer was sacked. On 2 November 2009, Milan Šašić was presented as new coach. The Croat became the third foreign coach in the club history. They finished the season like the previous one, sixth in the league table.

In 2010–11, MSV Duisburg surprisingly[according to whom?] reached their fourth DFB-Pokal Final—after 1966, 1975 and 1998—where they played against Schalke 04. The game was lopsided,[according to whom?] with MSV Duisburg conceding early on, and the game ultimately finishing 5–0 in favour of Schalke.

After being demoted to the 3. Liga in 2013, Duisburg was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga for the 2015–16 season. The team placed 16th and lost the playoffs, therefore the team was dropped back to the 3. Liga for the 2016–17 season. They won the 3. Liga and were again promoted to the 2. Bundesliga next season.

Recent seasons edit

Year Division Tier Position
1963–64[1] 1. Bundesliga I 2nd
1964–65 1. Bundesliga 7th
1965–66 1. Bundesliga 8th
1966–67 1. Bundesliga 11th
1967–68 1. Bundesliga 7th
1968–69 1. Bundesliga 12th
1969–70 1. Bundesliga 15th
1970–71 1. Bundesliga 7th
1971–72 1. Bundesliga 14th
1972–73 1. Bundesliga 10th
1973–74 1. Bundesliga 15th
1974–75 1. Bundesliga 14th
1975–76 1. Bundesliga 10th
1976–77 1. Bundesliga 9th
1977–78 1. Bundesliga 6th
1978–79 1. Bundesliga 13th
1979–80 1. Bundesliga 14th
1980–81 1. Bundesliga 12th
1981–82 1. Bundesliga 18th ↓
1982–83 2. Bundesliga II 11th
1983–84 2. Bundesliga 3rd
1984–85 2. Bundesliga 13th
1985–86 2. Bundesliga 20th ↓
1986–87 Oberliga Nordrhein III 2nd
1987–88 Oberliga Nordrhein 1st
1988–89 Oberliga Nordrhein 1st ↑
1989–90 2. Bundesliga II 10th
1990–91 2. Bundesliga 2nd ↑
1991–92 1. Bundesliga I 19th ↓
1992–93 2. Bundesliga II 2nd ↑
1993–94 1. Bundesliga I 9th
1994–95 1. Bundesliga 17th ↓
1995–96 2. Bundesliga II 3rd ↑
1996–97 1. Bundesliga I 9th
1997–98 1. Bundesliga 8th
1998–99 1. Bundesliga 8th
1999–2000 Bundesliga 18th ↓
2000–01 2. Bundesliga II 11th
2001–02 2. Bundesliga 11th
2002–03 2. Bundesliga 8th
2003–04 2. Bundesliga 7th
2004–05 2. Bundesliga 2nd ↑
2005–06 Bundesliga I 18th ↓
2006–07 2. Bundesliga II 3rd ↑
2007–08 Bundesliga I 18th ↓
2008–09 2. Bundesliga II 6th
2009–10 2. Bundesliga 6th
2010–11 2. Bundesliga 8th
2011–12 2. Bundesliga 10th
2012–13 2. Bundesliga 11th ↓↓
2013–14 3. Liga III 7th
2014–15 3. Liga 2nd ↑
2015–16 2. Bundesliga II 16th ↓
2016–17 3. Liga III 1st ↑
2017–18 2. Bundesliga II 7th
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 18th ↓
2019–20 3. Liga III 5th
2020–21 3. Liga 15th
2021–22 3. Liga 15th
2022–23 3. Liga 12th
2023–24 3. Liga
Key
Promoted Relegated

Honours edit

League
Cup
International
Regional
Amateur/Youth teams

Current squad edit

As of 31 January 2024[2]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GER Vincent Müller
2 DF   GER Baran Mogultay
4 DF   GER Marvin Senger
5 MF   USA Santiago Castañeda
6 MF   GER Marvin Bakalorz
7 MF   GER Kolja Pusch
8 MF   GER Hamza Anhari
9 MF   GER Alaa Bakir
10 MF   GER Thomas Pledl
11 DF   GER Niklas Kölle
13 MF   GER Erik Zenga
14 FW   GER Pascal Köpke
15 DF   GER Tobias Fleckstein
16 MF   GER Jonas Michelbrink
17 DF   GER Marvin Knoll
18 MF   GER Caspar Jander
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW   GER Chinedu Ekene
20 MF   GER Robin Müller
21 DF   VEN Rolf Feltscher
22 MF   GER Tim Köther (on loan from Heidenheim)
23 MF   GER Niclas Stierlin
24 GK   GER Maximilian Braune
26 DF   GER Sebastian Mai (captain)
29 DF   GER Joshua Bitter
30 GK   GER Dennis Smarsch
31 FW   GER Benjamin Girth
32 DF   GER Batuhan Yavuz
33 FW   GER Daniel Ginczek
36 FW   GER Kaan İnanoğlu
39 MF   GER Ahmet Engin
40 FW   GER Alexander Esswein

Manager history edit

Women's section edit

In popular culture edit

Tatort, a popular crime series in Germany, features an episode entitled Zweierlei Blut [de] (Blood of Two Kinds) which deals with a murder in the MSV Duisburg hooligan scene.[citation needed] In one scene, Inspector Horst Schimanski is beaten to a pulp and dragged naked into the centre circle of the Wedaustadion.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ 30 Jahre Bundesliga, DFB special edition booklet
  2. ^ Team

External links edit