A Lot of Goodbyes: BVB Bid Farewell to Five Players

Well... The last matchday went to shit. And even though the lost title will no doubt fill our minds for quite some time, some other things have been going on at the training ground in Brackel over the weekend. BVB have officially announced that they will part ways with five first team players, who will all be leaving on free transfers in the upcoming transfer window.

Here are the five departures:

Raphael Guerreiro

By far the most notable departure of the bunch (sorry Mo). Rapha, oh Rapha. How you have graced us with your silky smooth technique over the past seven seasons — both as the league’s best left back and as a strong option in central midfield. Rapha have basically played his entire senior career in Dortmund, and when he arrived from Lorient in 2016, I don’t think anyone could have imagined what a player he would turn out to be.

Fast forward to the present day, and Rapha has played 162 games for Die Schwarzgelben with 30 goals and 41 assists to follow — an absolute bonkers tally for a full back by the way. For me personally, I’ll always remember Rapha for his laughs, his silky smooth left foot and his trademark slide celebration.

Photo by Dennis Bresser/Soccrates/Getty Images

Seven years at the same club is a rarity in modern football, and I’m thankful for every last minute this Portuguese magician has given us. Now it’s time for Rapha to move onto pastures new, and if I were any elite club out there at the moment, I would be very quick to call his agent for a cup of coffee. Even though injuries have been a central theme for Rapha, he has still been one of the best left backs in Europe’s top five leagues. My favorite Rapha goal was definitely this equalizer against Bayern. What an absolute banger. We’re all gonna miss what has without a doubt been the best left foot in the team for a long time.

Thank you for everything, Rapha! You deserve the world, and you have created your very own chapter in the BVB history book.

Mahmoud “Mo” Dahoud

It has been official for some time, that Magic Mo will join Brighton on a free transfer this summer. Dahoud arrived from Gladbach in 2017, and he has had a somewhat turbulent time at BVB. He has been in and out of the team and plagued by injuries quite a lot. He has accumulated 162 matches (the exact same amount as Rapha), with 11 goals and 26 assists to follow. I’ll always remember Mo for his sick turns with the ball, his ability to grow an impressive moustache and his espressos (look it up).

Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images

Mo has been with us for 6 years — quite a few if you really think about it. And although he has had a hard time really nailing a spot in the starting XI, you would never here any complaints from him. Mo has been an absolute professional and very reliable when called upon. Mo is a proven baller, and I’ll never forget the game against Sevilla in the Champions League, because it was from that game on that he began playing some of the best football of his career. Now he moves onto Da Zerbi’s Brighton, which is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting teams in Europe right now, and he absolutely deserves it.

My favorite goal from Mo was actually his very first goal in black and yellow; an insane header against Leipzig that defied the laws of physics.

Felix Passlack

To me, it’s absolutely insane that Felix Passlack is only 24 years old. It feels like he has been around for a lifetime. Oh, wait a minute — he has! Passlack is a real Dortmunder Junge, and he joined the Dortmund youth team in 2012. I think everyone is aware that Passlack has never been a star player for Dortmund, but he has always remained an absolute professional. I’ll remember Passlack for always bringing energy onto the field. You could always tell that Passlack played proudly for the black and yellow shirt.

Now he’s joining our neighbours from Bochum, who secured another year in the Bundesliga on the very final matchday. Homegrown boy Passlack won’t move far away, and I really hope he can develop into a permanent name on the team sheet for Bochum. Passlack has tried basically everything with Dortmund — he was there when they won the title in 2012/13, and he has participated in important Champions League matches and Pokal matches as well.

My favorite Passlack moment is not a goal — it’s these sick chewing gum skills he showcased back in the 17/18 season! Thanks for always being a loyal soldier, Felix! We wish you the very best in your future career.

Luca Unbehaun

Luca Unbehaun is also a name some BVB fans will be quite familiar with. Unbehaun has been a part of Dortmund’s youth team since 2016, and although he did officially enter the first team in 2019, he has never played a full competitive match for BVB. The likes of Marwin Hitz and Alexander Meyer have hindered the young German’s chances at first team minutes. It has been a tough position for Unbehaun to be in, and it is understandable that the now 22-year old keeper wants to play more regularly.

As he hasn’t really played, I don’t have a favorite moment from his time at the club. With that said, this video of Unbehaun and Tobi Raschl is very wholesome. They both seem like such nice fellas! Thank you for everything, Luca — and good luck in your future endeavors!

Anthony Modeste

We all know this story. Modeste arrived as a stop gap for the sidelined Sebastien Haller. Every Dortmund fan hoped he could replicate some of his numbers from Köln, but sadly, the French striker never really got going in Dortmund. I do feel for Tony though. He was forced into a system he wasn’t familiar with, and he was expected to suddenly lead the line for the second best team in Germany. Although he never bagged the number of goals we expected, I always admired Modeste for being a real professional. It always seemed like Modeste tried, but to be truthful, he has been out of place at Dortmund.

He did get his wish of playing Champions League football fulfilled, and I hope he is happy about that experience at least. Although Modeste didn’t play a ton, he did write himself into the BVB history books by scoring a last minute winner against Bayern Munich this season. It’s actually kind of funny that such an iconic goal was scored by Modeste, and for that reason alone, I’ll never forget that he played for Dortmund.

We don’t know where Tony will go next, but maybe Steffen Baumgart has his number saved — just in case! Thank you for being a great sport and scoring that goal against Bayern, Tony. We wish you more iconic goals in the future!

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Your Thoughts?

Which of the five confirmed departures will you miss watching in black and yellow the most next season?