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| Oliver Bierhoff and Matthaus Sammer |
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Germany
German-born Players Capped by Other National Teams
Germany All-Time Team After Beckenbauer
Germany All-Time Team before 1972
Bayern Munich All-Time Team
Bayern Munich All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Bayern Munich All-Time Team for German players.
Spain All-Time Team with Real Madrid and Barcelona Players
Spain All-Time Team with Real Madrid and Barcelona Players
Germany is the most successful European footballing country. They won the World Cup in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014. They finished second in 1966, 1982 and 1986. They also have the best record at the European Championship. They won the tournament a record 3 times in 1972, 1980 and 1996, and finished second in 1976 and 2008.
Bayern Munich is the most successful, German clubs. They won more European Cups and Bundesliga than any other German teams. They are known to buy the best players from their domestic rivals. As a result, some of the greatest ever German footballers have played for them.
This is my selection of a 23 member all-time German team without players from Bayern Munich. The number 23 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the World Cup Finals.
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| Guido Buchwald and Rudi Voller |
GK: Bert Trautmann
Trautmann was a former POW who decided to remain in England after the war. He signed for Manchester City in 1949, where he replaced the popular Frank Swift. He turned from the most hated player in England to a fan favourite. He was the hero of 1956 FA Cup winning team. In his prime, he was known as one of the best keeper in the world. He was credited for healing the German-British relations after the War.
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: Andreas Köpke
Köpke began his club career at Holstein Kiel in 1979, he retired at 1. FC Nürnberg at the end of the 2000–01 2. Bundesliga season. He also played at Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin, Charlottenburg and Olympique Marseille. He earned 59 caps for Germany, winning the Euro 1996 as the starting keeper. He also went to both 1990 and 1994 World Cup Finals. He was German Player of the Year in 1993. |
| Hans Tilkowski |
RB: Berti Vogts
Nicknamed “Der Terrier”, Vogts was one of the greatest rightback in German history. He won 5 Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Cups with the great Borussia Mönchengladbach of the 1970's. He had 95 caps, winning both the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championshipmin 1972. He famously marked Johan Cruyff out of the World Cup Final in 1974.
RB: Paul Janes
The DFB listed Paul Janes in the top 20 best German footballers of all time. He is known as one of the best fullback in the world before the War. He went to two World Cup Finals in 1934 and 1938. He was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8:0 in Breslau in 1937. Janes played 71 times for Germany. He held Germany's all-time cap record until it was broken in 1970. His longest club stint was with Fortuna Düsseldorf. He broke his foot after the restart of football after the War and had to retire.
SW: Matthias Sammer
With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer 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. He also played for Inter Milan and Dynamo Dresden. With Die Mannschaft as a player, Sammer won the UEFA Euro 1996, where he was named the tournament's best player, and was subsequently awarded the Ballon d'Or later that year. Sammer retired with 74 total caps, 23 for East Germany and 51 for the unified side.
CB: Karl-Heinz Forster
With West Germany, Karl-Heinz Forster earned 81 caps. He won the European Championship in 1980, and came 2nd at the World Cup in both 1982 and 1986. He was regarded one of the best defenders in the 1980's. He played with VFB Stuttgart between 1977 and 1986. and Marseille between 1986 and 1990. With Stuttgart, he won a Bundesliga in the 1983–84 season. He won two league titles in France.
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| Karl-Heinz Forster |
Willi Schulz was one of the best center-backs in the world during the 1960's. He played 66 times for West Germany. He was the starting sweeper in the 1966 World Cup Finals, where Franz Beckenbauer played in the midfield. He also went to the World Cup Finals 4 years later in Mexico, but was injured. He started Schalke 04 in 1960. From 1965 to 1973, he played for Hamburger SV.
CB/CM: Guido Buchwald
The best game of Buchwald's career was probably the final of the 1990 FIFA World Cup where he effectively marked the skilled footballer Diego Maradona, earning him the nickname "Diego". He was also part of Germany's disappointing 1994 FIFA World Cup squad and collected in his career 76 caps. he spent most of his career with Stuttgart, winning two league titles. At the end of his career, he played in Japan.
CB/LB: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
In his prime, Karl-Heinz Schnellingerwas considered one of the best leftbacks in the world. He participated in 4 World Cup Finals, unfortunaitely sandwiched between West Germany's two World Cup winning tournaments. He was remembered one of the first German footballer to star in Italy. He had a remarkable stint with AC Milan and As Roma. He won the European Cup in 1969 with AC Milan. He was awarded the (German Footballer of the Year) in 1962.
LB/CB/DM: Hans Peter Briegel
Briegel's original sport was Decathlon. From 1975 to 1984, he played with FC Kaiserslautern before he moved on to Hellas Verona in Italy, capturing the Serie A title in 1985. The same year Briegel was named German Footballer of the Year, being the first foreign-based winner. With West Germany, he won the European Championship in 1980. He played in the WC Finals of both 1982 and 1986.
CM: Bernd Schuster
Bernd Schuster was the star of West Germany's Euro 1980 winning team, but disagreed with the German Football Association and seldom played for West Germany after the tournament. He started with FC Koln in 1978. He was a star at La Liga in the 1980's, playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. He was the first player to have won the Spanish Cup for the big three in Spain. He later played for Bayer Leverkusen. |
| Bernd Schuster |
Horst Szymaniak was one of West Germany's greatest midfielders. He played 43 times for the national team. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1958 and 1962, but was omitted by Helmut Schön from his 1966 squad. He played for SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsruher SC, Calcio Catania, F.C. Internazionale Milano, A.S. Varese 1910, and Tasmania 1900 Berlin. He joined Inter Milan in 1962 at a time when Serie A clubs seldom signed German players.
CM: Fritz Szepan
Szepan is one of Germany's greatest midfielder. He played in both 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals. In 1938, Szepan was named captain of the "Unified Germany" team shortly after the Anschluss at the 1936 World Cup Finals. He was also the captain of the 1934 team. He played his entire career with Schalke 04 from 1925 and 1950. He was voted as the club's greatest ever player. He formed a famous a partnership with Ernst Kuzorra at the club.
Szepan is one of Germany's greatest midfielder. He played in both 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals. In 1938, Szepan was named captain of the "Unified Germany" team shortly after the Anschluss at the 1936 World Cup Finals. He was also the captain of the 1934 team. He played his entire career with Schalke 04 from 1925 and 1950. He was voted as the club's greatest ever player. He formed a famous a partnership with Ernst Kuzorra at the club.
RW: Helmut Rahn
Rahn was known as "Der Boss" (English: "The Boss") because of his on-field leadership and occasionally also as "The Cannon from Essen". He was considered one of the best ever German winger. His club career was associated with Rot-Weiss Essen. He was capped 40 times. He was a star of the 1954 World Cup team. He scored the winning goal in the final vs Hungary. This match is known in Germany as The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern). He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1958.
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| Helmut Rahn |
Littibarski was a major star in the 1980's. He had over 70 caps and played in three WC Finals with Germany reaching the Final all 3 times, winning his final World Cup in 1990. He spent most of his career with Koln. Littbarski spent most of his playing career at 1. FC Köln, winning the DFB-Pokal once, in 1983, and was three times runner up in the Bundesliga (1982, 1989 and 1990). He also played in France and Japan.
LW: Hans Schafer
He played for 1. FC Köln between 1948 and 1965. He also played for the West Germany, earning 39 caps and scoring 15 goals. He played in three World Cups, in 1954, 1958, and 1962, earning a winner's medal in 1954 and scoring a total of seven goals. Between 1957 and 1962, Schäfer captained Germany 16 times. He was German Player of the Year in 1963. He spent all of his career with Koln.
AM/FW: Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter was the captain of the 1954 World Cup winning team. His brother Ottar Walter was also on that team. He had over 60 caps and also went to the 1958 World Cup Finals. He was selected as the UEFA Golden Player for Germany at the 50th anniversary of UEFA in 2004. During the War, he captured as a POW and his life was spared because the guards recognised him as a famous footballer. He played his entire career with Kaiserslautern between 1937 and 1959.
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| Fritz Walter |
Wolfgang Overath was one of the best left midfielders in history, He won the 1974 World Cup, where he kept Gunter Netzer from the starting lineup. In total he won 81 caps for the national side between 1963 and 1974, scoring 17 goals. In addition to 1974 World Cup Finals, he also went to the 1966 and 1970 World Cup Finals. He spent all of his career with Koln.
CM: Gunther Netzer
Gunther Netzer was the star of the great Borussia Mönchengladbach of the 1970's. He won the European Championship in 1972 and then, the World Cup in 1974. His best performance, however, was in 1972, where he was the star at the quarterfinal against England. He later joined Real Madrid in 1973 and outperformed Johan Cruyff's Barcelona in the early 1970's in a period dominated by Real Madrid.
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| Gunter Netzer |
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: Rudi Völler
Völler started his career with TSV 1860 Hanau, before joining Werder Bremen in 1982. After becoming Bundesliga's top scorer, he was transferred to A.S. Roma. In 1992, Völler moved to Olympique Marseille, where he won the Champions League in 1993. He joined Bayer Leverkusen in 1994. He was capped 90 times. He was a key player as West Germany won the World Cup in 1990. He was known for his partnership with Jurgen Klinsmann.
ST: Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He played in 4 World Cup Finals (1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970), but sandwiched between Germany's two World Cup winning years(1954 and 1974). West Germany came second in 1966 and reached the semifinal in 1970 while playing next to Gerd Muller. However, he is still regarded one of Germany's greatest players. He spent his entire career with SV Hamburger.
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| Uwe Seeler |
Richard Hofmann, Helmut Haller, Mesut Özil, Horst Hrubesch, Klaus Fischer, Toni Turek, Ernst Lehner, Hans Schafer, Helmut Rahn, Max Morlock, Erich Juskowiak, Manfred Kaltz, Wolfgang Weber, Uli Stielike, Thomas Hassler, Andreas Möller, Felix Magath, Jurgen Grabowski, Reinhold Münzenberg, Ernst Kuzorra, Rainer Bonhof, Jupp Heynckes, Josef Posipal.
Squad Explanation
-- Since this is the "German National All-Time Team", only 23 players are selected.
-- We can compare this team with that of my Bayern Munich All-Time Team for German players.
-- Only ten players from my all-time German team never played for Bayern Munich. They are Willi Schulz, Berti Vogts, Karl-Heinz Forster, Matthias Sammer, Helmut Rahn, Pierre Littbarski, Hans Schäfer, Wolfgang Overath, Gunther Netzer, Fritz Walter and Uwe Seeler.
-- Bayern Munich did not become a powerful club team until the emerge of Franz Beckenbauer and the formation of professional football in Germany in the 1960's. I expect this team full of players before the 1970's. Germany's win over England as well as winning the European Championship in 1972 marked the beginning of the dominance of the German national team in Europe. Bert Trautmann, Hans Tilkowski, Paul Janes, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Fritz Walter, Horst Szymaniak, Fritz Szepan and Uwe Seeler made my Germany All-Time Team before 1972 blog team.
-- Bert Trautmann was not considered for my all-time German team due to the fact that he never played for Germany. However, I decided to select him here. Toni Turek was left off the team.
-- Borussia Mönchengladbach of the 1970's was a rival of Bayern Munich. Gunter Netzer and Berti Vogts were their star players.
-- East German players between the end of World War Two and the reunification in 1990 were not considered to the fact that they could not play for Bayern Muinch. Matthaus Sammer played for the reunified Germany after 1990. Jürgen Croy and Hans-Jurgen Dorner should make honorable mention if I considered East Germans.
-- People forgot that Toni Schumacher played for Bayern Munich for the 1991-1992 season.
-- Righback Manfred Kaltz is considered to be among the greatest rightback, but I have Bertie Vogts and Paul Janes ahead of him. On my Bayern Munich All-Time team, I have Philipp Lahm and Willy Sagnol (France) as my two rightbacks. In additional to Lahm, Herbert Erhardt is on my Bayern Munich All-Time Team for German players.
-- Wolfgang Weber and Uli Stielike lost out to Willi Schulz, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger and Matthaus Sammer. The players selected can also play in other positions.
-- Matthias Sammer becomes a porting director of Bayern Munich. I find it weird given that he played for Borussia Dortmund. Anyway, this has nothing to do with this blog.
-- I wanted to select Jurgen Grabowski. I always found him underrated. He could play in many positions, but his best position was probably right wing. But I already have Helmut Rahn and Pierre Littbarski.
-- Uwe Seeler is the obvious selection for striker. Then, I took Oliver Bierhoff and Rudi Voller over Richard Hofmann, Horst Hrubesch and Klaus Fischer
-- Of the modern players, Bernd Schuster and Oliver Bierhoff spent most of their prime playing outside Germany. Schuster played for the big three in Spain during the prime of his career.
-- Before I started this blog, I thought the big spending Italian club teams in the 1980's and 1990's kept the German players away from Bayern Munich. So I envisioned a large number of Italian-based players from that era on this team. Hans Peter Briegel and Rudi Voller, Matthias Sammer and Oliver Bierhodd are the only ones from that generation selected. Thomas Hassler and Andreas Möller are on my honorable mentions. Pierre Littbarski and Karl-Heinz Forster played in France while Bernd Schuster played in Spain.
--Fritz Walter, Gunther Netzer and Wolfgang Overath kept out Andy Moller, Thomas Hassler, Mesut Özil and Helmut Haller.
Formation
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