Bundesliga
The German soccer dictionary
Since switching to the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, Harry Kane and Eric Dier have been doing their best to keep up with the local lingo. Perhaps the duo could do worse than to take a look over our handy A to Z!
0-9
50+1 rule - League Association rules stipulate that members of all German professional clubs must retain at least a 50 per cent plus one share, thus preventing any single entity taking control
A
Abseits - offside
Abstaubertor - poacher's goal
Abstieg - relegation
Abstiegszone - relegation zone
Abwehr - defence
Abwehrreihe - back line
Achter - a player who plays the "No. 8" role in midfield, a box-to-box player, adept in both attack and defence
Die Adler - the Eagles: a reference to the majestic bird of prey that adorns the Eintracht Frankfurt shirts
Die Alte Dame - nickname for Hertha Berlin, literally 'the Old Lady'
Angriff - attack
Angstgegner - bogey team
Anpfiff/Anstoß - kick-off
Aufstieg - promotion
Ausputzer - sweeper
Außenstürmer - winger
Außenverteidiger - full-back
auswärts - away from home
Auto City club - nickname sometimes given to VfL Wolfsburg owing to the city's famous car manufacturer and main sponsor, Volkswagen
B
Baden-Württemberg derby - A derby game contested by clubs from the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg, such as Freiburg, Hoffenheim or Karlsruher (Baden) and VfB Stuttgart or Aalen (Württemberg)
Ballbesitz - possession
Bananenflanke - curler, in-/ outswinger (cross); banana ball
Bank - substitutes' bench
Beinschuss - nutmeg
Betzenberg/Betze - popular name for Kaiserslautern's Fritz-Walter-Stadion, so called due to its location on the Betzenberg Hill
Bökelbergstadion - the former home of Borussia Mönchengladbach, until the Foals moved into the Borussia-Park at the beginning of the 2004/05 season
Borussia – the Latin name for Prussia. Dortmund and Mönchengladbach share the name, with both of them located in what was once the Prussian Empire, which spanned northern Germany at its height.
Die Breisgauer - belonging to the Breisgau region, encompassing part of the Black Forest... SC Freiburg
Mit breiter Brust - literally 'with a big chest', meaning: with confidence
Bruchweg Boys - collective nickname given to then-Mainz players Lewis Holtby, Andre Schürrle and Adam Sazali, who celebrated as if they were a rock band when they scored during the 2010/11 season. Bruchweg was the name of Mainz's former stadium
Bundestrainer - the title given to the coach of the Germany national team, currently Joachim Löw
BVB - abbreviation commonly used to refer to Borussia Dortmund. The initials stand for Ballspiel-Verein Borussia, or Borussia ball-sports club
C
Cannstatter Kurve - the home fans' main stand at Stuttgart's Mercedes-Benz Arena
Der Club - a succinct alternative for 1. FC Nürnberg (1st Football Club Nuremberg)
Coachingzone - technical area
D
Dahoam - often used in the phrase 'Finale Dahoam', literally 'home final', which refers to Bayern Munich's ill-fated 2012 UEFA Champions League final on home turf against Chelsea
Dauerkarte - season ticket
Dinos - nickname for Hamburg - the 'dinosaurs' - referring to the club's status as the only side in Germany to have played exclusively in the Bundesliga since its inception in 1963
Doppelpack - brace
Doppelpass - one-two
Dreierpack - hat-trick
Dritte Liga (3. Liga) - Germany's third division
Dribbeln - dribble
Dritte Liga - Germany's third division
Drücken Sie die Daumen! - keep your fingers crossed!
E
Ecke/Eckball - corner kick
Eckfahne - corner flag
Effzeh - or FC, as it's pronounced in German. The moniker associated with Cologne (FC Köln)
Ehrentreffer - literally an 'honour goal', but what we'd know in English as a consolation goal
Eigentor - own goal
Eintracht - Frankfurt and Braunschweig’s prefix means harmony, or 'united'. Whether the teams enjoy as much on the pitch is another matter
Einwurf - throw-in
Die Eiserne/ Eisern Union - The Iron Ones/ Iron Union: The nickname for Bundesliga newcomers Union Berlin
Elfmeter - penalty
Elfmeterpunkt - penalty spot
Endspiel - final
Endstand - final score
Englische Woche - literally meaning 'English week', referring to a busy period of matches where teams have a midweek fixture, as is the norm in English football
Eröffnungsspiel - the inaugural match of the new Bundesliga season, contested between the reigning champions and one of the other 17 teams and, since the 2002/03 season, played on a Friday evening
Ersatzspieler - substitute
Erzrivale - arch rivals, for example Dortmund and Bayern
F
Fahrstuhlmannschaft - literally an 'elevator side' due to a tendency to move up and down between leagues: a 'yo-yo team'
Fallrückzieher - bicycle kick, overhead kick
Fernduell - a situation in which results elsewhere have implications for a team or teams. For example, when a team at the bottom faces relegation depending how other teams around them fare in the table
Flanke - cross
Die Flingeraner - Fortuna Düsseldorf nickname, in tribute to their humble beginnings in the working-class district of Flingern
Die Fohlen - the Foals: a name given to Borussia Mönchengladbach's enterprising young bucks of the 1970s, now the team's recognised nickname
Foulspiel - foul play
Freistoß - free kick
Freundschaftsspiel - friendly game
Die Fuggerstädter - a quirky option for Augsburg: the small city in Bavarian Swabia is commonly referred to as the Fuggerstadt, the Fugger family being a prominent business and banking dynasty when Augsburg blossomed during the Renaissance
Fußballplatz - football pitch
Fußballverein - football club
G
Gastgeber - hosts
Gegenpressing - A high-pressing style of football to regain possession pioneered by Ralf Rangnick at Schalke and Jürgen Klopp at Dortmund in the early years of this decade
Gegner - opponent
Die Geißböcke - the Billy Goats, famed nicknamed of Cologne, who have their own Billy Goat called Hennes, whom they present before each home game at the RheinEnergieStadion.
Die Gelbe Wand - Dortmund's iconic South Stand, literally 'the Yellow Wall'
Gesperrt - suspended
Die Grün-Weißen - if it's green and white, it's probably the men from the river Weser: Werder Bremen
Gelsenkirchen - the industrial city in North Rhine-Westphalia from which Schalke hail
Grätsche - sliding tackle
H
Hackentrick - back-heel
Halbes Hendl - half a roast chicken - typical Bavarian fare served up at the world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival
Halbfinale - semi-final
Halbzeit - half-time
Heim - home
Herbstmeister - the mid-season leaders, the team leading the Bundesliga table after 17 games when the winter break commences
Hinrunde - the first half of the Bundesliga season, Matchdays 1-17
Hinspiel - the first game of a two-legged tie. Usually used when speaking of knock-out competitions but can also describe league encounters
HSV - abbreviation commonly used to refer to Hamburger SV, standing for Hamburger Sport-Verein, or Hamburg Sports Club
Humba - post-match celebration involving both the players and fans. Traditionally, the key player in a victory will cajole the crowd with a megaphone, while the rest of the team join hands and wave in time with the supporters
I
Innenverteidiger - centre-back
J
Joker - a substitute who comes on and scores
K
Die Kiezkicker - a nickname for FC St. Pauli, derived from the neighbourhood of Hamburg in which the club is based
Der Klassiker - The name given to meetings between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund; Germany's answer to El Clasico
Die Kleeblätter - Greuther Fürth go by the name of 'the Cloverleaves', though luck has evaded them on the two occassions the club have been promoted to the Bundesliga.
Kohlenpott - literally 'coal pot' - the industrial Ruhr region, famous for mining, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 being its most-known representatives
Die Königsblauen - FC Schalke 04, aptly named because of their royal blue shirts
Die Knappen - Schalke's club nickname, literally 'The Miners' in tribute to the old mining communities of Gelsenkirchen where the club are based
Knappenschmiede - The German name for Schalke's vaunted youth academy, which has produced players such as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil and Leroy Sane. Literally translates as 'talent forge'
Die Kraichgauer - a nickname for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, derived from the Kraichgau region where the club is based
L
Latte - crossbar
Länderspiel - international match
Leo - what players say to one another on the pitch if they want a team-mate to let the ball run
Die Lilien - SV Darmstadt 98 are known as 'the Lilies'
Linienrichter - linesman
Die Löwen - TSV 1860 Munich and Eintracht Braunschweig are nicknamed 'The Lions'
lupenreiner Hattrick - three goals scored by one player in the same half; often abbreviated to 'Hattrick' and not to be confused with the standard English definition of the term
Lupfer - lob
M
Manndeckung - man-marking
Mannschaft - team
Mauer - wall
Meisterschale - the Bundesliga shield, lifted by the team which finishes top of the standings after 34 Matchdays
Mia san Mia - Bayern Munich's club motto; Bavarian variation of Wir sind wir, or 'we are who we are'
N
Nachspielzeit - additional/stoppage/extra time
Die Nationalmannschaft - the Germany national football team
Die Nationalelf - the national team, literally 'the National Eleven'
Neverkusen (or Vizekusen in German) - a term used to described the nearly men of German football, Bayer Leverkusen, after the side's many agononising near misses in terms of getting their hands on silverware.
Neuzugang - new signing
Niederlage - defeat
Die Nullfünfer - the 05ers or Mainz, founded in 1905
Nord-Süd Duell - literally translated as the north-south duel, this phrase is used as a label for the fixture Bayern vs. Hamburg, traditionally one of German football's biggest matches
Nordderby - the term used for the derby played between northern giants and rivals Bremen and Hamburg
O
Ordner - steward
P
Parade - save
Platzverweis - sending-off
Pokal - cup (DFB Pokal - German Cup)
Pott - pot; coll. both for cup and, in abbreviated form (=Ruhrpott) for the Ruhr district
Q
Querpass - square ball
R
Rasenballsport – Literally “lawn-ball sport”, which Leipzig’s prefix “RB” stands for
Raumdeckung - zonal marking
Raumdeuter - A term used by Thomas Müller to describe his unique style of play. Translates as 'space invader'
Regionalliga - the fourth tier of German football, split into 'Bavaria', 'North', 'South West', 'West' and 'North East'
Der Rekordmeister - record champions (Bayern)
Remis - draw
Rote Laterne - cellar-dwellers, or those in the bottom-half of the table
Die Roten - generally decked out in a ruby hue... Die Roten or the Reds
Die Roten Büllen – the Red Bulls. Leipzig’s nickname
Revierderby - the name typically given to the derby between regional neighbours Schalke and Dortmund
Die Roten Teufel - the Red Devils, Kaiserslautern's nickname
Die Rothosen - Hamburg, often referred to as the Red Shorts
Rückrunde - the second half of the Bundesliga season, Matchdays 18-34
Rückspiel - the second game of a two-legged tie. Usually used when speaking of knock-out competitons but can also describe league encounters
Rückstand - deficit
S
Sahnetag - perfect performance
Sauerbraten - German pot roast - most often beef, but sometimes venison, lamb, mutton, pork or even horse
SC – The prefix for Freiburg which stands for “Sportclub” (literally: sport club)
Schadenfreude - German word meaning pleasure derived from the misfortune of others
Schiedsrichter - referee
Schlenzer - rasping long-range shot
Schlusspfiff - final whistle
Die Schwaben - hailing from Swabia in the south west of Germany, Stuttgart tend to be called the Swabians
Die Schwarzgelben - named after their striking black and yellow colours, it's Borussia Dortmund
Scorerpunkte - not to be confused with "goalscorer", this term refers to the combined tally of goals and assists
Sechser - a player who plays the "No. 6" position in midfield, a defensive role in front of the back four
Sieg - victory
Sonntagsschuss - a lovely strike
Spielfeld - pitch
Spielplan - fixture list/schedule
Spitzeln - to toe-poke
SpVgg – The prefix for Greuther Fürth which stands for “Spielvereinigung” (literally: game association)
Stadtrivale - literally translated as 'city rivals' but can also refer to two rival clubs in neighbouring cities, such as Dortmund and Schalke
Stammplatz - regular place in the starting line-up
Standardsituation - dead-ball situation
Stehplätze - terraced
Strafraum - penalty area
SV – The prefix for Werder Bremen which stands for “Sport-Verein” (literally: sport club)
T
Tabellenführer - league leaders
Teamgeist - team spirit
Topspiel - The top game: usually the stand-out match moved to an evening kick-off on a Bundesliga Saturday.
Tor - goal
Torhüter - goalkeeper
Torjäger - goal-getter
Torjägerkanone - the cannon-shaped prize awarded to the Bundesliga's top scorer at the end of a season
Torschützenkönig - Leading scorer at the end of a season
Torwart - goalkeeper
Traditionsverein - a club rich in history and tradition and a long-time participant and/or champion in the Bundesliga, such as Nürnberg, Gladbach, and Hamburg
Treffer - goal
Tribüne - stand
Trikot - shirt
TSG – The prefix for Hoffenheim which stands for “Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft” (literally: gymnastics and sport community)
Turnier - tournament
Tunneln - to nutmeg
U
Übersteiger - stepover
Umkleidekabine - dressing rooms, changing rooms
Die Unabsteigbaren - The Unbreakables, VfL Bochum's nickname
Unentschieden - draw
Ungedeckt - unmarked, free
V
Verlängerung - extra-time
Verteidiger - defender
Verwarnung - caution
Vorlage - assist
VfB – The prefix for Stuttgart which stands for 'Verein für Bewegungsspiele' (literally, club for movement games)
VfL – The prefix for Wolfsburg which stands for 'Verein für Leibesübungen' (literally, club for physical exercise)
Vizemeister - runners-up
Vorstopper - centre-back, centre-half
W
Die Werkself - the Factory Eleven. A reference to pharmaceutical company Bayer AG's creation and ownership of Bayer Leverkusen.
X/Y/Z
Zehner - a player who plays in the "No. 10" position, an attacking midfielder deployed behind the striker(s)
Zuschauer - spectators
Zu Hause - at home
Zweikampf - tackle/man-on-man tussle
Zweite Liga - informal for Bundesliga 2, Germany's second division