Christopher Tremmel before his debut in ‘First Class’

Captain Christopher Tremmel and Union Berlin are writing another chapter in the club’s history. After reaching the group stage of the Champions League for the first time, Group C will see some big names. First up, we take on 14-time Champions League winners Real Madrid on Wednesday at 6:45pm. The other two rivals in the group: Napoli, the Italian runner-up, and Sporting Braga, the third power in Portugal last season. “At the end of your playing career, you want to be able to compete with the best teams. We are looking forward to that,” says Christopher Tremmel before the match against runners-up Spain.

From the Burgenland League to the Champions League

In 2008, Christopher Tremmel from Mannersdorf was still playing in the Burgenland League for ASK Horitschon. Then things happened in quick succession: from amateur Rapid to professional team SK Rapid Vienna. In 2014 he moved from Rapid to Berlin-Kopenick. In the 2018/19 season, Tremmel and Union Berlin achieved promotion from the second tier of the Bundesliga to the top tier of Germany.

Last year, they qualified for the European League and reached the round of 16. The Bundesliga laid the foundation for the next event: with a fourth place finish, behind champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, they qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time in the club’s history. “You’re proud to have achieved something like this. If you look at the club’s development in recent years, I think it’s a unique story,” Tremmel said.