Arne Engels on Dortmund’s Yellow Wall and the Celtic Noise

Celtic’s £11m record signing Arne Engels made his debut for his former club Augsburg away to Dortmund so the then 19-year old got his first taste of the incredible noise made by the 20,000 Dortmund fans in their Yellow Wall section of their iconic stadium…

Dortmund fans in Paris last season

And moving on two years the 21 year-old Engels made his European debut for Celtic last midweek in the 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League so got to experience that other world-famous atmosphere in world football, Celtic Park under the lights on a big European night.

Engels therefore is in an ideal position to compare the two but it would be unfair to call a winner on that one as both as the Celtic Noise and the the sound energy created by the Dortmund fans are clearly on a par and unrivalled anywhere else in the game.

Borussia Dortmund fans show their support in the ‘Yellow Wall’ with scarves prior to the Bundesliga match against  FC Bayern Muenchen at Signal Iduna Park on October 08, 2022  (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Speaking about this Arne Engels started by recalling his debut match for Augsburg at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.

“I made my debut there. It was directly in front of 80,000 people. It was crazy, but it did bring the best out of me. It was a 4-3 defeat that day in Dortmund. It was a crazy game. Every time 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3. It was amazing to play in,” Arne Engels said, as reported by Football Scotland.

“I was 19. I grabbed an assist, so it was a perfect night for me. Augsburg were already a long time in the Bundesliga. They were in the middle table, or a bit below. So it’s obvious that Dortmund was expected to win easily, but it wasn’t like that. It was a good game,” the Celtic star recalled.

On the comparison with what he’s heard so far at Celtic Park, Engels reckons it’s very much on a par with the atmosphere created by the Yellow Wall in Dortmund.

“Here it’s also intimidating,” Engels said about Celtic Park. “It’s the same noise, even louder sometimes. So it’s nice to play here, when you have the fans with you and not against you.

Arne Engels celebrates scoring during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“That’s also a different feeling and a really nice feeling. It’s going to be really good and helpful for me.”

Engels will be a key performer for Celtic in Dortmund on Tuesday night. Alongside the Celtic captain Callum McGregor and probably Reo Hatate, they have to take control of the middle of the park and help set Celtic up for a favourable result.

Celtic players celebrate following a goal Kyogo Furuhashi during the UEFA Champions League, league match between Celtic and Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park September 18, 2024. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)

Before that Celtic are at St Johnstone in league action on Saturday in the later kick-off, while Dortmund’s Bundesliga match takes place on Friday evening. A league helping their clubs so that they can gain every advantage in European matches, it’ll never catch on in these parts, will it Mr Doncaster?

COMING SOON ON CELTIC STAR BOOKS…CELTIC IN THE THIRTIES, VOL 1&2 BY MATT CORR…

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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