Grasshoppers clicking again

uefa.com looks back at the achievements of Grasshopper-Club as part of our series of histories of the 18 clubs directly involved in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

The most successful club in Swiss history with 26 titles, Grasshopper-Club were founded in Zurich in 1886 by a group of eccentric English students. They chose the unusual name, according to one school of thought, to reflect the club's lofty ambitions - the grasshopper can leap to up to 200 times its own height. Others believe, less colourfully, that the grasshopper emblem was simply taken from an English coat of arms.

Domestic success
Grasshoppers have won more domestic titles than any other team - 26 to date - beginning with the inaugural Swiss championship in 1898. They have also won the Swiss Cup 18 times, and taken the double on eight occasions. However, despite numerous adventures on the European stage, Grasshoppers have so far failed to transfer their domestic success into continental silverware.

Trophy drought
After winning four titles between 1898 and 1905, Grasshoppers were regular champions again in the 1920s, 30s and 40s and contributed a number of important players to the Switzerland national team, including brothers Max and André Abegglen. They endured a trophy drought from 1957 before reclaiming the title in 1970/71.

European adventures
Their best performances in Europe came in the Seventies. They reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1978, beating FC Dinamo Tblisi and Eintracht Frankfurt en route, before succumbing to SC Bastia. Althought they won 3-2 victory in Zurich, a 1-0 defeat in Corsica sent them out on the away goals rule. The following year Grasshoppers reached the quarter-finals of the European Champion Clubs' Cup.

Champions League experience
Under coach Christian Gross - and with a side that included Ciriaco Sforza, Alain Sutter and Giovane Elber - Grasshoppers competed in the UEFA Champions League group stage in the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons. On neither occasion did they progress to the quarter-finals, however, and subsequent attempts to qualify for the group stage ended in failure in 1998/99 and 2001/02.

Cup upsets
Although Grasshoppers have 18 Swiss Cups to their name, they have an unenviable recent record, losing in the final in 1995, 1999 and 2002. In 2002 they were beaten 2-1 by champions FC Basel, but qualified for the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. However, they were eliminated in the second round by FC PAOK Thessaloniki 3-2 on aggregate.

Champions again
The 2003 championship, which they won on the final day of the season with a 4-2 victory over BSC Young Boys, gave Grasshoppers another chance to test their mettle on the European stage in 2003/04. Coach Marcel Koller - formerly Gross's assistant at the Hardturm stadium - strengthened his squad by signing Ionel Gane from FC St. Gallen and Argentinian José Manuel Chatruc, although he lost the services of midfield player Ricardo Cabanas who joined France's FC Guingamp.