By this time three years ago, Atert Bissen were facing a collapse. The team had just gotten relegated from the Ehrenpromotion, and were facing a year in the regional divisions. A structured project and sustained development found itself in jeopardy as Bissen’s longest uninterrupted second-division streak came to an end.
What lay ahead was a complete rebuild as they found themselves back in an amateur environment. Many teams have found themselves in turmoil after stepping down to the third tier, unable to adapt to the changed circumstances. For Bissen to avoid falling back into mediocrity forever, it was imperative to come up with an adequate plan.
What followed was one of the most remarkable rises in recent football history. Former UNA Strassen advisor Carlos Teixeira arrived to take control of the flailing organisation. One of his first decisions involved recruiting Vincent Thalamot as a sporting director – an expert formerly aiding Hesper’s rise to the top who had spent his entire career in the region. His connections in the French and Belgian markets later proved vital.
Being able to provide a clear project and an ambitious plan for the future to any player who had doubts over sticking with the club through the 2023/24 season helped enormously. For their season in the third division, they geared up significantly, attracting several players of first-tier calibre.
Luring Luxembourg legend Daniel da Mota back home was an important first step in elevating Bissen to new heights. Then 38 years old, da Mota was still a chief contributor on the pitch, finishing with 20 goal involvements in 26 appearances that season. Striker Fine Bop broke an all-time third-division goalscoring record, netting 44 times across the 30 games.
The attacking efforts of the duo, supported by captain Adriel and youngster Mamadi Djaló, helped the team coast to success in 1. Division. 24 wins, six draws and not a single loss throughout the campaign. Four goals per game on average. A 14-point advantage over runners-up Feulen.
Atert Bissen refused to fall into the same trap most clubs do after an Ehrenpromotion relegation. They bounced back, breaking countrywide records, with a statement of intent that instantly made them one of the biggest contenders of the same division they had left awkwardly through the back door only 365 days earlier.
Preparing for a second-tier league season, the first where they weren’t viewed as complete outsiders, Bissen dreamt big. Thalamot made several key signings: in some cases, not the flashiest profiles or most glittering CVs, but names who came to define this squad and what Atert Bissen has meant ever since.
From the current BGL Ligue-winning team, we can find many protagonists who played their part in the second consecutive promotion. Goalkeeper Yassine Gourari, centre-back Zakaria Louriz, midfielder Reda Eddarraj and the brilliant attacking duo of Adriel and Khalid Abi Ramzi all showed the world that they were still capable of switching up a gear, and delivering consistently eye-catching performances on a different level altogether.
The step-up from third division to the semi-professional second tier is considerable. Most teams take years to solidify their spot in the playing field before even harbouring ambitions of a title race.
They were behind in the fight for promotion – Mamer 32 were runaway champions, closely followed by a Käerjéng side possessing an unrivalled amount of experience and know-how in the division.
After the two main contenders, though, came Bissen, then led by Pedro Teixeira, the architect of their unbeaten season the year before. A third-place finish meant they still had to go through the yearly promotion/relegation play-off, where SC Bettembourg were their opponents, coming off a rather disappointing first BGL Ligue campaign.
This nerve-wracking encounter, played at a neutral venue in Käerjéng and decided by the game’s only goal from Bop, was the first sign of Atert’s resilience and discipline. Terrifying defences week after week and playing an attractive brand of football as a generally wealthy club with an impressive squad was one thing. Tipping the scales and keeping their calm when historic feats were at stake is a much more challenging task.
This club have long had ambitions and resources. What they proved with their play-off victory is that they also have the winning mentality and fighting spirit to crack the code.
President Teixeira and sporting director Thalamot had undoubtedly followed an aggressive transfer policy over the years. Routinely punching above their weight and attracting players who clearly belonged in a higher tier, they used their connections and financial abilities to set Bissen up for greatness.
Having the resources to compete is always welcome, but in Luxembourg, it hasn’t always materialised in success straight away. For Swift Hesperange, their lavish spending backfired as soon as they missed out on European qualification after their breakthrough 2022/23 season. UNA Strassen have moved into their new stadium and signed some Luxembourg internationals over the years, but have failed to break the glass ceiling to date.
Bissen had been systematically strengthening their starting XI in the previous two seasons, but now took recruitment to a different scale. They sensed an opening: with the required improvements, they could push for the top spots straight away.
In a year where some of the most established competitors (like Progrès Niederkorn, F91 Dudelange, Swift Hesper or Jeunesse Esch) were going through a transition period and others (FC Differdange, UNA Strassen or Racing Union Luxembourg) had European commitments, Bissen could aim to be the dark horse.
Even the most ambitious predictions for the season tipped the newcomers to finish in mid-table at best. They had no expectations, and a team that looked ready to ruffle some feathers.
A new managerial appointment was also made. While Pedro Teixeira did well to guide a superb group of players to consecutive promotions, an upgrade was deemed necessary to make the step up to ensure BGL Ligue survival at the very least.
Vítor Pereira boasted an impressive CV and already had some European experience on the UNA Strassen bench. He was coveted by some of the country’s biggest sides, but personal connections and a convincing pitch made him choose the Yellows’ project, where the pressure was remarkably lower than it would be at a title contender.
The season had already kicked off (with a mixed bag of results), when the real game-changer arrived. Roman Ferber’s arrival at Klengbousbierg was a resounding success and a guaranteed coup even before he set foot on the pitch and made his first appearance.
Ferber, a tall but intelligent and versatile Belgian striker who had years of top-level experience in his homeland, joined Bissen in late August with nagging health concerns but a determination to get up to full speed as fast as possible.
By 1 October, the attacker had tallied up two goals and three assists in 221 minutes of game time, and made an instant impact. The most shocking thing about his whole season was the consistency with which he carved through every single defence across the country. His final record stands at 21 goals and nine assists in only 22 appearances.
His attacking partners Abi Ramzi and Adriel had their own redemption stories, supporting Ferber as the two advanced playmakers in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Adriel had two underwhelming BGL Ligue campaigns as an Etzella Ettelbruck fringe player over the last decade – his only top-flight experience until 2025. Fast forward ten months, and there he was, lifting the most illustrious piece of silverware in Luxembourg with a captain’s armband and tears in his eyes.
Abi Ramzi’s own career started quite promisingly, being touted as a talented creative midfielder in Spain, where his football career started off. After years of playing low-level, amateur football, he decided to try his luck in the Grand Duchy with Lorentzweiler. His first season, albeit successful on an individual level, ended in relegation. It took him two more years to climb to the top. His prospects have not looked this good for a long time (if ever).
One of the most admirable aspects of Bissen’s rapid rise has been the astute analysis of the team’s assets and the determination to keep upgrading. Thalamot kept pinpointing the line-up’s weaknesses adeptly and bringing in replacements who turned out to be smart signings.
The two wing-backs, Toufik Zeghdane and Lenny Almada Correia, were reliable all season. In midfield, veteran Mehdi Terki came back from his professional club in Belgium, and replicated his previous successes with Hesperange, celebrating another title win at the age of 34. His numbers had to be limited, of course: loaning in Eldin Rastoder from UNA Strassen made that possible. The young box-to-box player had always struggled for playing time since coming through at Racing, but now has an incredibly solid and consistent campaign crowned by a championship title next to his name.
And last, but not least, a young defender who has tasted relegation from this league before, and failed to break through even at second-division level the year as recently as two seasons ago. Someone whose role in the team was downplayed going into the season given the number of defensive reinforcements the board had secured over the summer.
But Sami El Anabi, Kénio Cabral and Brandon Soares Rosa repeatedly had to settle for a place on the bench. The talented but inexperienced Louis Marasi cemented his spot from late August, and rarely found himself on the sidelines. His maturity and composure on the ball were outstanding, and he repeatedly showed his heading ability throughout the season, winning aerial duels and scoring important goals.
None of his previous goals, however, were nearly as important as his latest one. In fact, nothing in Atert Bissen’s 81-year history compares. Trailing by three points, they needed to beat leaders Differdange to seal the title in their first-ever BGL Ligue season.
Marasi’s goal opened the scoring on 55 minutes. FCD pushed but their efforts were in vain. Their tight-knit group of players desperately tried to turn the tide, but the change of power at the top of Luxembourgish football was clear.
Here was a young, energetic team playing without fear, possessing both the individual ability and tactical familiarity to pick apart any competitor in the Grand Duchy. Facing them was a club that used to be in the same position not too long ago. After three trophies in two years, FCD’s glamour is slowly fading. They may yet win the domestic cup against Victoria Rosport on Friday evening, but their unquestionable superiority has been shaken.
With their unlikely success, Atert Bissen also booked a ticket for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The added workload of European football requires a deeper squad, and numerous new additions. Some key players might also want to leave to explore options abroad.
President Teixeira has already announced the arrival of “seven new players” throughout the summer – potentially more now that the trophy is theirs. Chief amongst new additions is Luxembourg midfielder Diogo Pimentel. The former Strassen playmaker is one of the best in his role in the country, and might well switch directions with Rastoder, whose loan is set to end in June.
Two attackers are also joining from the Belgian lower divisions, but the identities of the rest of the "magnificent seven" are still unknown.
Pereira is set to remain as head coach for the year ahead as he tries to lead Bissen to Luxembourg’s first European group stage participation since Dudelange in 2019. Any prize money from the continental stage will be greatly appreciated, but the convincing power of an opportunity to see eye to eye with the best in the world is going to be an even greater help for the recruitment staff, as they look to conduct their next pieces of business.
As for the current key players, there are no rumours of any departures so far. Naturally, a few good showings against foreign opposition can always spark interest in clubs across the continent, so Teixeira will have to be wary of a volatile last few weeks of the international transfer window.
For what it’s worth, Bissen have already written history. Even if they fail to defend their title next season, they have done more than what most would have expected in the summer of 2025. European commitments will undoubtedly place a further strain on the players, but if they manage to retain both Pereira and the heroes of this unique, unprecedented campaign, they will be primed to repeat the feat and continue to challenge for years to come.
