For years you were one of the little ones in the Bundesliga.

And they're still not completely free of the primal fear of perhaps being able to slip back into second-class status.

However, statements like those of Klemens Hartenbach, the sports director of SC Freiburg, can only be heard occasionally.

Hartenbach wanted to have at least given a precautionary warning of the most feared scenario before the start of the twenty-second Bundesliga season for the South Baden Europa League participants.

"We are one of the teams that, in the worst case, are threatened with a relegation battle until the last matchday.

Nothing will change about that either.”

In fact, however, there was an upswing in Freiburg, especially in the previous season, with which the long-standing underdog from yesterday advanced to the upper midfield of the first division.

Sixth place after the 34th matchday, taking part in the DFB Cup final for the first time, which was only lost on penalties against RB Leipzig, the move from the old Dreisamstadion, which some find antiquated with a maximum capacity of 24,000 spectators, to the new arena at the other end of the city with a capacity for 34,700 visitors: these were fresh milestones in an accelerating progress that has made a club with new attractiveness from a constantly cohesive top team at the top of the club for years.

The upward trend in all areas continued at the beginning of the season with the never threatened 4-0 win at FC Augsburg and can be seen before the top game of the second matchday this Friday evening (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN). at home against Borussia Dortmund, who came second last season, with fresh data off the field.

Before the duel with BVB, the 40,000th member of the sports club, now the largest sports club in Baden, is to be presented - a number that was unthinkable six years ago, when the number of club members was still four digits.

Run to the new Freiburg Stadium

The new arena with 22,300 seats and 12,400 standing places also promises great potential for growth.

The run on the stadium guarantees a high occupancy rate for this season and a sold-out house this Friday.

In an interview with the “Südkurier” newspaper, Oliver Leki, the Freiburg finance and marketing board member, pointed out the SCF’s growing attractiveness: “There is a huge demand for tickets.

Although we could sell significantly more, we stopped selling at 25,000 season tickets because we don't want to become a closed event.

The sponsorship and hospitality packages are also selling well, and there are already waiting lists in some areas.”

While the Europa League participation in 2013/14, which ended after the group phase, did not yet exert any groundbreaking fascination among the supporters and also in the club itself, because securing a place in the league was more important than anything else, this time Freiburg inspires, not least because of the European League triumphs by Frankfurt Eintracht in May, plus the international competition.

The team was only weakened at first glance in the summer by the departure of young national player Nico Schlotterbeck, who is returning to his old place in Freiburg this Friday as a newcomer to Dortmund.

The transfer fee of twenty million euros eased the pain of separation.

And Matthias Ginter, one of the German world champions without a minute from 2018, returned to his hometown and birthplace this summer.

He switched to Borussia Dortmund eight years ago as one of coach Christian Streich's model students and earned his home club a transfer fee of ten million euros.

The new defender has now returned from Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer.

Not just a sign of Ginter's unbroken love of home, but also a sign of the new attractiveness of the sports club that has grown over the years.

"He was gone for a while"

This is also illustrated by other summer commitments such as that of the Japanese winger Ritsu Doan (8.5 million euros) from Eindhoven (8.5 million euros) and the offensive all-rounder Daniel Kofi-Kyereh (4.5 million), last season a second division attraction from the ranks of FC St. Pauli (13 goals, 11 assists).

The gigantic center forward Michael Gregoritsch, an Austrian with plenty of Bundesliga expertise, came from Augsburg and was signed on a free transfer in exchange for Ermedin Demirovic from Freiburg.

Three pros who symbolize the sports club's new aggressiveness, backed by the defensive power of the defender Ginter who has been brought back.

Symbolic of the unbroken power of the Freiburg collective, Gregoritsch, Ginter and Doan, who integrated as quickly as possible, made a decisive contribution to the 4-0 opening win in Augsburg with their goals.

Streich didn't want to glean anything special from the opening statements of the debutants and the returnee.

"It's a coincidence, it just happens," he said.

Ginter, his trusted pupil from the time when he was still a youth coach at the Freiburg football school, the recently named “Coach of the Year” by the “Kicker” even “forgot” in the dressing room when he should have welcomed him.

"He was gone for a while," says Streich about his little lapse, "but he was also there for a long time." Those who were away will also come back.

Blessed are those who can think like that.