Borussia Dortmund Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Champions' League winner 1996

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

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund,
Borussia Mönchengladbach, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen,
Hamburger SV, Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, 
FC Koln, VfB Stuttgart, Wolfsburg.
Borussia Dortmund Foreign Players
Borussia Dortmund All-Time Greatest Team for German players

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Borussia Dortmund was founded in 1909 by eighteen football players from Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund have won eight German championships, three DFB-Pokals, five DFL-Supercups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and one Intercontinental Cup. Their Cup Winners' Cup win in 1966 made them the first German club to win a European title.

Since 1974, Dortmund have played their home games at Westfalenstadion, named after its home region of Westphalia. The stadium is the largest in Germany and Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any association football club in the world.

2011-2012 Bundesliga title

Team
GK: Stefan Klos  (Germany)
Born in Dortmund, Stefan Klos arrived at Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 1990 summer, from neighbouring TSC Eintracht Dortmund. He played over 300 matches there.  He was the starting keeper that won the Champions' league in 1996.  He joined Glasgow Rangers in 1998, where he stayed until 2007. He was one of the highest paid footballers in Europe, when he joined Rangers.  

GK: Hans Tilkowski (Germany)
Hans Tilkowski  played mainly for Westfalia Herne and Borussia Dortmund. With Borussia Dortmund, he won the Cup Winners' Cup.  For West Germany, he was a member of the World Cup teams of 1962 and 1966.  In 1966, Tilkowski was the No. 1 goalkeeper of the West German team which lost the World Cup Final against England. He was the German Player of the Year in 1965.

GK: Roman Weidenfeller (Germany)
Roman Weidenfeller moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2002 on a free transfer as a replacement for Jens Lehmann.  He won 2 Bundesliga title.  He received his first cap when he started against England at the Wembley Stadium on 19 November 2013, making him the oldest ever German goalkeeper débutant. He won the WC in 2014 as the backup keeper.

RB:  Stefan Reuter (Germany)
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: Łukasz Piszczek (Poland)
At time of writing, Łukasz Piszczek plays for the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a right back, where he joined 2010.  He had previously played for Hertha BSC and Zagłębie Lubin. He has been capped over 65 times by Poland at international level from his debut in 2007.  He was included in the nation's squads for three European Championships and the 2018 World Cup Finals.

CB: Jurgen Kohler (Germany)
Jurgen Kohler was regarded one of the best defenders in the 1990's.   He earned 105 caps for West Germany/Germany between 1986 and 1998.  He won the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996.  For his club career, he played with Koln, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.  He won the Champions' League in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund.  He was Footballer of the Year in Germany in 1997.

Jurgen Kohler

CB: Wolfgang Paul  (Germany)
Wolfgang Paul was the captain of Borussia Dortmund to the European Cup Winners Cup in 1966, Paul got included in Helmut Schön's West German squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.  Despite this, the defender never played a match for West Germany and had to retire early because of the effects an injury picked up in the late 1960s had to his game.

CB: Christian Worns (Germany)
Christian Worns started his career with Waldhof Mannheim but played the majority of his career with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund. He also had a short stint with Paris St Germain.  He was capped 66 times.  He went to Euro 1992 and 2004, and the 1998 World Cup Finals.  He was bypassed by German manager Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2006 World Cup Finals at home.

CB: Mats Hummels (Germany)
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 rejoined to Bayern Munich where he played until 2019.  For Germany, he had over 60 caps since 2010.  He was a part of the 2014 World Cup winning team, where he was voted into the team of tournament.

Mats Hummels

LB: Marcel Schmelzer (Germany)
Marcel Schmelzer started his professional career with Borussia Dortmund, making his first appearance on 9 August 2008.  He played for them between 2008 and 2022.  He was a one club man. He won two Bundesliga title and three German Cups.  In the 2010-2011 season, he was named on the Bundesliga Team of the Season. From 2010 to 2014, he was capped 18 times by Germany.  He was a member of Germany's European Championship team in 2012.

LB: Dede (Brazil)
Dede started with Clube Atlético Mineiro winning the 1997 Copa CONMEBOL before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 1998.  He spent 13 seasons there.  He helped the club to win the 2002 league and reached that year's UEFA Cup final.  From 2011 to 2014, Dedé  played for Turkish club Eskişehirspor.  He was only capped once for Brazil in 2004 in a friendly against Hungary.

DM: Sebastian Kehl (Germany)
Sebastian Kehl started his career with Hanover 96 and then, played for SC Freiburg before joining Borussia Dortmund in January, 2002.  He spent 14 seasons with the club and at one point, he served as their captain.  He was a part of their Bundesliga title winning team(2001–02, 2010–11, 2011–12).  He earned 31 caps for Germany. He was selected for both the 2002 and the 2006 World Cups, appearing once in 2002 and 4 times in the latter.

DM: Dieter Kurrat (Germany)
Kurt spent 9 seasons with Borussia Dortmund. Nicknamed "Hoppy", he became a club legend, winning the German Championship, the DFB Cup, in 1965 and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1966. He played over 600 matches for the club.  In 1974, he served briefly as a player-coach for the club on interim basis before joining SV Holzwickede.

DM/SW: Matthias Sammer (East Germany/Germany)
Born under East Germany, he started with Dynamo Dresden.  After unification, he played for Stuttgart and Inter Milan. With Borussia Dortmund, he won the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup in 1995, the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, and European Footballer of the Year in 1996, and the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup in 1997. With Germany as a player, Sammer won the UEFA Euro 1996. Sammer had with 74 total caps, 23 for East Germany and 51 for the unified side.

Matthias Sammer

DM/CM: Michael Zorc (Germany)
Born in Dortmund, Michael Zorc was a one club player.  He played 463 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund (a club record) between 1981 and 1998, also being for many years the team's captain. He also ranked, at one time, the club's second all-time top goalscorer, thanks in part to his excellent penalty-taking ability. He won the Champions' League in 1996.  He was capped 7 times between 1992 and 1993.

RW: Stan Libuda (Germany)
Libuda played for FC Schalke 04 from 1961 until 1976 with two interruptions: from 1965 until 1968 he played for Borussia Dortmund, and 1972–73 for RC Strasbourg.  He was a major factor in Borussia Dortmund's 1966 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup championship. He scored the final goal against Liverpool F.C. to earn a 2–1 extra time victory for Dortmund.  Capped 26 times, he was a part of the team that finished third in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. 

AM/FW: Siegfried Held (Germany)
During Siegfried Held's career, he played 442 games (72 goals) in the Bundesliga, for Borussia Dortmund, Offenbach and Bayer 05 Uerdingen. He scored a goal at the 1966  Cup Winners' Cup Final, in which Borussia Dortmund won it by beating Bill Shankly's Liverpool.  He also made 41 appearances for the West German national team.  He was a member of both 1966 and 1970 World Cup Finals. He did not play in the Final of Euro 1972 because he was needed to play for his club at the league promotion round. 

Siegfried Held

AM: Andreas Moeller (Germany)
Moeller played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus (1992–94), and Schalke 04. He won the UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1993, beating Borussia Dortmund 6–1 on aggregate, Moeller scoring one of the goals. He then won the Champions League with Dortmund in 1997, beating his former team, Juventus, 3–1.  With the national team, he was capped 85 times, winning the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96.  He also played for his country at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, as well as Euro 92. 

AM: Alfred Schmidt  (Germany)
Schmidt played as attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund from 1956 to 1968, winning the German Cup in 1965 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1966. In total, he played for Dortmund 276 times, scoring 67 times.  He was capped  25 times between 1957 and 1964 and was a member of the team that finished fourth at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden.

AM/LW: Marco Reus (Germany)
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

ST: Manni Burgsmüller (Germany) 
Burgsmüller played in two different spells for local Rot-Weiss Essen and Bayer Uerdingen alike. In 1976, Burgsmüller left Uerdingen for Borussia Dortmund, where he played until 1983.  He played for 1. FC Nürnberg and second level with Rot-Weiß Oberhausen before joining Werder Bremen in 1985 as a veteran player nearly 36 years old.  The club won the Bundesliga in 1988.  He was capped 3 times in 1977 and 1978.

ST:  Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
At the time of writing, Robert Lewandowski is Poland's all-time leading scorer.  He is known for his career with Borussia Dortmund, where he scored over 70 goals and reached the Champions' League Final in 2013.  After the 2013-2014 season, he moved to rival Bayern Munich under a controversial situation.  He was capped over 90 times. He played in Euro 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup Finals in 2018. 

ST: Stephane Chapuisat (Switzerland)
Stephane Chapuisat was selected by the Swiss FA as Switzerland's UEFA's Jubilee Golden Player.   He was also voted Swiss Footballer of the Year four times (1992, 1993, 1994 and 2001).  He played 103 times for Switzerland between 1989 and 2004.  He went to the 1994 WC Finals, Euro 1996 and Euro 2004. For his club career, he played notably for Borussia Dortmund between 1991 and 1999.  He won the Champions' league in 1997 and back-to-back Bundesliga in 1995 and 1996.

Stephane Chapuisat 

ST: Alfred Preissler (Germany)
Preissler is the all-time leading scorer for Borussia Dortmund. He played in the Dortmund team which won back-to-back German championships in 1956 and 1957.  Together with Alfred Kelbassa and Alfred Niepieklo, Preißler formed a famous  trio that was nickname "The Three Alfredos".  He played two matches for the then West Germany national football team in 1951 against Austria and the Republic of Ireland.

ST: Lothar Emmerich (Germany)
Lothar Emmerich won 5 caps for West Germany all in 1966, helping the national team to reach the Final of the World Cup Finals in 1966.  For his club career, he scored 115 goals in only 183 Bundesliga matches.  From 1960 to 1969, he played for Borussia Dortmund.  With them, he won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1966. He scored 14 goals (a record) during the competition (including 4 goals against defending champions West Ham United in the semi-finals). 

Lothar Emmerich

Honorable Mention
Bernhard Wessel (Germany), Heinrich Kwiatkowski (Germany), Eike Immel (Germany), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland), Wolfgang “Teddy” de Beer (Germany), Jens Lehmann (Germany), Rudi Assauer (Germany),  Christoph Metzelder (Germany), Max Michallek (Germany), Julio Cesar (Brazil), Günter Kutowski (Germany), Neven Subotić (Serbia), Thomas Helmer (Germany), Lothar Huber (Germany), Willi Burgsmüller (Germany), Martin Kree (Germany), Michael Schulz (Germany),  Theo Redder (Germany), Willi Neuberger (Germany, Sven Bender (Germany), Steffen Freund (Germany), İlkay Gündoğan (Germany), Kevin Großkreutz (Germany), Lars Ricken (Germany), Jorg Heinrich (Germany), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Sven Bender (Germany), Jürgen Schütz (Germany), Alfred Kelbassa (Germany), Alfred Niepieklo (Germany), Jan Koller (Czech Republic), Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic), Erling Haaland (Norway), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Mario Götze (Germany).

Squad Explanation
-- This team was reviewed in September, 2024.

-- The 1996-1997 Champions League title was Borussia Dortmund's greatest trophy.  The team actually dominated Bundesliga during that era, where they won back-to-back title. Matthias Sammer, Michael Zorc, Stefan Klos, Stefan Reuter,  Jurgen Kohler, Andreas Moeller and Stephane Chapuisat were from that era.  Many of them joined the club after playing in Italy.  In fact, when Borussia Dortmund played against Juventus in the Final, they field three ex-Juventus players, namely Jurgen Kohler, Andreas Moeller and Stefan Reuter.  Another ex-Juventus player Júlio César was injured that game.  Three more starters also played in Italy.
-- Borussia Dortmund also won the 1966 European Cup Winners Cup.  Dieter Kurrant, Hans Tilkowski, Lothar Emmerich, Alfred Schmidt, Stan Libuda, Sigfried Held and Wolfgang Paul played in the Final.  In the same year, however, the team surrendered a commanding position atop the Bundesliga by losing four of their last five league games and finishing second, three points behind champions 1860 München. Ironically, much of 1860 München's success came on the strength of the play of  Friedhelm Konietzka who left Dortmund the season before in 1965.  He was selected on honorable mention.

1966 European Cup Winners Cup

-- Łukasz Piszczek, Dede, Stephane Chapuisat and Robert Lewandowski are the only foreign players on my Borussia Dortmund All-Time team.  

-- In 2020, the Bundesliga official website released their selection of Borussia Dortmund's All-Time Best XI.  The players were Roman Weidenfeller, Łukasz Piszczek, Mat Hummels, Jurgen Kohler, Dede, Andy Moller, Michael Zorc, Matthias Sammer, Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Stephane Chapuisat.

-- The Bild magazine came out with their 50 greatest players from Borussia Dortmund as well as an All-Time Best XI in 2022.  Their Top 20 as followed: 10 Michael Zorc, 2) Robert Lewandowski, 3) Wolfgang Paul, 4) Lothar Emmerich, 5) Manni Burgsmüller, 6) Aki Schmidt, 7) Matthias Sammer, 8) Karl-Heinz Riedle, 9) Jürgen Kohler, 10) Sebastian Kehl, 11) Erling Haaland, 12) Norbert Dickel, 13) Stephane Chapuisat, 14) Andreas Moller, 15) Roman Weidenfeller, 16) Sigfried Held, 17) Marco Reus, 18) Adi Preißler, 19) Hans Tilkowski, 20) Lars Ricken, 21) Dede, 22) Mats Hummels, 23) Kevin Grosskreutz, 24) Julio Cesar, and 25) Marcel Schmelzer.  Meanwhile, their All-Time Best XI were as followed: Roman Weidenfeller, Dede, Jürgen Kohler, Michael Zorc, Sebastian Kehl, Matthias Sammer, Marco Reus, Lars Ricken, Lothar Emmerich, and Manni Burgsmüller.

-- The 90 Min.com also came up with their 25 greatest Borussia Dortmund players.  The Top 15 ranking was as followed: 1) Matthias Sammer, 2) Marcos Reus, 3) Jurgen Kohler, 4) Michael Zorc, 5) Adi Preißler, 6) Andreas Moller, 7) Mats Hummels, 8) Manni Burgsmüller, 9) Stefan Reuter, 10) Lars Ricken, 11) Roman Weidenfeller, 12) Karl-Heinz Rielder, 13) Robert Lewandowski, 14) Sebestian Kehl and 15) Dieter Kurrat, 16) Marcel Schmelzer, 17)  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 18) Lukasz Piszczek, 19) Alfred Schmidt, 20) Stephane Chapuisat, 21) Mario Gotze, 22) Stefan Klos, 23) Christian Worns, 24) Sigfried Held and 25) Seven Bender.

-- The sports program "The ran" on several German television channels assembled an All-Time Best XI for Borussia Dortmund. The lineup comprised Stefan Klos, Stefan Reuter, Mats Hummels, Jürgen Kohler, Dede, Michael Zorc, Matthias Sammer, Tomáš Rosický, Stéphane Chapuisat, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Manfred Burgsmüller.

Goalkeepers

-- Roman Weidenfeller was an unsung and loyal member of the team, , embodying the essence of the club. He never gained the recognition he deserved by the national team.  He finally earned his first cap in 2013, making him the oldest ever German goalkeeper debutant and was an unused sub at the 2014 World Cup Finals.  He might not be Borussia Dortmund's best ever goalkeeper, but due to his status as a symbol of the club, he was the only undisputed selection for this position.

-- My second choice would be Hans Tilkowski. Despite joining BVB later, he had significant successes with the club, including winning the DFB Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He was a key player in the 1966 World Cup final. He was the first BVB player to be named "Footballer of the Year" in Germany (1965).

Hans Tilkowski

-- The third choice went to Stefan Klos, who played a key role in helping Borussia Dortmund win the Champions League. He spent eight seasons with the club, but several other goalkeepers were in close contention as well.

-- Known for his heroics in the 1963 German championship finals, Bernhard Wessel played a crucial role in Borussia's history as a goalkeeper. Although a German champion with Borussia in the 1950s, Heinrich Kwiatkowski faced challenges in international matches, particularly in the World Cup. He conceded eight goals against Hungary, and in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, he let in six goals in the match for third place against France. Eike Immel made his Bundesliga debut in 1978 at the age of 17. He played his first international match as a 19-year-old in 1980 against the Netherlands, making him the youngest national goalkeeper of all time. Jens Lehmann won the Bundesliga title in the 2001-2002 season, making him a winner in Dortmund.  However, his career here was contentious.  Known for his controversial moments, he presently boasts the record for the highest number of red cards among Borussia Dortmund players, as well as the most red cards for a goalkeeper in the Bundesliga.  Gregor Kobel was nominated for Ballon D'or award after helping Borussia Dortmund to the Champions' League Final in 2024.

Defenders

-- When Jurgen Kohler arrived in 1995, he was already considered one of the best defenders in the world. During his time in Dortmund, Kohler helped lead the club to four major trophies.   Mats Hummels might have gone to Bayern Munich, but his legacy has not been tarnented over here.  He normally ranked among Borussia Dortmubd's greatest players.  Wolfgang Paul captained Borussia Dortmund in winning the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup.  The Bild ranked him as the club's third greatest footballer.

-- Then, I took Christian Wörns mainly over Julio Cesar and Max Michallek.  He spent 9 seasons with Borussia Dortmund, despite arriving here at the age of 27.  He was selected on the Bundesliga Team of the Year in 2002 as Borussia Dortmund won the league.

-- Julio Cesar was ranked by the Bild as their 24th greatest player and Max Michallek the 27th.  Julio Cesar helped Borussia Dortmund to win the 1996 Champions' League, but he did not play in the final against Juventus. Interestingly, he also played for Juventus alongside other ex-Juventus player Jurgen Kohler, Paulo Sousa, Stefan Reuter and Andreas Moller who played against their former club in the Final. Max Michallek, a renowned sweeper in the 1950s who occasionally served as a playmaker during attacks, did not receive a call-up to the national team. Although Coach Sepp Herberger had extended an invitation to him for a training session, the Dortmund player missed it due to his wife falling ill.  Günter Kutowski, Neven Subotic and Rudi Assauer were seriously considered.

-- Between 1992 and 2004, Stefan Reuter spent most of his playing career in Dortmund.  He was a top rightback of his time. Then, I took Łukasz Piszczek over Lothar Huber. He helped the club to reach the Final of 2013 Champions' League Final.  He was selected the starting rightback by Bundesliga on their Dortmund's All-Time Best XI.  Willi Burgsmüller who is not related to his namesake Manfred Burgsmüller played as the right defender in the old WM formation.  He also had played as a right winger, which him a suitable rightback in the modern game.  He made honorable mention.  Dieter Kurrat whom I selected as a defensive midfielder could also play as a rightback.

-- Fullback Dede has played more games for the club than any foreigner.  He was relatively unknown outside of Bundesliga because he only earned one cap for Brazil.  He was playing at the same time as Roberto Carlos. He is often listed on all-time Best XI for this club.  Marcel Schmelzer was one-club man with Borussia Dortmund.  He edged out Willi Neuberger.

Dede

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Matthias Sammer also played as a defensive midfielder.  He was, of course, the 1996 European Footballer of the Year. Michael Zorc at one point is the second all-time leading scorer for the club.  He held the all-time appearance record as well. He is also longest-serving captain in Borussia Dortmund's history. Dieter Kurrat was the first BVB player to play a farewell match in the Westfalenstadion.  He worked as a player-coach briefly in 1974.  His status with the club is strong.  

-- Choosing between Sebastian Kehl and İlkay Gündoğan for the final central midfielder position presents a challenging decision. Kehl's remarkable 14-season tenure in Dortmund earned him high ranks among the club's greatest players. On the other hand, Gündoğan played a crucial role as Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League Final in 2013. Given Gündoğan's more offensive-minded style compared to Kehl, he might be the preferred choice for the position. He could play as deep-lying playmaker, a box-to-box midfielder, or a traditional attacking number 10.  But Kehl was ranked much higher than him.

-- Jude Bellingham was not yet 20 years old when he left Borussia Dortmund, but he an impactful career being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for two out of his three seasons here, notably in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.  However, he does not carry enough merit to unseat the other advanced midfielders. Andreas Moller was constantly ranked as one of Borussia Dortmund's greatest players.  He was a key player as Dortmund won the 1996 Champions' League. Marco Reus, hailed as the club icon of the modern era, dedicated most of his career to this team, a testament to his loyalty. Despite being ranked 17th by Bild for his contributions, 90min.com recognizes him as the second greatest player in the club's history. Aki Schmidt won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1966.   I also probably would have taken İlkay Gündoğan over Bellingham.  He could play in a deeper role than the midfielders listed. I also had Siegfried Held.

Andreas Mueller

-- I found Mario Götze too similar of a player as Reus, but Reus was more iconic for this club.  Götze began his career on a high note, but his stint in Bayern Munich affected his reputation even through his career over there should not affect his selection here.  However, I do rank Reus as a better overall player than him.  Lars Ricken also started his career strongly. He, a one-club man and hometown hero, was widely regarded as one of this club's great player.  Despite ascending to the status of a club legend, his career ultimately fell short of its full potential. He scored one of the goals that beat Juventus in the 1997 Champions League Final, but he only made honorable mention.

-- Right winger Reinhard Libuda scored the winning goal against Liverpool in the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup Final.  His nickname was "Stan" because of Stanley Matthews. Marco Reus who also played on the left side is responsible for the wide left position.  Ideally, this team needed more wide players.

Forwards

-- The Bild magazine ranked Robert Lewandowski as Borussia Dortmund's second greatest ever player.  I did not consider Lewandowski's deflection to Bayern Munich as an issue. I took him over Pierre Aubameyang and Jan Koller.

-- Erling Haaland spent three seasons with the club.   It was only one less than Robert Lewandowski who was only a star player in 3 of his 4 seasons.  Having scored an impressive 86 goals in just 89 appearances, he boasts a scoring rate of nearly one goal per game, yielding a goal-scoring Ratio of approximately 0.9663.  Lewandowski's ratio was about 0.55.  So, Haaland had the stats to backup his claims on this team. Furthermore, he was playing as if he was the best player in the world during his time here.  He already was named Bundesliga Player of the Season once for the 2020-2021 season. The only flaw in his record lies in his lack of major trophies.  His sole German Cup win may not be substantial enough to solidify his position.  So, the candidacy of Haaland remains major uncertainty. I am also reluctant to replace other players to accommodate him,  even though his impressive statistics strongly support his qualifications.  

-- What sets Manfred Burgsmüller apart from the other strikers in this list is that he is Dortmund's top scorer in the Bundesliga. In total, Burgsmüller scored 135 goals for Dortmund in 224 appearances across all competitions. Lothar Emmerich was ranked their 4th greatest players by Bild.  His career was well-decorated with a Cup Winners' Cup, a German League and a Cup title.  Alfred Preissler is the all-time leading scorer for Borussia Dortmund.  Along with Alfred Kelbassa and Alfred Niepieklo, they were known three "Alfredos".  They won the first ever national title for Borussia Dortmund.

Manni Burgsmüller

-- Karl-Heinz Riedle won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, but he never scored in double digits in any of his seasons with Borussia Dortmund. However, he was ranked higher than his teammate Stéphane Chapuisat by both Bild and 90min.com. In fact, he was ranked very high. Despite this, I still chose Chapuisat over him. In his 228 Bundesliga appearances, he scored 106 goals. He was also the first foreign player in the history of the Bundesliga to score over 100 goals.  He also had a longer career here than Riedle who only spent 4 seasons, scoring only 36 goals in total.  Meanwhile, in comparison to Haaland, he may have a lower goal ratio, but his extensive and trophy-laden tenure at Dortmund places him ahead of Haaland.

-- Pierre Aubameyang was the Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2015–16, but I could only put him on honourable mention.  He did not win enough trophies while playing for the club.  

-- Friedhelm Konietzka was the last forward dropped.

Formations

My starting lineup included two younger players.  Hummels and Reus made the starting lineup ahead of Emmerich and Kurrat.  Summer moved to the midfield.