Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa: "Dortmund is a special club"

The name Shinji Kagawa is one that many Dortmund fans will remember fondly from the player’s days in Schwarz-gelb. Initially signed in the 2010/11 season, Kagawa played an important role in the success of Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund side in the 2011/12 season where the club managed a domestic double.

The Japanese international played a pivotal role in helping the club secure the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, only for the player to be poached by Manchester United. His time at United was underwhelming however, and the player returned to Dortmund in the 2014/15 season, where he would go on to score a few more iconic goals.

Since then, Kagawa has played in Turkey, Spain and Greece. He has most recently been back in Japan with Cerezo Osaka and considering Dortmund is on tour in Asia, it’s no surprise that Kagawa and the black and yellows got together for a Q&A session on a variety of topics, including his feelings on his time with BVB, which Shinji remembers very fondly:

"When I look back [at my time with Dortmund] for me it is a special club. We achieved very good things like the Bundesliga and the [DFB] Pokal…just good memories."

- Shinji Kagawa

In 216 appearances for the club, Kagawa scored 60 goals and provided 55 assists for the club, which underlines just how important he was to the club’s success, especially in his first stint. Dortmund’s regional rivals Schalke were one of his favorite opponents to score against, which only endeared the player more to the Dortmund faithful. In nine outings against the Gelsenkirchen side, he scored four goals and provided a further two assists. Two of those goals incidentally fall under the category of his favorite strikes for the club, which occurred in his first derby against Schalke at the Veltins arena during the 2010/2011 season.

Kagawa also touched on his memories of playing at the Westfalenstadion, stating that the stadium itself was exemplary and very special to him:

"The best feeling in my career. I’m very proud that I played there [Signal Iduna Park]. It is a very special stadium."

- Shinji Kagawa

Kagawa’s time with Dortmund may have been split into two halves after the player moved to Manchester United, but the player has clearly retained and internalized his time at Dortmund in a way that makes it clear why he has always been a fan favorite. Even if he no longer wears Dortmund’s colors, as Nuri Sahin made clear to his charges in the lead-up to the friendly against Kagawa’s current club Cerezo Osaka, if one gives their all while playing for Dortmund they will always be remembered. Shinji Kagawa falls into this category and remains a legend for the club and, in part, represents one of the club’s most successful eras in recent history.