Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: MSV Duisburg
Duisburg were a Bundesliga staple until their first relegation in 1982, but have only spent nine seasons in the top flight since...
bundesliga.com is taking you through all the teams to have graced Germany’s first division over the last 60 years – based on the number of seasons they’ve played up to and including 2023/24.
MSV Duisburg
Years in Bundesliga: 28 (1963-1982, 1991/92, 1993-95, 1996-2000, 2005/06, 2007/08)
Most appearances: Michael Bella (405)
Most goals: Ronald Worm (71)
Youngest player: Jürgen Ulitzka (17 years, nine months, 11 days)
Duisburg were one of the 16 founding members and the first runners-up in the Bundesliga, coming second behind Cologne. But even knowing that, you might still struggle to find them in the table from 1963/64, since they still went by the name Meidericher SV, with their original hometown of Meiderich now a part of the city of Duisburg – the home of the world’s largest inland port – just to the north of Düsseldorf.
The current name of MSV Duisburg (Meidericher Spielverein Duisburg) first appeared on 7 January 1967 as the club sought a new start in a bid to stave off relegation. It worked and they remained in the Bundesliga for 19 seasons until 1982, after which their rollercoaster ride began and they have since spent 11 years in the third tier (where they currently play), 22 in Bundesliga 2 and only nine more in the top flight.
Nicknamed the Zebras due to their traditional striped shirts (although in blue and white), Duisburg have topped the Bundesliga table on three occasions. But they hold the remarkable honour of being the only team to sit first in the Bundesliga with a negative goal difference (-1 after Matchday 22 of 1993/94). They also hold the record for the biggest away win in Bundesliga history (9-0 at Tasmania Berlin in March 1966), while Helmut Rahn – the German hero of the 1954 World Cup final with his two goals – became the first player ever to be sent off in the Bundesliga, after headbutting an opponent in Duisburg’s game against Hertha Berlin on Matchday 4 of 1963/64.
