VfB Stuttgart 2006/07 — The Surprise Bundesliga Champions

Season story

VfB Stuttgart's 2006/07 season produced one of the most unexpected title wins in Bundesliga history. Twelve months after finishing ninth, a young side coached by Armin Veh stormed to the German championship with a closing run of eight straight wins. The title, sealed on the final day, crowned a campaign nobody had predicted.

The foundation was laid in February 2006, when Armin Veh took over from Giovanni Trapattoni. Veh trusted the club's famous youth academy: Sami Khedira (19), Serdar Tasci (19) and Mario Gómez (21) defined the team's identity. After the 2006 World Cup, Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio joined from Mexico — the first Mexicans ever to play in the Bundesliga. The talent factory had become a title contender.

The season was a rollercoaster. On matchday 23, Stuttgart trailed the leaders by four points; after three games without a win — including a 0:1 defeat at league leaders Schalke 04 — the title dream looked dead. Then came a run of eight consecutive victories. The turning point was a sensational 3:2 comeback at Bochum on matchday 33, when Stuttgart came from behind twice and Mario Gómez, back from injury, headed the equaliser as a substitute. Suddenly Stuttgart led the table by two points.

On 19 May 2007, the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion staged a final-day drama. Energie Cottbus took the lead through Sergiu Radu in the 19th minute — while Schalke were already 2:0 up in Bielefeld and heading for the title. Thomas Hitzlsperger levelled with a thunderous volley eight minutes later, and Sami Khedira headed the winner in the 63rd minute. Schalke conceded a late goal to make it 2:1, but it wasn't enough: VfB Stuttgart were champions for the fifth time, after 1950, 1952, 1984 and 1992.

The heroes were young men. Mario Gómez, 21, scored 14 goals to finish as the club's top scorer — the league's golden boot went to Theofanis Gekas with 20. Cacau added 13, including both goals in a 2:0 win over Bayern Munich in April. Timo Hildebrand kept 13 clean sheets and left as a champion to join Valencia; Khedira, who had made his debut only on matchday six, scored the most important goal of the season.

A week after the title, Stuttgart missed out on the double: they lost the DFB Cup final 2:3 after extra time against 1. FC Nürnberg. It didn't dampen the celebrations — around 250,000 people welcomed the team in Stuttgart's city centre. It remains the club's last Bundesliga title and the crowning achievement of its most successful youth development era.

The squad's depth was the hidden winner. Roberto Hilbert played all 34 matches and scored seven goals, four of them in the final run-in. Ludovic Magnin was involved in four goals during the eight decisive wins. Pavel Pardo, celebrated as "El Comandante", played the full 90 minutes in 33 of 34 matches and lifted the Meisterschale as captain.

Armin Veh, appointed in February 2006 as Giovanni Trapattoni's successor, was voted Coach of the Year for this season. His recipe was simple and radical: trust in youth, clear roles, and early pressing that put opponents under pressure. Stuttgart played courageously going forward — and that courage made the difference against the favourites from Schalke and Bremen.

The road began with a defeat: in the 0:3 opening-day loss at Nuremberg, Serdar Tasci was still on the bench. The 19-year-old from the youth ranks soon became a regular in central defence — as did Khedira, who made his debut in Berlin on matchday six and never left the team again. With the second-youngest squad in the league, Veh trusted young players like no other title contender.

In goal stood a record holder: between May and October 2003, Timo Hildebrand went 884 minutes without conceding — still a Bundesliga record. In the title season he kept 13 clean sheets and left in summer 2007 as champion to join Valencia. For Stuttgart he remained the last great goalkeeper of a golden generation.

Gómez's season was a rollercoaster: eight goals in ten games in autumn, four in five after the winter break — then an injury cost him seven matches. Back in the squad, he headed the equaliser in the 3:2 win at Bochum and was voted Germany's Footballer of the Year at the end of the season.

The key was balance: while the attack around Gómez and Cacau delivered the goals, the defence around Tasci and Delpierre grew from game to game. Exactly this mix of youthful attacking verve and growing stability made the championship possible.

The strike duo fit perfectly together: Gómez, the cool finisher, and Cacau, the unpredictable Brazilian with a German passport. Together they scored 27 goals — and exactly this attacking power made the difference in the decisive weeks of the second half of the season.

19 May 2007 became the day of redemption: the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion shook, tears flowed on the pitch — from players who, a few months earlier, had still been playing in the reserves. Khedira, Tasci and Gómez embodied a generation that still shapes the club today.

In 34-0-0, Stuttgart 2006/07 are a counter-attacking side rated 81 — quick in transition, but vulnerable at the back. To control the young wild ones, you need exactly the qualities they had back then: patience, belief in your own squad, and no fear of big names.

Tactical DNA

Style: Counter · Strength: 81 · Europe tier

Counter in the game: Possession. They wait for transitions — keep the ball and your patience.

Key players & ratings

Best XI

Beating this team in 34-0-0

Stuttgart 2006/07 play fast counter football in 34-0-0 — the answer is patient possession play. With Strength 81 and Attack 81 they are dangerous in transition; avoid losing the ball in build-up, because that is exactly what they wait for. Their Defense rating of 79 is a weakness: combine through the middle with short passes, exploit set pieces, and take them out of their rhythm with an early goal. Away from home, an early lead is often enough to kill their counter-attacking game.

FAQ

More teams

By L. Yuan · Last updated: 2026-09-16