Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Borussia Dortmund All-Time Greatest Team for German players

Hummels and Reus
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Borussia Dortmund All-Time Team
Borussia Dortmund All-Time Foreigner Player Team

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the domestic players for Borussia Dortmund.  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.
Kohler and Sammer
Team
GK: Stefan Klos  
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 
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 
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 
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.  At the club level, he played with FC Nürnberg, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. His longest spell was with Borussia Dortmund, where he played over 300 matches. He won the Champions' League in 1996 with them.
Stefan Reuter 
SW/RB: Max Michallek
Nicknamed "the spider", Max Michallek started his career in the Oberliga West un the 1947-1948 season with Borussia Dortmund. He played with them until 1960. With them, he won the Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft twice, in 1956 and 1957. The 1956 edition was Borussia Dortmund's first ever victory at the tournament. He later coached the club in the 1970's.

CB: Jurgen Kohler 
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.

CB: Wolfgang Paul  
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 
Christian Worns started his career with Waldhof Mannheim but played the majority of his career with Bayer Leverkusen (1991-1998) and Borussia Dortmund (1999-2008). He also had a short stint with Paris St Germain(1998-1999).  He was capped 66 times between 1992 and 2005.  He went to Euro 1992 and 2004, and the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.  However, he was bypassed by German manager Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2006 World Cup Finals at home.
Christian Worns 
CB: Mats Hummels 
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 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.

LM/LB: Willi Neuberger 
Willi Neuberger played from 1966 until 1983 in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, Wuppertaler SV and Eintracht Frankfurt. With Eintracht he won the DFB-Pokal in 1975 and 1981 and UEFA Cup in 1980. With his 520 Bundesliga appearances he was the record player for a long time. Currently, he is eighth on the all time appearance list of the Bundesliga. He was capped twice.
Willi Neuberger 
LB: Marcel Schmelzer
Marcel Schmelzer started his professional career with Borussia Dortmund, making his first appearance on 9 August 2008.  At the time of writing, this is his only club and he is also their captain since 2016. From 2010 to 2014, he was capped 18 times by Germany.  He was a member of Germany's European Championship team in 2012.

DM: Dieter Kurrat 
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 
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.

DM: Sebastian Kehl
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.
Sebastian Kehl
CM: Michael Zorc 
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 
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. 

LB/LM: Jörg Heinrich
Heinrich joined amateur side Kickers Emden in 1990. In 1994, he left Kickers Emden for Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. In 1997, he also won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, playing all 90 minutes in their 3–1 victory over Juventus in the Final. In 1998, Heinrich moved to ACF Fiorentina before returning to Borussia Dortmund in 2000.  Capped 37 times.  He started at the WC Finals in France.

AM/FW: Siegfried Held 
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 
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  
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.  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
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
FW: Friedhelm Konietzka 
Started out as a coal-miner, Konietzka played a total of 100 Bundesliga matches for Borussia Dortmund and TSV 1860 Munich and scored 72 goals. On 24 August 1963, Konietzka scored the first goal in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund against Werder Bremen in the first minute (at 16:59 German time, as the game had started slightly earlier than scheduled). Capped 9 times.

ST: Manni Burgsmüller 
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.
Manni Burgsmüller 
ST: Alfred Preissler 
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 
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
Jens Lehmann, Christoph Metzelder, Steffen Freund, Lars Ricken, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Lothar Huber, Sven Bender, Frank Mill, Kevin Großkreutz, Mario Goetz.

Squad Explanation
-- Łukasz Piszczek, Dede, Stephane Chapuisat and Robert Lewandowski are the only foreign players on my Borussia Dortmund All-Time team.  So 21 players from the all-time team made it to this all-time team for German players.  So this team is not much different from the all-time team.
-- For this blog team, I only added Marcel Schmelzer, Jorg Heinrich, Max Michallek and Sebastian Kehl to this team.
-- 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 and Andreas Moeller were from that era. Eight of the starters against Juventus in the 1997 Final were Germans. Five of them had played in the Serie A before joining Borussia Dortmund.  Stefan Reuter, Jurgen Kohler and Andreas Moeller played for their opponent Juventus before.
-- I did not look for German forwards to replace Stephane Chapuisat and Robert Lewandowski.  Instead, I brought in Jorg Heinrich and Sebestian Kehl.
-- Max Michallek is the most famous defender not selected for the all-time team.  He is an important player for this team as he could also play rightback. He edged out Lothar Huber.
-- Goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski was a member of the 1966 World Cup team.
-- 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. 
-- I preferred an extra midfielder. Sven Bender edged out by Sebestian Kehl.  Kehl has spent 14 seasons with club although he was not always a starter. His service to the club is very important.
-- The original all-time team lacked a left-sided midfielder to backup Marco Reus. So I brought in Jorg Heinrich.
-- Michael Zorc at one point is the second all-time leading scorer for the club.  He held the all-time appearance record as well.
-- I wanted to mix the squad with some younger players.  Marco Reus is the club icon of the modern generation. Hummels is also important. His defection to Bayern Munich did not matter to my selection process.  Although in previous blog entry, I have eliminated players who deflected to a rival club.
-- Lars Ricken was one club man and was considered a great talent. While he became a club legend, his career was largely unfulfilled. He scored one of the goals that beat Juventus in the 1997 Champions League Final, but he only made honourable mention.
-- Karl-Heinz Riedle was the hero of the Champions' league final against Juventus.  Unfortunately, he came at the end of his caeer.  He did not make this team. 
-- Mario Götze and Kevin Großkreutz were added to honourable mention.  They were not on the same list on my all-time team.

Formation

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Borussia Dortmund All-Time Foreign Players All-Time

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

Rosicky, Koller, Dede and Amoroso 
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Borussia Dortmund All-Time Team
Borussia Dortmund All-Time Team for German Players

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Borussia Dortmund foreign players.  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. In 1996, Borussia Dortmund won the Champions League by beating the defending champion Juventus.
Pulistic and Aubameyang
Team
GK: Roman Bürki (Switzerland)
Bürki began his career in 2007 with the reserve squad of the BSC Young Boys. From 2014 to 2015, he played a season with SC Freiburg, but his team went down to 2.Bundesliga.  After that season, he joined Borussia Dortmund. He made 9 appearance for Switzerland at the time of writing. He represented them at 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.

GK: Guillaume Warmuz (France)
Guillaume Warmuz started with Marseilles in France, but gt his opportunities with Louhans-Cuiseaux FC in 1990.  From 1992 to 2002, he had a relatively successful career with FC Lens.  In 2003, he spent 6 months with Arsenal without playing a single game.  He joined Borussia Dortmund when Jen Lehmann went the other way. He later played for Monaco. 

GK: Mitchell Lagerak (Australia)
Langerak joined A-League club Melbourne Victory in 2007.  In 2010, he went to Borussia Dortmund, mainly as a backup keeper.  Later, he would play as a backup for VfB Stuttgart and Levante. At the time of writing, he plays in Japan. Since 2013, he played 8 times for Australia.  He went to the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.

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. Łukasz Piszczek 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. 
Łukasz Piszczek 
RB: Evanilson (Brazil) 
Evanílson started his senior career with América Futebol Clube (MG), joining Cruzeiro Esporte Clube for the 1999 season. In a complex move, he ended up with Borussia Dortmund, where he starred alongside Dede. However, injuries derailed the rest of his career.  He played for several clubs before he retired in 2013. At the international level, he played 13 times, mainly as a backup to Cafu.

CB: Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece)
Sokratis Papastathopoulos started his career with AEK Athens at home.  In 2008, he joined Genoa in Italy. He later played briefly for AC Milan and Werder Bremen.  From 2013 to 2018, he played for Borussia Dortmund. Then, he joined Arsenal. At the international level, he picked up over 80 caps.  He appeared in two World Cup Finals and a single European Championship.

CB/CM: Ned Zelic  (Australia)
Ned Zelic had a successful career playing in Bundesliga.  He started his career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.  Then, he moved to Queens Park Rangers as the club's record signing.  He failed to settle there. He later played in France and then, Germany again. Zelic was captain of the Australian team that competed and finished 4th at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

CB: Julio Cesar (Brazil)
Júlio César began his career in 1979 with Brazilian club Guarani. He moved to Europe in 1986, where he payed for many clubs.  His best spells were with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. In 1997, he helped Borussia Dortmund to win the Champions' League, beating Juventus in the Final.  He played for Brazil at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and won the Best Central Defender Award, being elected to the team of the tournament, but he also missed his penalty during the shootout loss to France.
Julio Cesar 
CB: Neven Subotić (Borussia Dortmund) 
Born in the former Yugoslavia, he moved to the US in 1999.  He joined 1.FSV Mainz 05 youth team making his first-team debut in the 2006–07 season. In 2008, he signed with Borussia Dortmund. From 2008 to 2016, he played for the club and was at one point considered the best defender in the Bundesliga. In 2017, he went to Koln.  Subotić played the youth team of the USA, but represented Serbia in the senior level. He earned 36 caps and went to the WC Finals in 2010.

LB: Dede (Brazil)
Dede started with Clube Atlético Mineiro winning the b1997 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/CM: Paul Lambert (Scotland)
With St Mirren, the 17-year old Lambert won his first senior winner's medal in the 1987 Scottish Cup Final. He is best remembered for helping Borussia Dortmund to win the 1997 Champions' League. He also played for Motherwell and Celtic in Scotland. From 1995 to 2003, he was capped 40 times for Scotland. He played in the 1998 World Cup Finals.

CM: Murdo MacLeod (Scotland)
MacLeod made his name with Dumbarton in the mid-1970s. From 1978 to 1987, he played for Celtic. His goal in 1979 against was awarded as the greatest ever Old Firm goal, in a vote by Celtic supporters in 2000. From 1987 to 1990, he played for Borussia Dortmund.  Later, he played for Hibernian. and Dumbarton. At the international level, he earned 20 caps and he did not receive his first cap until 1985 He played in the 1990 World Cup Finals.
Murdo MacLeod 
CM: Nuri Sahin (Turkey)
Born in Germany of Turkish ancestry. On 6 August 2005, at the age of 16 years and 334 days, Şahin set a record by becoming the youngest player to have played in the Bundesliga, and on 25 November of the same year became the youngest player to score a goal in the Bundesliga, scoring for Borussia Dortmund against 1. FC Nuremberg.  In 2011, he made a big time to Real Madrid.  He returned to Borussia Dortmund in 2013 after a loan deal with Liverpool.  He earned his first cap in 2005 and scored his first goal ironically against Germany.

RW/RM: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Poland)
Blaszczykowski started his career at Wisła Kraków establishing himself. In 2007, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where he spent the majority of his career, winning two Bundesliga titles. In 2016, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg. Since 2006, he was capped over a 100 times. He went to 2012 and 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup Finals. He won Polish Player of the Year twice.

RW/AM: Christian Pulisic (USA)
Since 2016, Pulisic has been a part of the US players' pool. He is the the youngest player to score for the United States in the modern era. In 2015, he joined Borussia Dortmund.  Then, in 2019, he moved to Chelsea. The transfer fees was the most expensive of all-time for an American. After making his senior debut with the club as a teenager, he had been a regular player for them.

FW/LW: Ewerthon (Brazil)
Ewerthon started his career with Corinthians, but hew as better known for his career with Borussia Dortmund between 2001 and 2005, reaching the UEFA Cup Final. From 2005 to 2011, he played for Real Zaragoza. After Zaragoza, he played for clubs in Germany, Spain Russia and Qatar. For Brazil, he  had 7 caps. He was selected for the Brazilian national team for the 2001 Copa América and the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, finishing as runner-up in the latter.
Ewerthon
AM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
Mkhitaryan began his senior career at local club Pyunik at age 17. After playing in Ukraine, he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2013, where he made his name.  Later, he played for Manchester United and now, with Arsenal. At the international level, he made 78 appearance for Armenia.  He is their team captain.

AM: Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic)
Tomas Rosicky was the star playmaker for the Czech Republic throughout the 2000s.  He has taken part in four UEFA European Championships as well as the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was Czech Footballer of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2006.  He started his career with Sparta Prague, and he had notable stints with Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.

AShinji Kagawa (Japan)
Shinji Kagawa began his professional career in his homeland with Cerezo Osaka before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2010. After two years with Dortmund, Kagawa signed for Manchester United on a four-year contract, but could not settle down in Old Trafford. Two years later, he returned to Dortmund, where again he was a star player. Since 2008, he has over 90 caps. He was a member of the 2014 World Cup team while controversially left off the 2010 team. He was Asian Player of the Year in 2012.
Shinji Kagawa 
AM: Marcel Răducanu (Romania)
Between 1976 and 1981, Marcel Răducanu played 21 games for Romanian national team.  After playing for Steaua Bucureşti in the 1970s,  Răducanu defected following a match in Dortmund, West Germany in 1981. He was sentenced to nearly six years in prison in his absence for his action.  From 1982 to 1988, he played for Borussia Dortmund. He also played for FC Zurich.

FW: Márcio Amoroso (Brazil)
Amoroso played for many clubs around the world. He was Serie A top scorer with Udinese in the 1998-1999 season. When he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2001, he broke the German transfer record. He was also Bundesliga Top scorer with Borussia Dortmund in the 2001–02 season.  With Sao Paulo, he won the Copa Libertadores in 2005 and then, the World Club Cup a few months later, where he finished as the top scorer. His international career was limited to 9 caps.  

FW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
He began his career at Milan, who loaned him to four French clubs before he joined Saint-Étienne permanently in 2011. After winning the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final, he joined Dortmund, where he has twice won the DFL-Supercup in 2013 and 2014. Despite playing once for France Under-21, Aubameyang made his international debut for Gabon in 2009, and has represented them at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2012 Olympics. He is the African Player of the Year of 2015.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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: Jan Koller (Czech Republic)
Jan Koller is best remembered for being the huge striker playing for the Czech Republic and Borussia Dortmund in the 2000s.  He began his career at Sparta Prague, then moved to Belgium with Lokeren and Anderlecht.  Between 2001 and 2006, he played for Borussia Dortmund. He also played for Monaco.  At the international level, he is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Czech Republic, with 55 goals in 91 appearances. He played in 2006 World Cup Finals and two other European Championship.

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

Honorable Mention
Wolfgang Feiersinger (Austria), Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria), Erdal Keser (Turkey), Andy Egli (Switzerland), Miroslav Stević (Serbia),  Nelson Valdez (Paraguay), Branko Rašović (Yugoslavia),  Flemming Povlsen (Denmark), Jadan Sancho (England), Erling Haaland (Norway), Christian Pulistic (England).

Squad Explanation
-- Łukasz Piszczek, Dede, Stephane Chapuisat and Robert Lewandowski are on my Borussia Dortmund All-Time team.  So I needed to add 21 foreign players to this team.
-- Roman Bürki (Switzerland) is the only foreign goalkeeper who started regularly.  Then I took Guillaume Warmuz and Mitchell Lagerak.  Both of them were backup keepers who spent some time at the club.  I also looked into Zlatan Alomerovic and Dennis Gentenaar.  Gentenaar lasted a single season while Alomerovic played zero game for Borussia Dortmund.  Marvin Hitz is too new.
-- Dede is the 5th appearance record holder for the club and the number one for foreign players.  He was often listed among the Best XI for this club.  He is on my all-time team. 
-- Most football fans probably knew about the careers of Neven Subotić and Julio Cesar over here.  Neven Subotić spent many seasons here while Julio Cesar won the Champions' League with the club in 1997.
-- Sokratis Papastathopoulos was the 4th centerback chosen. I took him over Wolfgang Feiersinger because he played more first-team games for Borussia Dortmund.
-- Paul Lambert (Scotland) only played a single season with the club.  However, he was a key player as they won the Champions' League in the 1996-1997 season. 
-- Paulo Sousa played with Paul Lambert in the 1997 Final. He also won the Champions' League the season before with Juventus.  However, his career in Borussia was plagued by injuries. He did not make this team.  
-- I do not really know much about their foreign players before the early 1990's. Branko Rašović (Yugoslavia) was the only name I came across during my research.  He played parts of his career in the lower division.  
-- Nuri Sahin was born in Germany and groomed by Brussia Dortmund. He was very "German". However, he was capped by Turkey, which made him a foreign player and eligible for this all-time team. İlkay Gündoğan also shared similar background, but he was capped by Germany.
-- Shinji Kagawa failed to succeed with Manchester United, but over here, he was among the best player in the Bundesliga.
-- I could not find space for Patrik Berger.  He only played a single season.  But his countrymen Tomas Rosicky and Jan Koller formed a partnership that is unforgotten for the fans of the club.
-- Márcio Amoroso was the Bundesliga's top scorer for 2001-2002 season, but injuries limited his career here.  Flemming Povlsen also suffered injuries that also limited his career.  I put them on honorable mention.
-- Christian Pulistic is young, but he has been playing liked Borussia's best player.  As of 2020, I might replace him with Jadon Sancho.  Erling Haaland (Norway) is among the best player in the world, but at the time of writing (July, 2021), he has only one and half season here.

Formnation


Tuesday, October 23, 2018

What if Germany sent this team to the 2002 World Cup

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

Germany 2002
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

This is my all-time team for an imaginary German team at the 2002 World Cup Finals. If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  

Hungary World Cup 1950
Sweden World Cup 1950
Austria-Hungary 1954
Angels with Dirty Faces with Di Stefano in the WC 1958
Scotland World Cup 1970
United Kingdom World Cup 1970
England World Cup 1974
United Kingdom World Cup1982
Catalonia World Cup 2010
USA World Cup 2010
If Ronaldo and Messi played for Australia in 2006
Brazil 1982 with Careca,etc
Ireland/Northern Ireland Combined Team 1986 World Cup
Yugoslavia World Cup 2018


The German national team reached the Final of the 2002 World Cup Finals in Japan/Korea before losing to Ronaldo's Brazil.  The result was considered to be remarkable, given that the period between 1998 and 2006 was considered to be the dark age for German football.  Germany suffered a 5-1 defeat by England at hime during the World Cup Qualifiers. They also did poorly in the European Championship of 2000 and 2004.  By 2005, the Germans were not optimistic about Germany's chance at the upcoming World Cup Finals, played at home.
Germany lost 1-5 to England at home
Was Germany really lucky to reach the 2002 Finals? Actually, Germany was unlucky to lose many players before the World Cup Finals.  Turkey who reached the semi-final fielded several German-born players.  Croatia also had several German-born players.  Meanwhile, Sebestian Deisler and Mehmet Scholl also suffered injuries before the Finals while the best German player of the generation Stefan Effenberg was not playing for the national team. 

What if they all played for Germany? In a "German" perfect world, Germany could actually field a much better team in 2002.

Players dropped from the original squad
Frank Baumann, Marko Rehmer, Lars Ricken, Gerald Asamoah, Sebestian Kehl, Jörg Böhme, Jens Jeremies.

Players Added
Robert Kovac (Croatia), Yıldıray Baştürk (Turkey), Ümit Davala (Turkey), Jens Nowotny (Injured), Sebestian Diesler (Injured), Mehmet Scholl(Injured ), Christian Worns (injured) and Stefan Effenberg (who refused to play for Germany).

Prediction
In the actual World Cup Finals, Germany were a seeded team and finished first in their Group.  An improved German team would not have helped them much in the bracket.  They would have played the same team in the knockoff stage.  This imaginary German national team won't make any difference until the Final.  Brazil with Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos might still be too strong for them. Furthermore, Ballack, Scholl, Effenberg and Baştürk played in the same position.  They could not play together.  

Team
GK: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich)
Kahn is one of the most successful German players in recent history.  For Bayern Munich, he won eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Cup in 1996, the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup, both achieved in 2001. For Germany, his heroic performance helped Germany to finish 2nd at Korea/Japan 2002.  He was the Gold Ball winner in that World Cup Finals.   
Oliver Kahn 
GK: Jens Lehmann  (Borussia Dortmund)
Jens Lehmann  was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and was selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning season. He also holds the UEFA Champions League record for the most consecutive clean sheets, having not conceded a goal in 10 matches whilst at Arsenal.

GK: Hans Jörg Butt  (Bayer Leverkusen)
Known for taking penalty kicks, Hans Jörg Butt scored 26 goals in the Bundesliga. He played for Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in his country.  During his career, Butt scored three times from the penalty spot against Juventus with three clubs. He had 4 caps.  He represented Germany as a backup keeper in both 2002 and 2010 World Cup Finals and Euro 2000. He made a single appearance in 2010.

RB/RW: Ümit Davala  (AC Milan) * new player
Born in Germany, Ümit Davala played mainly in Turkey before joining Galatasaray in 1996. He was a part of their UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup winning team in 2000.  He also had stints with both AC Milan and Inter Milan, but never played a single game for Inter Milan.  He was capped 41 times for Turkey between 1996 and 2004. He was on the squad of Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.

CB: Christian Worns  (Borussia Dortmund) * new player
Christian Worns started his career with Waldhof Mannheim but played the majority of his career with Bayer Leverkusen (1991-1998) and Borussia Dortmund (1999-2008). He also had a short stint with Paris St Germain(1998-1999).  He was capped 66 times between 1992 and 2005.  He went to Euro 1992 and 2004, and the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.  However, he was bypassed by German manager Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2006 World Cup Finals at home.

CB: Thomas Linke (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Linke was remembered as a hard-nosed tackler with tremendous heading ability.  He started his career in East Germany. He played in 13 Bundesliga seasons in representation of Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, totaling 340 games.  Having gained his first cap for Germany in his late 20's, Linke went on to represent the nation in the World Cup in 2002 and one European Championship in 2000. He had 43 caps from 1997 and 2004.
Thomas Linke
CB: Jens Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen) * new player
Jens Nowotny started with Karlsruher SC. He played in nearly 300 official games with Bayer Leverkusen in one full decade, helping them reach the 2002 Champions League final.  He also played for Dinamo Zagreb at the end of his career.  He went to Euro 2000 and 2004, but missed the World Cup Finals in 2002.  In 2006, he was a part of the World Cup team, playing at home.  He was capped 48 times in total.

CB: Carsten Ramelow (Bayer Leverkusen)
Known for his tough tackling and defensive positioning, Ramelow played professionally for Hertha BSC (1991-1995) and Bayer Leverkusen (1996 to 2008), during a 17 year career. For Germany, he played 46 times.  He represented the nation at the 2002 World Cup, where Germany reached the final against Brazil.  He was an unused sub at the European Championship in 2000. 

CB: Robert Kovac (Bayern Munich) * new player
Born in West Germany, Robert Kovac represented Croatia in two World Cup Finals: 2002 and 2006, and has also participated at two European Championships: 2004 and 2008. His brother Niko played with him on the national team as well as his club career.  He was the captain of the national team after his brother Niko retired.  He played a few of the biggest clubs in the world, notably with Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Juvnetus.  
Robert Kovac
LW: Christian Ziege (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Ziege started his playing career at Bayern Munich, where he won two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Cup before moving to A.C. Milan. He later played for Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He played 72 times for Germany, winning Euro 1996.  He attended all major tournaments during this period.

DM: Dietmar Hamann (Liverpool)
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/DM: Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
Frings was remembered for his career with his two stints with Werder Brenen, but also played for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Toronto FC.  He was capped 79 times.  He played in both 2002 and 2006 World Cup Finals as well as Euro 2008 and 2004. He was suspended for the semi-final of the World Cup Finals against Italy after he received a controversial ban after involving in a brawl against Argentina in the quarterfinal.
Torsten Frings 
RM/CM: Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen)
Nicknamed Schnix by fans and teammates, Schneider started out at his hometown club Carl Zeiss Jena and made a name for himself during his decade-long stint at Bayer Leverkusen. He earned the nickname "The White Brazilian" for his dribbling and passing skills as well as his accurate free kicks and corners.  Capped 81 times.  He was a key player at the WC Finals in 2006.

CM: Stefan Effenberg (Bayern Munich) * new player
Stefan Effenberg started his career with Borussia Moncehngladbach before moving to Bayern Munich in 1990 and then, in Fiorentina in 1992.  His most successful club career came during his second stint with Bayern Munich. He helped the club to reach the Final of the Champions' League twice, winning the one in 2001.  For Germany, he was only capped 35 times.  His career was cut short after the "giving a finger" incident during the World Cup Finals in 1994.   

CM: Yıldıray Baştürk (Bayer Leverkusen) * new player
Born in Germany of Turkish ancestry, Yıldıray Baştürk is best remembered for his most successful years at Bayer Leverkusen. In 2002, he was the playmaker of a great Leverkusen that finished second in the German league, the German Cup and the Champions League Final.  That same year, he led Turkey to the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea. He had 49 caps in total. He also played for Wattenscheid 09, VfL Bochum, Hertha BSC, VfB Stuttgart and English club Blackburn Rovers.
Yıldıray Baştürk 
RW: Sebestian Deisler (Hertha Berlin) * new player
Deisler once hailed as the future of German football at the turn of the millennium, but injuries and depression prevented him for fulfilling his promises. He started with Borussia Mönchengladbach and moved to Hertha Berlin in 1999.  In 2002, he joined Bayern Munich, but his career was derailed by injuries. He retired in 2007. At the international level, he played 35 times for Germany.  he played all three matches at Euro 2000.

LW: Marco Bode (Wender Bremen) 
Between 1989 and 2002 he was active in 379 games for Werder, in which he scored 101 goals, making him the record Bremen goal-scorer. Despite some offers by major European clubs such as Bayern Munich, he remained loyal to Werder Bremen, retiring somewhat early after the 2002 World Cup. Bode also won renown because he was a particularly fair and decent player who only was booked ten times in his entire Bundesliga career and never got sent off. 

AM/CM: Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen)
Born in East Germany, Michael Ballack was the best German player of his generation. first made his name with Bayer Leverkusen, helping them to the Final of the Champions' League in 2002. On the same summer, he helped Germany reaching the Final of Japan/Korea 2002.  He moved to Bayern Munich after the WC Finals.  he also played for Chelsea before his retirement.
Michael Ballack
AM: Mehmet Scholl (Bayern Munich) * new player
Mehmet Scholl was born in Germany of Turkish hertiage.  He started with Karlsruher, but spent almost hs entire career with Bayern Munich.  He won the Bundesliga title 8 times and the Champions' league n 2001.  He was the hero of the 1996 UEFA Cup win, scoring a goal each of the legs. Injuries has limited his career with the national team.  He never played in any of the World Cup Finals.

ST: Carsten Jancker  (Bayern Munich) 
Carsten Jancker played between 1993 and 2009 for various teams including FC Köln, Rapid Wien, FC Bayern Munich, Udinese Calcio, FC Kaiserslautern, Shanghai Shenhua F.C., and SV Mattersburg. Jancker's time at Bayern between 1996 and 2002 was the best period of his career, a spell which included four Bundesliga titles and victory in the 2001 UEFA Champions League. He was capped 33 times for Germany.
Carsten Jancker 
ST: Oliver Bierhoff (Monaco)
Biefhoff scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final. The goal defined his career. He played 70 times for Germany between 1996 and 2002.  He also played in Euro 2000, and both the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He was a later bloomer.  He was playing in Austria and Italy's Serie B until at the age 27 when he joined Udinese.  He would later star for AC Milan.

ST: Olivier Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen)
Born in Switzerland to a German father and an Italian mother, Neuville played club football in Switzerland and Spain until 1997.  In Germany, he played for Hansa Rostock, Bayer Lverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. At the international level, he played 69 times for Germany. He attended the World Cup Finals in 2002 and 2006 as well as the Euro 2008.

ST: Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern)
Miroslav Klose is best known for his performances with the German national team. He was part of the German squad that won the 2014 World Cup.  He is the top goalscorer in the history of the World Cup, having scored 16 goals. Klose is also the top scorer of all time for Germany. He spent most of his career playing in Germany, but played in Italy at the end of his career. He was born in Poland of German ethnicity. His father was capped by Poland.
Miroslav Klose 

Players considered
Ilhan Mansiz, Niko Kovac, Owen Hargreaves, Marko Rehmer, Christian Worns, Robert Prosinecki.

Squad Expaination
-- I dropped Frank Baumann, Marko Rehmer, Lars Ricken, Gerald Asamoah, Sebestian Kehl, Christoph Metzelder, Jörg Böhme and Jens Jeremies from the actual 2002 team.  Jeremies and Christoph Metzelder are the only players who had a big role in the real-life World Cup Finals.
-- I added the German-born Croat Robert Kovac and two German-born Turks, Yıldıray Baştürk and Ümit Davala.  They all played in the WC Finals.  I brought back four injured German stars Christian Worns, Jens Nowotny, Sebestian Diesler and Mehmet Scholl.  Stefan Effenberg also returned to the national team after 8 years. This is an imaginey scenario.  So anything can happen.
-- Stefan Effenberg left Bayern Munich in the summer of 2002.  He was no longer the same player.  He also had controversial relationship with the national team.  In a realistic situation, his return to Die Mannschaft could potentially be a dead weight. In the end, I took him for a dramatic effect.  Without his inclusion, my imaginary Germany would be less "juicy".
-- Both Christian Wörns and Jens Nowotny were injured.  They were not on my original team, but I edited the team in March, 2020 and added them onto the roster.   Who do I drop for them?
-- Carsten Ramelow and Thomas Linke featured frequently during the World Cup Qualifiers as much as Christian Wörns and Jens Nowotny.  I do not know Robert Kovac's form that season. Christoph Metzelder was a big discovery of the 2002 World Cup Finals.  He would win the Bravo Award for the best Under-23 player in Europe.  However, he was mainly with the Under-23 team during the World Cup Qualifiers.  If I looked at the perspective before the 2002 World Cup Finals, I would overlook him.  In the end, I opted to select the veterans over the youngster.
Carsten Ramelow and Thomas Linke
-- Germany lacked a natural righback during the World Cup Finals. Rudi Voller used Frings as a rightback in some of the matches.
Ümit Davala would have solved his problem.  He was a key player for Galatasaray's UEFA Cup winning team.  By 2002, he was an established player in Europe.
-- Yıldıray Baştürk was one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.  With this national team, he would be reunited with his club teammates Ballack, Neuville, Schneider, Ramelow and Butt.  
-- In real life, an injury prevented Mehmet Scholl from going the World Cup.  If he was not injured, he would be a key player.  The same applied to Sebestian Diesler who secured a transfer to Bayern Munich right before the Finals. Diesler was still considered to be the next big one in Germany.
-- Owen Hargreaves established himself at Bayern Munich and he was eligible to play for Germany.  However, he would have a stretch for this team.  The other non-German national team players selected here were all German-born.  Hargreaves was born in Canada.  In 2002, he went to the World Cup with England, where he was injured during the game against Argentina.
-- Robert Prosinecki returned to Croatia from Germany at age of 10. I doubt that he ever considered playing for Germany at any point in his life.  He never even played in the Bundesliga. However, unlike Hargreaves, he was still born in Germany. In 2002, Robert Prosinecki was at the end of his career.  He played well with Portsmouth the season before the World Cup Finals, but he was playing in the lower division and he had been playing outside the big 4 European leagues since 1997.  Even he played for Germany, I doubt that he would get a "recall".  He was actually on my original team, but I dropped him after a review in March, 2020.
-- Niko Kovac was with Bayern Munich, but he had difficulties getting minutes for the club.  His brother Robert, however, was starring for Bayern Munich.  So Robert made the team.
-- Ilhan Mansiz was the top scorer in the Turkish league in 2001-2002 season.  In the actual World Cup Finals, he scored a herotic goal against Senegal.  However, he never had any career in Germany. In another words, he was unknown outside of Turkey before the World Cup Finals.  I seriously doubted that he would be going to the Finals if he chose to play for Germany.
-- Cha-Du-Ri of South Korea was born in Germany while his father Cha Bum-Kun was playing in the Bundesliga.  His father was the manager of the South Korean national team at this World Cup Finals. He would have chosen South Korea.  Liked Hargreaves, he would be a stretch.
-- That season, Bayer Leverkusen reached the Final of the Champions' league.  Michael Ballack, Hans Jörg Butt, ,Oliver Neuville, Yıldıray Baştürk, Bernd Schneider, Jens Nowotny and Carsten Ramelow came from that club.

Formation
This formation is similar to the one used by Bayer Leverkusen against Real Madrid in the Champions' league Final, but I played Ballack out of position.  Deisler would take over Bernd Schneider's role.  Five new players made the starting lineup.  Mehmet Scholl would probably be an impact player as well.  Stefan Effenberg was not the same player in 2002.