Sunday, February 22, 2015

North Rhine-Westphalia Greatest all-team 23-member team

Wolfgang Overath and Gunter Netzer

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Germany
Bavaria.
Eastern Regional Team (not only GDR players)
East German Players after 1990
German Americans/American Germans
German Turks 
German-born Players Capped by Other National Teams
Germany All-Time Team After Beckenbauer
Germany All-Time Team before 1972

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state in Germany.  It was established in 1946 after World War II from the Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of Rhine Province (North Rhine), and the Free State of Lippe by the British military administration in Allied-occupied Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, and the city of Bonn served as the federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999.

It is the home of many current and former Bundesliga clubs such as MSV Duisburg, VfL Bochum, Arminia Bielefeld,Borussia MönchengladbachSchalke 04 Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and  FC Koln. 
Manuel Neuer and Mats Hummels
Team
GK: Toni Schumacher (Düren)
Toni Schumacher was the goalkeeper for the German national team throughout the 1980's, winning the European Championship in 1980.  He led West Germany to the Final at both 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals, losing on both occasions.  However, he was remembered for an ugly incident against Patrick Battiston during the semifinal of Spain 1982.  His club career was associated with Koln.
Toni Schumacher   
GK: Manuel Neuer (Gelsenkirchen)
Neuer established as Germany's number 1 before the World Cup Finals in 2010.  Since then, he has been considered one of the best keeper in the world. He helped Germany winning their 4th World Cup in 2014. In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.  He started with Schalke 04, but moved to rival Bayern Munich in 2010. He is the second most expensive keeper of all-time.
  
GK: Toni Turek (Duisburg)
Between 1950 and 1954, Toni Turek played 20 games for the German national team.  He was the starting keeper for West Germany at World Cup Finals in 1954, where the Germans won their first World Cup.  The Final was an upset against Hungary and the match was known as the "Miracle of Bern".  His longest club stint was with Fortuna Düsseldorf.

RB: Berti Vogts (Kaarst)
Nicknamed “Der Terrier”, Vogts was one of the greatest rightback in German history.  He won 5 Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Cups with the great Borussia Mönchengladbach of the 1970's.  He had 95 caps, winning both the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championshipmin 1972. He famously marked Johan Cruyff out of the WC Final in 1974. 

RB: Paul Janes (Leverkusen)
The DFB listed Paul Janes in the top 20 best German footballers of all time.  He is known as one of the best fullback in the world before the War. He went to two World Cup Finals in 1934 and 1938. He was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8:0 in Breslau in 1937. Janes played 71 times for Germany. He held Germany's all-time cap record until it was broken in 1970. His longest club stint was with Fortuna Düsseldorf.  He broke his foot after the restart of football after the War and had to retire.
Paul Janes
SW: Bernard Dietz (Hamm)
Dietz played 53 times for the West German national team.  He was the captain of the team that won the European Championship in 1980.  He also went to European Championship 4 years before in 1976  as well as the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina.  For his club career, he played for Duisburg and Schalke 04.
  
CB: Mats Hummels (Bergisch Gladbach)
Mats Hummels came through the Bayern Munich youth system, but only made one appearance with the senior team.  He signed with Borussia Dortmund in 2009 after a loan spell. Over there, he established himself among the best centerbacks in the world.  In 2016, he made a dramatic return to Bayern Munich.  For Germany, he was a part of the 2014 World Cup winning team, where he was voted into the team of tournament.
 
CB: Willi Schulz (Wattenscheid)

Willi Schulz was one of the best center-backs in the world during the 1960's.  He played 66 times for West Germany between 1959 and 1970. He was the starting sweeper in the 1966 World Cup Finals in England.  He also went to the World Cup Finals 4 years later in Mexico, but was injured.  Helmut Schon preferred Beckenbauer as a midfielder while he played as a sweeper. He started with Schalke 04 in 1960.  From 1965 to 1973, he played for Hamburger SV.
Willi Schulz
CB/LB: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (Düren)
In his prime, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was considered one of the best leftbacks in the world.  He participated in 4 World Cup Finals, unfortunaitely sandwiched between West Germany's two WC winning tournaments.  He was remembered one of the first German to star in Italy.  He had a remarkable stint with AC Milan and As Roma.  He won the European Cup in 1969.
 
LB/RB/SW: Horst-Dieter Hottges (Mönchengladbach)
Horst-Dieter Hottges started his entire career with Borussia Mönchengladbach, but found successes with Werder Bremen.  He went to World cup Finals in 1966 and 1974 and the European Championship in 1972 .  He played in the WC Finals in 1974, but he lost his starting position after West Germany lost to East Germany at the Finals in 1974.

LB:  Erich Juskowiak (Oberhausen)
Erich Juskowiak made his national team debut in 1951, but did not go to the 1954 World Cup Finals in Switzerland.  However, he  was the starting leftback for the West German national team at Sweden 1958 four years later.  He also became the first German player to be sent off in a World Cup Finals match over there while playing in the semifinal against host Sweden.

CM: Gunther Netzer (Mönchengladbach)
Gunter Netzer was the star of the great Borussia Mönchengladbach of the 1970's.  He won the European Championship in 1972 and then, the World Cup in 1974.  His best performance, however, was in 1972, where he was the star at the quarterfinal against England.  He later joined Real Madrid in 1973 and outperformed Johan Cruyff's Barcelona in the early 1970's in a period dominated by Real Madrid. He was known for his pop star lifestyle during his playing career.
Gunter Netzer
CM: Horst Szymaniak (Oer-Erkenschwick)
Horst Szymaniak was one of West Germany's greatest midfielders.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1958 and 1962.  He played for SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsruher SC, Calcio Catania, F.C. Internazionale Milano, A.S. Varese 1910, and Tasmania 1900 Berlin. He joined Inter Milan in 1962 at a time when Serie A clubs seldom signed German players.

DM/RB: Rainer Bonhof (Emmerich am Rhein)
He was the youngest member of the World Cup winning team in 1974.  He assisted in Gerd Muller's winning goal at the Final.  He also played at Argentina 1978 and a part of Euro 1980 winning team.  He played with Borussia Mönchengladbach.  He joined Valencia in 1978, which prompted the DFB to remove their ban on selecting foreign based players for the national team. 

CM: Fritz Szepan (Gelsenkirchen)
Fritz Szepan is one of Germany's greatest midfielders and perhaps, the best German player before the War.  He played in both 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals.  In 1938, Szepan was named captain of the "Unified Germany" team shortly after the Anschluss. He played his entire career with Schalke 04.  He was voted as the club's greatest ever player.
  
LM/CM: Wolfgang Overath (Siegburg)
Overath was one of the best left midfielders in history,  He won the 1974  World Cup, where he kept Netzer from the starting lineup. In total he won 81 caps for the national side between 1963 and 1974, scoring 17 goals.  In addition to 1974 World Cup Finals, he also went to the 1966 and 1970 World Cup Finals. He spent all of his career with Koln.

AM/LW: Marco Reus (Dortmund)
In 2009, Reus began his career with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. He became one of Europe's brightest young player.  In 2012, he joined Borussia Dortmund, his hometown club. Since 2011, Reus established himself as a regular member of Joachim Löw's national team, but he missed both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 European Championship through injuries.  He was a member of the team at the World Cup Finals in 2018.
Marco Reus 

RW:  Helmut Rahn (Essen)
Rahn was known as "Der Boss" (English: "The Boss") because of his on-field leadership and occasionally also as "The Cannon from Essen".  He was considered one of the best ever German winger.  His club career was associated with Rot-Weiss Essen.  Capped 40 times.  He was a star of the 1954 WC team.  He scored the winning goal in the final vs Hungary. He also went to the WC Finals in 1958.

LW:  Hans Schafer (Cologne)
Hans Schafer played for 1. FC Köln between 1948 and 1965. He also played for the West Germany, earning 39 caps and scoring 15 goals. He played in three World Cups, in 1954, 1958, and 1962, earning a winner's medal in 1954 and scoring a total of seven goals. Between 1957 and 1962, Schäfer captained Germany 16 times. He was German Player of the Year in 1963. He spent all of his career with Koln.
Hans Schafer
FW: Klaus Allofs (Düsseldorf)
Klaus Allofs made his name with Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he was the Bundesliga top-scorer in 1978-1979, winning two German Cup with them.  He later joined Koln, Olympique de Marseille, Bordeaux and Werder Bremen.  He was the top scorer at Euro 1980, where West Germany was the champion.  He played at Euro 1984 and Mexico 1986.

ST/LW:  Jupp Heynckes (Mönchengladbach)
He was the third highest goal scorer in Bundesliga's history.  He spent most of his career with Borussia Mönchengladbach and was part of their glorious team in the early 1970's. He won Euro 1972 and the WC in 1974.  He played the first two matches at West Germany 1974, but suffered an injury and missed the rest of the tournament.

ST: Horst Hrubesch (Hamm)
Horst Hrubesch was a part of West German national team player pool throughout the 1980's.  He was known as one of the most powerful header of the ball in the game.  He was known for his partnership with Manfield Kaltz who was one of the best crossers in the game.  Together, they won the European Cup in 1983 with Hamburger.

FW: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Lippstadt)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was one of the best players in the world during the 1980's.  He was the European Player of the Year in 1980 and 1981.  He won the European Championship in 1980 and was part of the squad that finished runner-up at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He was a young star in Argentina 1978.  He spent the best parts of his club career with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Honorable Mention
Jens Lehmann, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Norbert Nigbur, Hans Tikowski, Stefan Klos, Thomas Helme, Frank Mill, Torsten Frings, Reinhold Münzenberg, Ernst Kuzorra, Leroy Sane, Marc Reus, Illkay Gundogan, Julian Draxler, Fritz Herkenrath, Albert Brülls.

Squad Explanation 
--  Basically, I just looked into the birthplace of the more famous German players.  I probably missed many players.
-- Seventeen players from this team have won either the World Cup or the European Champion.  It would be difficult for the younger players to break into this team.
-- Jens Lehmann deserved to be on this team, but Toni Turek and Manuel Neuer have won a World Cup for Germany while Toni Schumacher was among the greatest ever German keepers.  I also have Fritz Herkenrath, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Norbert Nigbur, Hans Tikowski and Stefan Klos on the players' pool.
-- The rightback position is very strong with Berti Vogts and Paul Janes. I also took Rainer Bonhof who also played the rightback position.
-- Karl-Heinz Schnellinger could also play as a leftback.  So I have three leftbacks in this position.
-- Horst Szymaniak was one of West Germany's greatest midfielders.  
-- West Germany usually did not start Gunther Netzer and Wolfgang Overath together. At the 1974 World Cup Finals, West Germany used Rainer Bonhof to partner Overath in the Final.
-- Borussia Dortmund is the most successful club over here.  However, Mats Hummels and Marco Reus are the only two players selected on this team who is considered to be all-timer from the club.
-- Hans Schafer, Wolfgang Overath, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Klaus Allofs and Toni Schumacher played for FC Koln.
-- Goalkeeper Harald Schumacher was also known as Toni Schumacher.  He played for Koln between 1972 and 1987. He was the famous German goalkeeper starting at the World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. Anton Schumacher was a goalkeeper for Koln between 1960 and 1968.  He was also known as "Toni Schumacher".  He played with another "Harold", Haraldo Konopka around the same time.  To avoid confusion, he earned the nickname "Toni", but would prove to be more confusing later in the club's history.  Anton Schumacher was also born in Goalkeeper Harald Schumacher was also known as Toni Schumacher.  He played for Koln between 1972 and 1987. He was the famous German goalkeeper starting at the World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. Anton Schumacher was a goalkeeper for Koln between 1960 and 1968.  He was also known as "Toni Schumacher".  He played with another "Harold", Haraldo Konopka around the same time.  To avoid confusion, he earned the nickname "Toni", but would prove to be more confusing later in the club's history.  Andoni Schumacher was also born in North Rhine-Westphalia.
-- Borussia Mönchengladbach's great team from the 1970's was known as "Die Fohlen".  Bertie Vogts, Gunter Netzer and Jupp Heynckes were on that team.
-- Helmut Rahn and Hans Schafer were two wingers at the 1954 World Cup Final.  Schafer assisted on the decisive goal scored by Rahn.  Both were considered among the best ever wingers from Germany.
-- Marco Reus's national team career was affected by injuries.  I selected him because he was a hero of two local clubs.  While Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach were considered rivals, they have more serious rivalry with other clubs.  So I do not see Reus' career as an issue.
-- Horst-Dieter Hottges could play as leftback, rightback and a sweeper as good as each position.
-- Three out of the four forwards selected here were heros of West Germany' Euro 1980 winning team.  Klaus Allofs, Karl-Heinz Rummenuigge and Horst Hrubech started in the Final against Belgium.
-- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge needed no introduction.  He was the European Player of the Year in 1980 and 1981 and was widely considered among the greatest ever for West Germany and Bayern Munich.
-- Horst Hrubesch was known as one of the greatest header of the ball in the game.  He was the hero of West Germany's Euro 1980 winning team.
-- Manfred Burgsmuller was born in Essen.  He is considered to be a local hero being a star with Borussia Dortmund.  But he only made honorable mention. He did not play enough for the national team.  I selected more international players over him.
-- Albert Brülls was an forgotten player.  He played in the 1962 World Cup Finals.

Starting lineup
Formation: 4-4-2
  • Willi Schulz and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger were both sweepers.
  • Several defenders are possible starters.  Paul Janes and Mats Hummels could have started.
  • West Germany did not start Overath and Netzer on the field together, but I would try it here. 
  • I have better attackers than Horst Hrubesch, but he is an out and out striker.  He probably would form a better partnership with Rummenigge.
  • Schafer could replace Overath.  He is a better winger and might fit Hrubesch.



Formation II: 4-3-3
  • The team has depth. I can be flexible in its formation.  Hrubesch is the target man with Schafer and Rummenigge on each side of the flank. 



 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Bavaria Greatest all-team 23-member team



Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller


Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Germany

East German Players after 1990
German Americans/American Germans
German Turks 
German-born Players Capped by Other National Teams
Germany All-Time Team After Beckenbauer

Bavaria is the home of FC Bayern Munich, 1. FC Nuremberg, FC Augsburg and TSV 1860 München.  If there were an All-Time World Cup, Bavaria could create a team that is as good as any country in the world and this would be 23 players I would bring to the tournament. 

With an area of 70,550.19 square kilometres (27,200 sq mi), Bavaria is the largest German state by land area comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany. With 13 million inhabitants, it is Germany's second-most-populous state after North Rhine-Westphalia. Bavaria's main cities are Munich (its capital and largest city and also the third largest city in Germany), Nuremberg and Augsburg.

I have done many regional German teams:
-- Northern Germany/Norddeutschland (Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hamburg and Bremen).  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is also covered in Eastern German regional All-Time Team.
-- Western Germany/Westdeutschland without North Rhine-Westphalia (Hesse, the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate).
-- Eastern Germany (not only GDR players): Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and city of Berlin).  
-- I am not creating a team for Central Germany/Mitteldeutschland since the players from Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are well-covered on my Eastern German regional team, and I put Hesse on my Western Germany team.  For Southern Germany,  I have done an all-time team for Baden-Württemberg and this Bavarian team.
Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller

Team
GK: Sepp Maier (Metten)
Nicknamed "The cat from Anzing", Maier was considered one of the greatest goalkeeper ever in the 1970's. He had 95 caps for West Germany, winning the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup at home in 1974. For club football, he played his entire career with Bayern Munich. He also won three straight European Cups for Bayern Munich.  He was German Footballer of the Year: 1975, 1977, 1978.

Sepp Maier
GK: Hans Jakob  (Munich)
Jakob was the goalkeeper for Germany at World Cup Finals in 1934 and 1938.  Jakob was a member of the famous "Breslau Elf" that defeated Denmark 8–0 in 1937.  For his club career, He played over 1000 games as goalkeeper for SSV Jahn Regensburg, and also for FC Bayern Munich from 1942 to 1945.  He was also a track and field star.

GK: Raimond Aumann(Augsburg)
Aumann started his career was a backup to  Jean-Marie Pfaff at Bayern Munich.  In 1988, he became the starter after Pfaff left the club. In 1994, he played a season in Turkey for Beşiktaş J.K.  He had played 4 times for West Germany.  He went to Italia 1990 as the backup keeper as West Germany won its third World Cup.

RB:  Stefan Reuter (Dinkelsbühl)
Stefan Reuter played 69 times for Germany between 1987 and 1998.  He was Germany's Golden Generation in the 1990's that won the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996.  He played with FC Nürnberg, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. He won the Champions' League in 1996 with Borussia Dortmund.

RB/CB:  Markus Babbel (Munich)
Markus Babbel was capped 51 times, scoring one goal for Germany.  He was a part of the Euro 1996 winning team.  He played for Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers.  Babbel also played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the European Championship in 2000.

SW/CM: Franz Beckenbauer (Munich)
Franz Beckenbauer was one of the best ever player in history.  Known as Der Kaiser, he was credited with revolutionizing the sweeper position.  He was twice selected European Footballer of the Year. Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups, winning the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972.  At the club level, he won three straight European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He also played for Hamburger and NY Cosmos.

Franz Beckenbauer 
CB: Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck (Munich)
Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck was the center-back for both West Germany and Bayern Munich during the 1970's.  Between 1971 and 1978, he played 44 times for West Germany.  He won the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974.  He was a one club man for Bayern Munich, where he won three straight European Cup.

SW: Klaus Augenthaler (Fürstenzell)
Klaus Augenthaler played his entire career with with FC Bayern Munich. He won seven Bundesliga titles.  He was voted as one of greatest players in Bayern Munich's history.  For West Germany, he was the starting sweeper for West Germany as they won the Would Cup in 1990.  He also went to the World Cup Finals 4 years earlier in Mexico.

RB/LB/DM: Philipp Lahm (Munich)
Philipp Lahm was the captain of the 2014 World Cup winning team. He had 113 caps for Germany from 2004 to 2014.  He was included in the World Cup team of the tournament in 2006 and 2010.  For club football, he played his entire career with Bayern Munich, except for a two year loan spell with VfB Stuttgart. He also won the treble in 2013 when Bayern Munich won the Champions' League, the German Cup and the Bundesliga on the same year.  He is a member of Bayern Munich's Hall of Fame.
Philipp Lahm
LB/CM: Paul Breitner (Kolbermoor)
Breitner was the first player to score a goal at two different WC Final match.  From 1971 to 1982, he had 48 caps for West Germany. He won the European Championship in 1972 and then, a the World Cup in 1974. He spent most of his career with Bayern Muinch and went to play for Real Madrid in Spain.  During his club career, Breitner won seven National Championships with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as well as the German Cup (1971, 1982) and Spanish Cups (1975). 

DM/CB: Ludwig Goldbrunner (Munich)
Ludwig Goldbrunner went to the World Cup Finals in 1938 for Germany.  He became known in 1937 as one of the "Breslau-Elf" (Breslau Eleven) players, after they thrashed Denmark with an 8:0 score.  He spent his entire career with Bayern Munich, winning the German title in 1932.  He was considered to be one of Bayern's greatest players. 

DM: Dietmar Hamann (Waldsassen)
Throughout his career, Dietmar Hamann has played for Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Manchester City.  He played 59 times for Germany between 1997 and 2006, and represented his nation in two World Cups and two European Championships, reaching the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final. 
   
CM: Helmut Haller (Augsburg)
Haller was one of the best midfielders in the world in the 1960's.  In 1966, he helped West Germany to reach the World Cup Final in 1966, forming one of the best midfield of the tournament.  He also went to Chile in 1962 and Mexico in 1970.  He started with Augsburg.  He was also known for his stints in Italy, playing for Bologna and Juventus.

CM: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Kolbermoor)
Bastian Schweinsteiger was an important player for both club and country.  He was capped 121 times. He went to three European Championships and as many World Cups, including their victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Schweinsteiger is the youth product of Bayern Munich.  He won the 2013 Champions' league title with Bayern Munich. Late in his career, he played for Manchester United and Chicago Fire.

AM: Thomas Hitzlsperger (Munich)
Hitzlsperger started his career for Aston Villa in England, before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart, where he played between 2005 and 2010 and won the Bundesliga in 2007. He also played for Lazio, West Ham United, Wolfsburg and Everton. He earned 52 caps.  He appeared at the 2006 World Cup Finals and then, two years at the Euro 2008.  After his retirement, he came out as gay, the highest-profile male footballer to do so.

RW: Ernst Lehner (Augsburg)
Ernst Lehner played for Germany in the 1934 World Cup and the 1938 World Cup. In total, he made 65 appearances and scored 31 goals for the national team. Lehner was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8–0 in Breslau in 1937. His specialty was corner kicks; gaining a reputation for often trying (and succeeding) to convert them directly. 

CM: Bernd Schuster (Augsburg)
Schuster was the star of the Euro 1980 winning team, but disagreed with the German Football Association and seldom played for West Germany after the tournament.  He was a star at La Liga in the 1980's, playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. He was the first player to have won the Spanish Cup for the big three. He later played for Bayer Leverkusen.

CM: Lothar Matthaus (Erlangen)
Lothar Matthaus was known for captaining the West German team in winning the World Cup in 1990.  He was the European Player of the Year and the first ever World Player of the year in 1990. He played in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998), a record for an outfield player, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games). He also won the Euro 1980 in Italy, and played in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 European Championships.
Lothar Matthaus
AM: Felix Magath (Aschaffenburg)
Felix Magath was the son of an American GI and a German woman.  He played for Hamburger between 1976 and 1986, winning the European Cup in 1983. He was a part of the great West German national team of the 1980's, winning the Euro 1980.  He also played in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals. 82 and Mexico 1986. He had 43 caps between 1977 and 1986.

FW: Mario Gotze (Memmingen)
Mario Gotze scored the winning goal at the Final of the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil against Argentina.  He also played in Euro 2016.  At the time of writing, he has over 60 caps.  He started his career with Borussia Dortmund, where he played under manager Jurgen Klopp.  In 2013, he moved to Bayern Munich and became the most expensive German player ever.  He returned to Borussia Dortmund in 2016.

Mario Gotze
FW: Thomas Muller (Weilheim in Oberbayern)
Thomas Muller made his professional debut the season before the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa with Bayern Munich.   In South Africa, he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament.  Between the two World Cup Finals, Bayern Munich won one Champions' league and went to the Final two other times.  At Brazil 2014, he won Silver Boot by scoring 5 goals, but he faile to score at the World Cup Finals four years later in Russia.

ST: Karl-Heinz Riedle (Weiler-Simmerberg)
Riedle was a key member of the Die Mannschaft in the 1990's.  He won the World Cup  in 1990, and went to Euro 1992 and USA 1994.  He was known as the backup strikers to Jurgen Klinsmann and Rudi Voller.  His club career was best remembered playing for Lazio and Borussia Dortmund.  He won the Champions' League in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund. 

ST: Gerd Muller (Nördlingen)
"Der Bomber" was widely considered to be the greatest striker in history. He scored 68 goals in 62 matches for Die Mannschaft.   He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga appearance, mostly with Bayern Muinch.   He won three straight European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. At the international level, he played over 60 times for West Germany.  He won the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972. He was the European Player of the Year in 1970.  He also played in the NASL at the end of his career.

Gerd Muller

Honorable Mention
Holger Badstuber, Hans Pflügler, Lars Bender.

Squad Explanation
-- The criteria for selection is based upon the birth place of the players.
-- With Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier, Lother Matthaus, Philipp Lahm, Paul Breitner, Helmut Haller, etc, this team is as good as some of the best all-time teams in the world. 
-- Three players have won the Ballon d'Or.  They are Franz Beckenbauer, Lother Matthaus and Gerd Muller.
-- Gerd Muller and Thomas Muller were World Cup Golden Boot winners while Helmut Haller finished second in 1966.  The team also consisted of three of four German World Cup winning captains, namely Franz Beckenbauer(1974), Lother Matthaus (1990) and Philipp Lahm (2014).
-- Most players selected have played for Bayern Munich. Only six players never played for their senior team. They are Karl-Heinz Riedle, Felix Magath, Bernd Schuster, Helmut Haller, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Ernst Lehner.  Hitzlsperger played for their youth team.
-- Not all Bayern Munich's German greats were born in the region. For example, Karl Heinz Rummenigge was born in North Rhine-Westphalia. Toni Kroos who was born in East Germany spent his youth career with Bayern Munich.  
-- TSV 1860 München is not represented here.  Not a single player has played for them. FC Augsburg has a much stronger presence. Helmut Haller and Karl-Heinz Riedle played for them.
-- Fourteen of the players selected had won the World Cup for Germany.  Only 6 players did not win either a World Cup or an European Championship.
-- The backbone of the 1974 World Cup winning team came from the region.  Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Gerd Muller were important players while Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck contributed.  -- In 1990, Lothar Matthaus was the captain of the World Cup winning team.  Stefan Reuter and Klaus Augenthaler were on the starting lineup.  Karl-Heinz Riedle was an important player coming off the bench.
-- In 2014, Bavarian players again played a significant role.  Philipp Lahm was their captain while Bastian Schweinsteiger was a veteran player on the team. Thomas Muller was their top scorer. Mario Gotze scored the World Cup winning goal in the Final.  
-- The team has too many central midfielders. I have Bernd Schuster, Lother Matthaus, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Dietmar Hamann and Helmut Haller.  Ludwig Goldbrunner, Franz Beckenbauer and Paul Breitner also played there.
-- Franz Beckenbauer spent most of his national team career playing as a central midfielder.  He was a central midfielder in the World Cup Finals of 1966 and 1970.  West German manager Helmut Schön did not want to use him in the sweeper position. I have a blog post explaining his position here.  .

Formation