From relegations to competing for Bundesliga title: The rise of Union Berlin

Die Eisernen have had a fairy tale run in the Bundesliga this term

The closing seven minutes of Union Berlin's 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund earlier this season were punctuated by this song. To its beat, the Stadion An Die Alten Forsterei beats.

We love you. Our group. our honour. our group.

In the end, both physically and mentally, Dortmund were shattered. The Union players should have been the ones who were worn out. They had not only played more lately, but they had also chased the ball for most of the game, blocking off potential attack routes and shifting around eagerly.

Jude Bellingham, the young 19-year-old midfielder sensation for Dortmund, instead fell to his knees after the final whistle, defeated by the hopeless task of breaching the greatest defence in the Bundesliga. One of the Bundesliga's top teams at least for the time being.

From bankruptcy to underdogs of the Bundesliga

Union Berlin were at risk of declaring bankruptcy and dropping to the fourth tier of German football in the year 2004. They required £1.5 million to avoid bankruptcy. When Union Berlin needed to support the most, the team's supporters have never let them down. They banded together to keep their club alive since they couldn't bear to see it fail.

Once promoted to the Bundesliga 2 in 2000-01, Union made an incredible run to the DFB-Pokal final that year but fell to Schalke.

The Berlin team's success was fleeting, however, as they were dropped down to the third tier and were unable to cover the Regionalliga registration cost in 2004.

Union experienced German Bundesliga football this season for the first time in their history. They have seized this chance with both hands.

Many people—including myself—thought Union would be a team that drifted in and out of the relegation zone with survival as their primary goal because they were so severely underfunded for the majority of their existence.

Being vigilant and looking to the future

Union have improved since the start of the season and is now third in the Bundesliga table just three points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.

From being on the verge of extinction in the lower divisions to exceeding expectations in the top flight, Union's history is inspiring. Fans and players alike share a transcendent sense of strength and resilience that the club has developed as a result of its financial resistance.

Examples from English football include Bournemouth, Leicester City, and Crystal Palace, teams that were about to be dissolved but were spared at the last minute and have thrived for several years in the Premier League.

But, what makes Union's fan-led intervention distinct from any other team's rise from the brink of oblivion is their fervour in reviving the club through their improvised efforts.

It will be too early to declare their favourites for the Bundesliga, but Union Berlin should maintain their consistency, and perhaps we will get to watch another underdog win the league that Bayern Munich has controlled for decades.