Borussia Dortmund’s German Cup final on Saturday night against Wolfsburg will come with farewells. Jurgen Klopp one last time leads the club he has come to define over six seasons; Sebastian Kehl, long-serving captain, also bids a probable goodbye. Dortmunders hope, though, the occasion will provide a happy “welcome back” for a footballer they lost and regained.
Symbol of past glories
Shinji Kagawa, 26, became a much-loved member of the Dortmund sides who hit the peaks of Klopp’s reign. The Japanese attacking midfielder starred in the squads who won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012. In the last season of his first spell, he won the German Cup, which is now Dortmund’s last chance of a title this season.
Fervent fan club
Kagawa returned to the Ruhr last August, ending his two-year stay at Manchester United. His popularity, among Borussia fans and in his native Japan, was confirmed immediately. Dortmund reported 10,000 replica Kagawa No 7 jerseys were purchased in the week after his return.
Manchester malaise
Kagawa’s Premier League adventure was a partial success. Although he won the title in what would be Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at Old Trafford, he was seldom as influential at United as he had been with Dortmund. He scored six times in 17 matches under Ferguson. Under David Moyes he failed to score and was named in the first XI just 11 times.
Bittersweet return
He did not immediately settle at Dortmund. He scored in his first match, then went quiet. He spent January with Japan’s Asian Cup team, and his failure to convert a penalty in Japan’s quarter-final shoot-out against the UAE meant the end of his country’s defence of that title.
Upturn in form
In the last two months, Kagawa has looked his old self. In his past eight starts in the league, he scored four times and contributed three assists as Dortmund moved up to mid-table. Capping that with a cup victory would be a handsome consolation prize for the travails of his past 20 months.
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