The story of FC Twente cannot be told without a look at the club's very beginnings.
A merger between Eredivisie team Sportclub Enschede and First Division team Enschedese Boys created FC Twente '65 in 1965. The merger was not an obvious one: the two clubs, which had existed since 1910 and 1906, had long been at odds.
After several drastic events though, including the death of a number of Enschedese Boys members in a bombing during World War II and a period of financial malaise, both clubs saw no other way out than a merger, which was settled on 13 April 1965 with considerable opposition during the 'Night of Vrieler'.
Glory years and decline
The club did not take long to establish itself in the spotlight.
Eight years after their foundation, FC Twente reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup where Borussia Monchengladbach were just too strong, and it was the same story again in the 1975 final; Jupp Heynckes completed the job with a hat-trick in Enschede as Gladbach won 5-1.
In 1977, Twente won their first-ever major trophy with the KNVB Cup, but relegation followed just three years later. However, the Tukkers immediately returned to the top flight.
In 2001, they won the KNVB Beker again with players like Erik ten Hag, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Patrick Pothuizen and Sjaak Polak in the ranks. In the background, however, things were not going well at all for the club, which narrowly avoided bankruptcy.
Revolution
The financial malaise caused a revolution within the club: Joop Munsterman was appointed chairman and initiated the club's final professionalisation. With Fred Rutten as coach, the team returned to the top half of the Eredivisie and Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo proved himself an extremely valuable asset, scoring 30 goals in his first two seasons.
The club's rise culminated in 2010 when a core of Nkufo, Bryan Ruiz, Sander Boschker, the late Cheick Tiote, Theo Janssen, Douglas and Miroslav Stoch won their first-ever Eredivisie title. Coach Steve McClaren got the team going like no other and suddenly FC Twente were the team to beat in the Eredivisie.
European adventures
In the following Champions League campaign, the first in club history, the Grolsch Veste further developed their souring reputation after Champions League winners Inter; the Tottenham of Van der Vaart, Bale and Modric; and Werder Bremen were all held to a draw. The billion-dollar adventure ended in the group stage but in the Europa League Twente managed to hold on for a while, although that run seemed to be in doubt for a while in Russia.
The away match at Rubin Kazan had to be moved to Moscow due to temperatures of -30 degrees. Once there, it again measured -17.2 degrees, which on the orders of the medical staff meant a kick-off in the chilly afternoon.
Twente eventually made it to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Villarreal. It became their best European adventure in 33 years.
Desmond Tutu and the crisis
However, FC Twente's fairytale did not last much longer. McClaren left and was replaced by iconic former Belgian goalkeeper Michel Preud'homme. A second league title in a row was almost secured, but FC Twente lost to Ajax on the last matchday and finished second.
For a moment, joy seemed to have returned to Enschede with the visit of a very special guest, archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu in 2012, who was even named honorary member of the club. Tutu celebrated his visit to the Grolsch Veste with a more than appropriate dance and FC Twente won 1-0 against Heerenveen thanks to a penalty by Dusan Tadic.
What followed were extremely turbulent years in East Overijssel, starting with a stadium disaster: during renovations to the Grolsch Veste, the club's home ground since 1998, part of the roof collapsed and two construction workers died.
Financial mismanagement led to an implosion of the ambitious FC Twente and the club's 50th anniversary culminated in a disaster: Twente were deducted points twice, had to withdraw Jong FC Twente from the Jupiler League, saw chairman Munsterman leave and had to grossly cut the budget.
A crisis regarding a partnership with investment fund Doyen Sports got Twente into deep trouble with the KNVB, which eventually stripped them of their professional licence twice and imposed fines. It resulted in 2018's first relegation in 34 years.
However, the club did not stick around in the second division, winning the title after just one attempt. Players like Brighton midfielder Mats Wieffer, former Liverpool striker Oussama Assaadi and current Shakhtar Donetsk coach Marino Pusic brought Twente straight back to the promised land, but it took some getting used to it again.
A dream in the Theatre of Dreams
The COVID-interrupted first season saw them finish in 14th place before they secured 10th in 2020/21.
From the 2021/22 season, the Tukkers really came back to life. Lars Unnerstall, Michal Sadilek, Robin Propper, Michel Vlap, Manfred Ugalde and Ricky van Wolfswinkel were recruited and Twente finished in the top four again for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
Since 2022, Twente have been constantly vying for European football in Enschede. For three years, they came close to making the group stage of the Europa or Conference League before finally reaching the 'league phase' of the Europa League directly in 2024.
Some great matches awaited the Tukkers and the finest European performance in years was achieved in September when the great Manchester United, led by former Twente player and born Tukker Erik ten Hag, were tamed and held to 1-1 at their own Theatre of Dreams.
It meant enough for loyal Twente supporter Rutger to immortalise Bart van Rooij (who set up Sam Lammers' for the equalising goal after a remarkable solo run) through a tattoo after a bet with ESPN. Rutger's father thought of the bet, which had to reach 100,000 likes on a post for Rutger to get the tattoo: "Stupid pr*ck, it's just going to happen."
And perhaps that is the spirit behind the Enschede club. From almost winning a European trophy to almost going bankrupt, and from the Eredivisie title to an embarrassing relegation: at Twente, it just happens.