Bundesliga or the first-tier division in the German League is a football competition that has a long history. This league is not as vibrant as the English Premier League or Spanish League, but make no mistake, German clubs often dominate European football, even the world football. Although not glamorous, the Bundesliga is a very good competition that gives birth to many world-class players.
The question is, who is the best player in the history of Bundesliga? In this article, I want to talk about those great players in detail. They have recorded remarkable achievements, both individually and with their respective teams. Without further ado, here is the list of 15 best Bundesliga players of all time:
15. Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a former central midfielder who was three times awarded as the Best German Player during his period of playing with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Not only at the club level, this player also shone with the national team, where he was able to guide Germany to become the finalist of World Cup 2002. His best achievement in the Bundesliga occurred in the period 2002 to 2005, when Ballack helped Bayern Munich win three German League titles and three German Cups trophies.
14. Karl-Heinz Korbel
Karl-Heinz Korbel is a former football player who holds the record for most number of appearances in the German League. In total, this player played in 602 matches in the period 1972 to 1991. Amazingly, Korbel played for only one club, which is Eintracht Frankfurt. The player who played as a defender also presented four DFB-Pokal titles for his club, as well as a UEFA Cup trophy in the 1979-1980 season.
13. Manfred Kaltz
Manfred Kaltz was a very loyal player, where he spent 20 years of his professional career as a player of Hamburger SV. In total, this player played in 581 matches in Bundesliga. Manfred who was positioned as a fullback also has a good track record, in which he was able to help Hamburg win three Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokal titles and one UEFA Cup. Manfred was part of German squad that won the European Cup in 1980.
12. Lothar Matthaus
Matthaus is a charismatic ex-midfielder who played a major role in the success of the German national team in the international tournaments in the period of 1980s until the mid-1990s. At the club level, this player also won various tournaments. After being out of Germany for four years to play for Inter Milan, Matthaus decided to return to Bayern Munich, the club where he started his glorious career. In the German League, Matthaus won seven Bundesliga titles, three DFB Pokal titles, and two times awarded as the German's Best Player.
11. Klaus Fischer
Klaus Fischer is the second Bundesliga top scorer of all time, with a record 268 goals. He spent his career in Bundesliga at four different clubs, TSV 1860 München, FC Schalke 04, 1. FC Köln and VfL Bochum. He won two German League titles and one time made himself as the top scorer in the 1975-76 season with 29 goals. This player also played quite well with the West German national team, with a record of 32 goals in 45 appearances.
10. Berti Vogts
Vogts was a small and short defender, but his prowess is highly respected by his opponents. The players spent the entire of his 14-year career as a player of Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the Bundesliga, Vogts as played 419 times and scored 32 goals. He presented five Bundesliga titles for Borussia Monchengladbach and also played an important role for West Germany team that won the World Cup 1974 .
9. Matthias Sammer
Although in the German national team Matthias Sammer was always under the shadow of Lothar Matthaus, this sweeper recorded great statistics and records in Bundesliga. Sammer's golden times took place in the mid 90s, where he led Borussia Dortmund win the Bundesliga twice and presented one Champions League trophy. Not only that, Sammer was even chosen as the Best European Footballer of the Year in 1996.
8. Oliver Kahn
His tall figure and scary face always made Bayern Munich's defense to look more difficult to penetrate by the enemies. Kahn is one of the best goalkeepers ever to play in the Bundesliga. He also holds the record as the third most-capped player ever in the German League, with a record of 557 appearances. He won a lot of achievements in his career, as he presented eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cup trophies, and one Champions League trophy for Bayern Munich.
7. Ulf Kirsten
Ulf Kirsten is a legendary player of Bayer Leverkusen. The player who was born in the eastern part of Germany was a very dangerous striker in the penalty box. His finishing skill was very effective, and he also had the ability to execute set-pieces very well. Despite scoring a lot of goals, Ulf Kirsten won fairly minimal achievement. He was only able to present one Bundesliga title for Bayer Leverkusen in the 1992-93 season.
6. Sepp Maier
If there is a German goalkeeper who is greater than Oliver Kahn, then he must be Sepp Maier. He was the first choice goalkeeper of Bayern Munich from 1962 to 1979. In total, Maier played 536 times in the Bundesliga. He won four German league titles and one Champions League trophy. Maier also three times elected as Germany's best player and he was the core of the squad that led West Germany win the World Cup 1974 and the European Cup 1972 .
5. Gunter Netzer
Netzer is one of the world's best playmaker who spent 10 years playing in the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach. In that club, Netzer scored 108 goals in 297 appearances. Not only that, he also brought Gladbach won the Bundesliga twice and helped them win German Cup once. Because of his great performance at Gladbach, Real Madrid then decided to buy Netzer. With Madrid he was able to win two La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies.
4. Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes is the third top scorer in Bundesliga history, with a total of 220 goals in 394 appearances. The prolific striker was also a part Mönchengladbach golden generation in the 1970s period, where he was able to win four Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Cup title, and a DFB Pokal trophy. After retiring as a player, Heynckes decided to pursue a career as a coach. His career as a coach is quite successful, in which he was able to manage to help the world's greatest clubs such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid win a lot of titles.
3. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Another Bayern Munich's player in the list of the best Bundesliga players of all time. Rummenigge became German football star in the 1970s and 1980s, where he scored 162 goals in 310 appearances. Rummenigge was also a part of the West German national team that won the European Cup in 1980. He also led his national team to be the runner-up of World Cup 1982 and 1986. Currently, Rummenigge works as Bayern Munich's chairman.
2. Franz Beckenbauer
The greatness of a Franz Beckenbauer is no longer in doubt. The player who played as a libero was indeed a very dominant figure on the field. He has the ability to stop the opponents, organize the offense, even quite often scored goals. He was four times elected as the best player of the Bundesliga and presented four German league titles and three Champions League titles for three consecutive years for Bayern Munich. Not only that, Beckenbauer was also important part of West Germany national team that won the World Cup 1974.
1. Gerd Muller
The title of the best player in Bundesliga of all time should be given to Gerd Muller. Muller who played for Bayern Munich in the period 1965 to 1979 is the German league's top scorer of all time, with a record of 365 goals. His career as a player was very successful, both at the level of the national team and club level. He was a part of Germany national football team that won the World Cup 1974 and European Cup 1972. Muller also claimed four Bundesliga titles and three Champions League titles when he played for Bayern Munich.
