Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: Eintracht Frankfurt
A total of 58 clubs have had the honour of competing in the Bundesliga since its inception in 1963 – and Eintracht Frankfurt have been there for 56 of them.
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Eintracht Frankfurt
Years in Bundesliga: 56 (1963-1996, 1998-2001, 2003/04, 2005-11, 2012-present)
Most appearances: Karl-Heinz Körbel (602)
Most goals: Bernd Hölzenbein (160)
Youngest player: Jürgen Friedl (17 years, 26 days)
Germany’s financial capital of Frankfurt am Main is also the largest city to have only had one club play in the Bundesliga. The dominant local side is Eintracht, which translates as ‘unity’ following a string of mergers. They were the first German club to reach the European Cup final, losing what’s been dubbed the greatest final ever 7-3 against Real Madrid in Glasgow in 1960. No club has played as many seasons in the Bundesliga as SGE – their three-letter abbreviation coming from the official name of Frankfurter Sportgemeinde Eintracht – without ever finishing in the top two.
They enjoyed a 33-year spell in the Bundesliga from foundation before an up-and-down couple of decades. Their most recent brush with relegation was in 2015/16 when Niko Kovač saved them via the play-off against Nuremberg, but things have only really gone up from there. Kovač guided them to a fifth DFB Cup title – the joint-third most of any club – by beating Bayern Munich in 2018, having lost the previous year’s final against Borussia Dortmund.
Watch: All about Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt have since been regulars in UEFA competition, where tens of thousands of supporters have followed the team across the continent. That culminated in winning the UEFA Europa League in 2021/22 under Oliver Glasner – remaining unbeaten throughout the competition and adding to their 1980 UEFA Cup triumph – and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever, where they reached the knockout stages. Another DFB Cup final in 2023 underlined Eintracht’s status as a cup team in recent seasons.
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The often mixed nature of their results down the years led to the nickname ‘moody diva’, but they are also known as Die Adler (the Eagles) thanks to their club badge – itself based off the Frankfurt city crest – and since 2006, an eagle named Attila has flown around the stadium before home games. It’s one of just two living mascots in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, alongside Cologne’s billy goat Hennes. Frankfurt’s Karl-Heinz ‘Charly’ Körbel holds the record for most Bundesliga appearances (602 – all in Eintracht colours), while a record 60 different nations have represented SGE in the Bundesliga.
