Mind the ‘Gap’: Fuellkrug has Dortmund dreaming of Champions League final

(L-R) Dortmund’s Dutch defender #22 Ian Maatsen, Dortmund’s Austrian midfielder #20 Marcel Sabitzer, Dortmund’s German forward #27 Karim Adeyemi, Dortmund’s German defender #15 Mats Hummels Dortmund’s German forward #11 Marco Reus, Dortmund’s German midfielder #38 Kjell Waetjen and Dortmund’s English midfielder #10 Jadon Sancho celebrate with their fans after the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on May 1, 2024 in Dortmund. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP)

Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fuellkrug is on the brink of a Champions League final appearance at Wembley, just two years after plying his trade in the German second division, heading into Tuesday’s semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

The 31-year-old netted the only goal of last week’s first leg, giving Dortmund hope of a first final in the competition since losing to rivals Bayern Munich in 2013, also at Wembley.

Contrasted with the glamour of PSG and their hometown superstar Kylian Mbappe, the workmanlike Fuellkrug is cast in the image, not only of the current iteration of the team under Dortmund-born coach Edin Terzic, but the club’s broader identity itself.

While Dortmund remain underdogs against cash-rich PSG despite their slender advantage, Fuellkrug has experience in overcoming the odds.

A late bloomer who did not play Champions League football until this season, Fuellkrug’s hopes of reaching his full potential were undermined by a string of serious injuries.

Four times in his career he has missed more than half a season’s worth of games, most notably from 2019 to 2020 when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament.

Fuellkrug represented Germany consistently at youth level, but