It gives you an indication of their fall from grace in recent years that the last few times I have written about Hamburg were either in connection with selling one of their star players or hosting a compelling quarter-final at last summer’s European Championships.
That is because even being one of Germany’s biggest and most successful clubs doesn’t protect you from the ultimate. Now though, they are back in the Bundesliga after a seven-year absence. It was clear what this means to all those associated with the club.
Needing a win to confirm their return a few weeks ago, they thrashed Ulm 6-1 at home and their fans engulfed the pitch at the Volksparkstadion at the final whistle to celebrate. They will tell you this is where they belong. They are, after all, six-time German champions, with three of those falling during the Bundesliga era.
Younger readers may not realise but, at the end of the 1970s and the start of the 1980s, Hamburg were the country’s leading force, led by the likes of Felix Magath and Kevin Keegan and one of only three German clubs in history to win the European Cup.
Yet they could not replicate those performances in the ensuing decades and slowly fell from grace, although they did hold the distinction of being the only club to participate in every Bundesliga season until their relegation in 2018.
If that hurt, so did two years ago when they thought they had earned automatic promotion after defeating Sandhausen to move into the top two of Bundesliga 2 on the final day of the season. Then, Heidenheim scored a 99th-minute winner in their game to leapfrog Hamburg, who finished third and went on to lose a promotion-relegation play-off to Stuttgart.
That scenario made their relief, as they sealed promotion, even more palpable and they can now look forward to taking on Germany’s top teams once again including, ironically, Heidenheim who mastered another late goal earlier this week to win their Bundesliga relegation/promotion play-off to secure another season in the German top-flight.
An early assessment of the SBOTOP Bundesliga 2025 betting odds this summer will likely show them as among the favourites to go straight back down, but that is to ignore the club’s pedigree in German football.
There have been several major contributors to Hamburg’s triumphant season, including top Bundesliga 2 assister Jean-Luc Dompé (12), although Davie Selke rightfully leads the plaudits. Having made the switch from promotion rivals Cologne last summer following their relegation, the 30-year-old stepped up in the absence of Robert Glatzel throughout much of the season to score a league and career-best 21 goals.
In the dugout, when Steffen Baumgart was relieved of his duties following a 2-2 draw with Schalke last November (a result which left Hamburg eighth), a 34-year-old manager by the name of Merlin Polzin was appointed on an interim basis.
Following a solid start to life in management, he was given the job permanently during the winter break. He did not taste defeat until March and his move to a 4-3-3 formation allowed Hamburg to flourish in attack. After spending the first 13 years of his coaching career as an assistant or in youth football, it’s fair to say Polzin has adapted seamlessly to the top role at one of Germany’s biggest clubs, magicking up their long-craved return to the big time. He is now preparing to pit his wits against the country’s best managers such as Vincent Kompany, Dino Toppmoller, and Bo Henriksen.
It is a challenge he will relish and, by keeping keep hold of the club’s top talent this summer, and strengthening in a few areas, why should Hamburg not deliver Bundesliga 2025 highlights?
They are back and, if Polzin can live up to the traditions of someone of the same name, Merlin the Arthurian legend and wizard, then perhaps some magic will be coming their way once more.
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