Revisiting Greatest Memories of Recent Revierderby History for Borussia Dortmund

It's the mother of all derbies in German football. Saturday's Matchday 9 of the 2016/17 Bundesliga season brings the 149th edition of the Revierderby between local rivals Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.

The only other game that comes close to this level of an emotional charge in an entire region is probably the Munich derby between established Bayern Munich and workers' club 1860 Munich, but that has not been a top-flight fixture in more than a decade, with the Lions stagnating in the 2. Bundesliga since 2004.

For hardcore fans, the derby remains the most important game of the year. It is about bragging rights and so much more, dividing offices, factory floors, school playgrounds and even families.

Dortmund's star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang told Bundesliga.com about the importance of the derby in everyday life in the region:

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It's a pretty special atmosphere. If you look people in the eye around here then you will feel straight away what ambition there is to win the derby. The fans tell you things like "come on, we've got to win the derby! We want a derby win!" Everybody's really looking forward to it. The atmosphere in this game is just unique.

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A win in this fixture can go a long way in satisfying the local fanbase, even if it is not the same as it was 10 or so years ago. The Black and Yellows have developed beyond the folklore—competing for and at times even winning silverware will do that.

Regardless, the derby is an occasion where heroes can be born and history can be made. Every generation of fans from both sides of the aisle has a few tales to tell, of derbies that went down in the lore of these storied clubs.

There is the story of Schalke's Friedel Rausch getting bitten on his bottom by a guard dog in 1969—and playing on, because there were no substitutions back then. "I got a bandage and a Tetanus shot against infection at half-time," he told Deutsche Welle in 2013. "That was it. Then I continued to play."

Some 28 years later, fans witnessed more positive history, with Schalke's Jens Lehmann scoring the first goal by a goalkeeper in the Bundesliga to tie the game at two goals each at the death.

With that in mind, Bleacher Report decided to take a look at the recent Revierderby history, picking out some of the indelible memories these encounters have provided. For that, we took to Twitter to ask fans about their memories.              

Unsurprisingly, one of the games that was pointed to the most was the 2007 derby at the Westfalenstadion.

The unthinkable—for fans of the Black and Yellows—was about to happen, as a Schalke side with the likes of Manuel Neuer and Mesut Ozil led the Bundesliga table with only two matchdays to go. Standing between the Royal Blues and their first championship since 1958 were a trip to Dortmund and the final match at home to midtable team Arminia Bielefeld.

Dortmund's season was already pretty much over at that point, as Thomas Doll's team had only theoretical hopes of qualifying for Europe. However, a Revierderby provides ample motivation, especially if you can spoil a historic championship for a local rival.

Fueled by makeshift right-back Christoph Metzelder, who played perhaps the game of his life, the Black and Yellows overran a Schalke team that seemed to wet the bed in a big spot. The defender, who would finish his professional career with Schalke, of all teams, assisted goals by strikers Alexander Frei and Euzebiusz  Smolarek.

Dortmund won 2-0, allowing VfB Stuttgart to overtake the Royal Blues, a position they would not relinquish on the final matchday. Spoiling Schalke's potential championship remains arguably the biggest accomplishment of Doll's tenure. Schadenfreude is the biggest pleasure, as the saying goes in Germany.       

One of the most turbulent derbies ever, Jurgen Klopp's first meeting with Schalke was one for the ages. It had everything: two penalties, two expulsions, a late comeback for Dortmund, an utterly overwhelmed referee and an early hint at Klopp, master jokester.

"If it smells of sweat in here, it's me," he said to Schalke coach Fred Rutten, per FIFA.com. "The match was just so exciting!"

The Royal Blues had sprinted out to a three-goal lead after 54 minutes at the Westfalenstadion, with Dortmund looking at one of the heaviest Revierderby defeats in club history.

A Neven Subotic header invited them back into the game, before Frei hit one of the finest goals ever scored in the derby, a thunderous effort from distance, with his weaker left foot, no less. The Switzerland international had been in an offside position, but it was one of many things referee Lutz Wagner and his team missed.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Schalke then saw Christian Pander and Fabian Ernst sent off and Dortmund pushing for an equaliser that only came because of another bad call from Wagner, who gifted BVB a handball penalty one minute before the end of regulation.

Frei stepped up and scored, and chances are a raucous crowd would have pushed their team on to a famous victory in stoppage time, but, inexplicably, Wagner blew his whistle after 90 minutes.

Despite the draw, Dortmund fans knew they were looking at something special with Klopp at the helm, as the next years would confirm. Rutten, by the way, was sacked in his first season.

In a perfect description of the two clubs' approaches, Schalke have burned through 10 coaches since that meeting at the Westfalenstadion, whereas Klopp coined an era before his successor Thomas Tuchel took over in 2015.            

Tuchel's first Revierderby was also a belter, but with a better ending for Dortmund. Shoddy defending from both sides made for a thrilling game that saw the Black and Yellows draw first blood with a Shinji Kagawa header.

Dortmund's lead lasted a mere three minutes, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar equalising after a careless mistake from BVB captain Mats Hummels. Matthias Ginter restored the lead two minutes before intermission.

The defining moment came shortly after half-time, with Aubameyang scoring the third goal and unveiling his iconic celebration as Batman.

Purists and fans debated whether this was unsportsmanlike or awesome, but it cannot be denied that the image of the Gabon international as the Dark Knight went down in Revierderby history like so many before.

Perhaps the discussion would have been different had Schalke scored a late equaliser, but Dortmund held on for a crucial victory.

Another three points on the weekend would be huge for both sides. The hosts have dropped too many points in the last few weeks already, while the Royal Blues are on the up after a terrible start to the season with five losses under new boss Markus Weinzierl.

Whoever comes out on top at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday evening, the 149th edition could well add another chapter to the rich history of the Revierderby.

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.