Borussia Dortmund's path from the brink of bankruptcy in 2005 to Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich has been dubbed "Ground Zero to Wembley" by CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
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Last November, he announced that Dortmund had posted a record net profit of €34.3 million for the 2011-12 season, when they won the league and cup double.
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It is a far cry from March 2005 when, with debts of €120 million, Watzke came within days of declaring Borussia bankrupt which would have seen them drop out of the Bundesliga and into the obscurity of amateur football.
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Having won the 1997 Champions League title, the club had descended into heavy debt by signing big names for huge sums in a bid to stay near the top of German football.
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Borussia was floated on the Frankfurt stock exchange in October 2000, but the cash poured out quicker than it flowed in, leading to dire financial straits.
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When ex-president Dr Gerd Niebaum resigned in October 2004, the club was debt riddled, their Westfalenstadion had been sold and successor Reinhard Rauball faced an unenviable task.
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"I had never taken on such a responsibility in my entire life," said the trained lawyer, who had twice bailed out Borussia in the 1970s and 80s.
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"When I had previously helped save the club, the situation hadn't been easy, but the sums involved meant we could find a solution.
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"This was a whole new experience given the huge sums involved."
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Watzke also has clear memories of the days around March 14 2005 when they had to persuade Borussia's 5 800 shareholders, numerous banks and the German Football League (DFL) that the club had a financial future.
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"It was pure chaos and anarchy, it doesn't get tighter than it did eight years ago," said Watzke of his first days as CEO in February 2005.
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"Within two days of me taking over, we had to notify the stock market of our situation, or broken the law for delayed filling of insolvency.
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"Then if we hadn't got a signature on a finance package, it would have meant registering for insolvency and amateur football.
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"The creditors were at our door and until September 2006, we were under their governance.
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"If the financial crisis had hit Germany any earlier, rather than 2008, there would definitely not be professional football in Dortmund."
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The players had to take a 20 percent pay cut as shares in the club plummeted by 80 percent.
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With bankruptcy avoided, the club slashed their budget, off loaded overpaid players, signed young talent and adopted a new philosophy.
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"We would never again go into debt in the pursuit of sporting success, now we only spend what we have earned," said Watzke.
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Borussia struggled for form in the years after their crisis with three different managers from December 2006 and May 2008, when the club finished 13th in the league.