Team
Kobel made his professional debut for TSG Hoffenheim in 2018. He played for VfB Stuttgart before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2022. In the 2023–24 Champions League, he played a crucial role in reaching the final with his club, becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to achieve this feat. He was eventually named in the Team of the Season in that competition. Since 2021, he played for 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.
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 ended his career with LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój. 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.
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| 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.
Felipe Santana was born in Sao Paulo. He played for Figueirense between 2006 and 2008 before joining Borussia Dortmund where he played between 2013 and 2018. He had a successful career in Dortmund although he was mainly a backup. He reached the Final of the 2013 Champions' League Final. He later played for Schalke 04, Kuban Krasnodar, Olympiacos, Atlético Mineiro and Chapecoense.
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.
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| 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 between 1993 and 1996 and Celtic between 1997 and 2005 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.
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| 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.
Jude Bellingham started with Birmingham City before he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2020 making him the most expensive 17 years old in history. In 2023, he won the Bundesliga Player of the Year. That summer, he moved to Real Madrid where he had a starring role. At 17 years, 136 days, he became England's third-youngest full international when he played against Republic of Ireland in 2020. He played in the 2022 World Cup Finals.
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.
Sancho signed his first senior contract with Borussia Dortmund in 2017 after a youth career with Manchester City. He spent 4 seasons in Germany where he was one of the best young player in the world. Sancho returned to England to sign for Manchester United in 2021. He later returned to Dortmund on loan, reaching the 2024 Champions League final. Sancho made his debut for the senior England team in 2018, later appearing at UEFA Euro 2020.
AM/WF: Shinji 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.
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| Shinji Kagawa |
Henrikh 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 Arsenal before moving to Italy where he played for AS Roma and Inter Milan. At the international level, he made 95 appearance for Armenia between 2007 and 2021.
AM: Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic)
Tomas Rosicky was the star playmaker for the Czech Republic throughout the 2000's. 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. In total, he earned 105 caps for his country. He started his career with Sparta Prague, and he had notable stints with Borussia Dortmund between 2001 and 2006 and Arsenal between 2006 and 2016.
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: 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.
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| 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.
Haaland started his career at his hometown club Bryne in 2016, and moved to Molde the following year. He then joined Red Bull Salzburg in 2019. At Salzburg, he won two Austrian Bundesliga titles and one Austrian Cup. In 2019, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where he is considered one of the best players in the world. He joined Manchester City in 2022. Since 2019, he has played for the senior national team. His father also played for Norway.
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.
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Stephane Chapuisat
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Honorable Mention
Marvin Hitz (Switzerland), Mitchell Lagerak (Australia), Wolfgang Feiersinger (Austria), Ned Zelic (Australia), Robert Kovac (Croatia), Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria), Erdal Keser (Turkey), Paulo Sousa (Portugal), Andy Egli (Switzerland), Miroslav Stević (Serbia), Nelson Valdez (Paraguay), Branko Rašović (Yugoslavia), Flemming Povlsen (Denmark), Jadan Sancho (England), Ousmane Dembele (France), Ewerthon (Brazil), Christian Pulistic (USA), Márcio Amoroso (Brazil).
Squad Explanation
-- I updated this team in September, 2024.
-- 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. -- 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. Four of them were foreigners. -- The Bild magazine came out with their 50 greatest players from Borussia Dortmund as well as an All-Time Best XI in 2022. The foreigners on the team were as followed: 2) Robert Lewandowski, 11) Erling Haaland, 13) Stephane Chapuisat, 21) Dede, 24) Julio Cesar, 29) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 30) Tomas Rosicky, 32) Jan Koller, 36) Ewerthon, 40) Lukasz Piszczek, 41) Jakub Błaszczykowski, 44) Lucas Barrios, 48) Neven Subotic, 49) Felipe Santana and 50) Marcel Răducanu. 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. Dede was the only foreigner on the lineup. -- The 90 Min.com also came up with their 25 greatest Borussia Dortmund players. The foreigners on the list were as followed: 13) Robert Lewandowski, 17) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 18) Lukasz Piszczek, 20) Stephane Chapuisat. -- 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. -- 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 Dortmund career in the lower division.
Goalkeepers
-- Gregor Kobel was nominated for Ballon D'or after helping Borussia Dortmund to reach the 2024 Champions' League Final. His performance earned him a spot in the Champions League Team of the Season for the 2023–24 campaign. At the time of writing, he has also been named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons, as well as the VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season for the same periods.
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| Gregor Kobel |
-- Roman Bürki (Switzerland) is the only other foreign goalkeeper who started regularly. Then I looked into Marvin Hitz, Guillaume Warmuz and Mitchell Lagerak. They were backup keepers who spent some time at the club. While Lagerak had the lengthiest career in Dortmund, Warmuz and Hitz had more extensive narratives or aspects to discuss regarding their time here. Warmuz competed with Roman Weidenfeller for the position of the top goalkeeper before eventually being surpassed. Hitz started as Borussia's goalkeeper in the 2019 DFL Supercup Final and emerged victorious. -- I also looked into Zlatan Alomerovic and Dennis Gentenaar. Gentenaar lasted a single season while Alomerovic played zero game for Borussia Dortmund.
Defenders
-- 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. Neven Subotić was a long time starting central defender for Borussia Dortmund. His partnership with Mats Hummels in central defense was one of the best in the Bundesliga at that time. The Bild magaizne chose Felipe Santana as their 49th greatest player for Borussia Dortmund. During much of his career, he played behind Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels, but he scored memorable goals for the club. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal in the "Miracle of Málaga," when Borussia Dortmund staged a comeback 3-2 win against Malaga. Sokratis Papastathopoulos was the 4th centerback chosen. While playing for Borussia Dortmund, he was honored with several awards, such as being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Year for the 2013–14 season and the Bundesliga Team of the Half-Season in 2016–17. He also received the title of Bundesliga Defender of the Half-Season in 2016–17 and was recognized as the Best Greek Player playing Abroad for the 2016–17 and 2018–19 seasons.
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| Neven Subotic |
-- Robert Kovac spent a season and half over here. It was during toward the end of his career.
-- Łukasz Piszczek 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. Evanílson had a steady career in Dortmund playing at the same time as Dede.
-- Dede is the 5th appearance record holder for the club and the number one for foreign players. 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 was often listed among the Best XI for this club. He is on my all-time team.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- 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. I took Sahin because he played in a deep role. In 2005, he became the youngest player to have played in the Bundesliga at the age of 16 years and 334 days.
-- Paul Lambert (Scotland) was a key player as they won the Champions' League in the 1996-1997 season. However, he only played a single season with the club. Ultimately, I chose to keep Lambert due to the significant impact his single season had. Although less renowned in Dortmund, his countryman Murdo MacLeod enjoyed a longer career here. I took him because the team needed more deep midfielders. 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.
-- 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.
-- Marcel Răducanu was recognized as Borussia Dortmund's 50th greatest player by Bild magazine. Despite playing a challenging era at BVB, he shone as the standout player on that team. Shinji Kagawa failed to succeed with Manchester United, but over here, he was among the best player in the Bundesliga. Tomas Rosicky and Jan Koller formed a partnership that is unforgotten for the fans of the club. Rosicky was named as one of the players on Borussia Dortmund's Best XI team by the sports program "The Ran." Henrikh Mkhitaryan was named the kicker Bundesliga Players' Player of the Season for the 2015–16 season. I could not find space for Patrik Berger. He only played a single season.
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| Marcel Răducanu |
-- Jakub Błaszczykowski was one of Jürgen Klopp's top players during his tenure here. The Bild ranked him as Borussia Dortmund's 41st greatest player. This team needed more wide attackers. During their time at Borussia Dortmund, both Ousmane Dembele and Jadon Sancho soared to fame, solidifying their statuses as world-class players. Dembele secured a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2016–17, whereas Sancho was featured in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2018–19 and 2019–20, along with the kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season for those respective years. Dembele's controversial departure overshadowed his contributions to the team. His inclusion to this team might not be well-received by the fans. I took Sancho because he spent 4 and a half season with the club. On his return loan season, he contributed to Borussia Dortmund reaching the Final of the Champions' League.-- I ranked Christian Pulistic and Ewerthon (Brazil) below Dembele and Sancho. In the end, I decided to use Shinji Kagawa as one of the 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.
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| Robert Lewandowski |
-- Pierre Aubameyang was the Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2015–16. Many people listed him as one of Borussia Dortmund's greatest players.-- 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. I took Jadon Sancho as the last player for the team ahead of Amoroso.
Formnation
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