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.
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, Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund,
Borussia Mönchengladbach, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen,
Hamburger SV, Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen,
FC Koln, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt
The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. It is best known for its football department, but other departments include badminton, handball and athletics. Despite being backed by Volkswagen, the club was never a big spender in the transfer markets like some of Europe’s more affluent teams.
The men's professional football team play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, the DFB-Pokal in 2015 and the DFL-Supercup in 2015.
Professional football is run by the spin-off organization VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.Since 2002, Wolfsburg's stadium is the Volkswagen Arena.
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| DFB-Pokal 2015 |
GK: Diego Benaglio (Switzerland)
Diego Benaglio spent most of his professional career with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in Germany's top flight, the Bundesliga, winning the 2009 league championship and appearing in almost 300 competitive matches with the latter club. He also played three years in Portugal earlier in his career, with Nacional. Benaglio earned 61 caps for Switzerland, representing the nation in three World Cups and Euro 2008.
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| Diego Benaglio |
Claus Reitmaier played for many clubs before he made it to the Bundesliga with Stuttgarter Kickers. He moved to Karlsruher SC in 1994 as the successor to Oliver Kahn, where he became their regular goalkeeper. With the KSC, he reached the final of the DFB-Pokal 1995/96. From 1998 to 2003, he played with Wolfsburg. At one point, he was their appearance record holder.
GK: Simon Jentzsch (Germany)
Jentzsch began his professional career at KFC Uerdingen (then named Bayer), moving in July 1995 to Karlsruher SC. He played with TSV Munich 1860. From 2003 to 2009, he played with Wolfsburg. Then, he played with Augsburg. A German under-21 international, Jentzsch received one callup to the senior side, but never made his official debut.
RB: Vieirinha (Portugal)
Vieirinha started playing for Porto in 2006, but spent most of his professional career with PAOK and Wolfsburg. With the second club, for whom he appeared in over 200 competitive matches, he won the 2018–19 Super League Greece and three Greek Cups. Vieirinha made his debut with Portugal in 2013, and was part of the squads at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, winning the latter tournament. He had 25 caps.
RB: Sascha Riether (Germany)
Riether broke through with SC Freiburg where he played from 2002 and 2007. Then, he played for Wolfsburg between 2007 and 2011. With Wolfsburg, he won the Bundesliga in the 2008-2009 season. He also played FC Köln, Fulham and Schalke 04. He was Fulham Players' Player of the Year: 2012–13. In 2010, he played twice for Germany.
Barzagli
first made his name with Palermo. Later, he moved to Wolvesburg. He
was a later bloomer. In 2011, he joined Antonio Conte's Juventus. He finally established himself as one of the best in the world. He played 73 times for Italy between 2004 and 2017. He was a member of the 2016 World Cup winning team. He also went to the 2014 World Cup and three European Championships (2008, 2012, and 2016),
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| Andrea Barzagli |
CB: Alexander Madlung (Germany)
Madlung started his career at Hertha BSC before moving to VfL Wolfsburg in 2006. He stayed there until 2014. In 2014, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt In late 2015, he joined 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf valid until 2017. His career ended in 2017 and overall he played nearly 320 matches in the first and second division of the German league pyramid. He had two senior caps with Germany.
CB: Naldo (Brazil)
Naldo began his football career with RS Futebol and Juventude in Brazil. He moved to Germany in 2005. He played with Werder Bremen form 2005 to 2012. He then played for Wolfsburg and Schalke 04. For Brazil, he had 4 caps, but was called up numerous times. He was a part of the team that won the Copa America in 2007, but did not play in the tournament.
Naldo began his football career with RS Futebol and Juventude in Brazil. He moved to Germany in 2005. He played with Werder Bremen form 2005 to 2012. He then played for Wolfsburg and Schalke 04. For Brazil, he had 4 caps, but was called up numerous times. He was a part of the team that won the Copa America in 2007, but did not play in the tournament.
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| Naldo |
Knoche is a product of VfL Wolfsburg's youth academy. He made his senior first team debut in 2011 and was part of the squad that won the 2015 DFB-Pokal Final against Borussia Dortmund and the 2015 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich. During the final relegation game of the 2018 Bundesliga season against Holstein Kiel, he scored a late header in the 75th minute off of a corner kick to secure Wolfsburg's hopes of staying in the Bundesliga.
LB: Ricardo Rodriguez (Switzerland)
Rodríguez began his career at FC Zürich in 2010. He was sold to VfL Wolfsburg in 2012 for £7.5 million. He played 184 games across all competitions for Wolfsburg, scoring 22 goals and winning the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2015. In 2017, he signed for Milan. Since 2011, he has earned over eighty caps for the country. He went to the World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and the European Championship in 2016 and 2020. In 2014, he was voted Swiss Footballer of the Year.
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| Ricardo Rodriguez |
LB/LWB: Marcel Schafer (Germany)
Marcel Schäfer made his debut in the Bundesliga with TSV Munich in 2003, but he spent majority of his career there in the lower division. Between 2007 and 2017, he played for Wolfsburg. He was a part of their Bundesliga winning team in 2009 as well as winning the 2015 DFB-Pokal. He later played with Tampa bay Rowdies. From 2008 to 2010, he played 8 times for Germany.
DM: Josué (Brazil)
Josué started his career in Goiás before moving on to São Paulo in 2005. He won the Brazilian League, Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup during his stint at São Paulo. He then joined VfL Wolfsburg in , and captained the team who won the 2008–09 Bundesliga, their first league title. In 2013 , he transferred to Atlético Mineiro. He played 28 times for Brazil. He was also part of the Brazil squad which won the 2007 Copa América.
DM: Miroslav Karhan (Slovakia)
Karhan made 107 appearances for Slovakia and is the most capped Slovak footballer of all time. He was a key player side during the country's qualification for the 2010 World Cup for the first time in its history, but missed the Finals through an injury. He began his career with local club Spartak Trnava. Via Betis and Beşiktaş he moved to VfL Wolfsburg in 2001. He joined relegated Mainz 05 from VfL Wolfsburg in 2007. He returned to Spartak Trnava in 2011 from Mainz 05.
Karhan made 107 appearances for Slovakia and is the most capped Slovak footballer of all time. He was a key player side during the country's qualification for the 2010 World Cup for the first time in its history, but missed the Finals through an injury. He began his career with local club Spartak Trnava. Via Betis and Beşiktaş he moved to VfL Wolfsburg in 2001. He joined relegated Mainz 05 from VfL Wolfsburg in 2007. He returned to Spartak Trnava in 2011 from Mainz 05.
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| Miroslav Karhan |
DM/LB: Luiz Gustavo (Brazil)
Luiz Gustavo started his career at Corinthians Alagoano. In 2008, Hoffenheim signed Luiz Gustavo. Then, he played 3 seasons with Bayern Munich, where he won the Champions League. With Wolfsburg, he won the 2015 DFB-Pokal. He also played three seasons with Marseille. He was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year. He also played for Fenerbahçe. He played 41 times for Brazil. He played all but one game at the 2014 World Cup Finals.
Maximilan Arnold made his senior debut with Die Wolfe in 2011 as a 17 years old. At the time of writing, he is a one club man. In 2015, he helped Wolfsburg to win the DFB Pokal by beating Borussia Dortmund in the Final. In 2017, he captained the U-21 side to win the 2017 European Under-21 Championship. He earned a spot in the team of the tournament. In 2014, he made his senior national debut in a match against Poland.
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| Maximilian Arnold |
AM: Zvjezdan Misimovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Zvjezdan Misimovic played for Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, Galatasaray and Dynamo Moscow as an attacking midfielder. Misimović played for Yugoslavai at the youth level. He is the second most capped player in the history of the Bosnia and Herzegovina, capped 84 times. Furthermore, his 25 international goals makes him his country's second top-goalscorer. He played at the WC Finals in 2014.
AM/CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Kevin De
Bruyne began his professional career at Genk in 2008. After an unsuccessful spell with
Chelsea, he joined Wolfsburg. He was named the Footballer of the Year in Germany while playing
with them. In 2015, he joined Manchester City for a club record £54
million. Since 2010, he has played over 80 caps for Belgium. He helped Belgium to reach the semi-final at the 2018 World Cup Finals.
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| Kevin De Bruyne |
Dejagah made his professional debut for Hertha BSC in the 2004–05 Bundesliga season. In 2007, he joined VfL Wolfsburg, winning the Bundesliga in the 2008–09 season. In 2012, he joined Premier League side Fulham. Al-Arabi, Nottingham Forest and Tractor. He was played youth international for Germany, winning the 2009 European U21 Championship. Since 2012, he played for Iran.
LW/RW/AM: Julian Draxler (Germany)
Draxler made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke 04 aged 17 in 2011. Then, he played for VfL Wolfsburg from 2015 to 2017. In January 2017, he joined PSG. He earned his first cap with Germany in 2012. He was a member of their 2014 World Cup winning team. He also went to the World Cup in 2018 and Euro 2016. He was the captain of the 2017 Confederations Cup winning team. He was awarded the Golden Ball as best player of the tournament
FW/RW/LW: Ivan Perišić (Croatia)
Ivan Perisic is a product of the Hajduk Split and Sochaux youth academies, he played for Club Brugge, where was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. He later played for Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg before joining Inter Milan in 2015. For Croatia, he had over 70 caps. He was a part of the team that finished second in the 2018 World Cups. He also played in Euro 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup Finals of 2014.
Ivan Perisic is a product of the Hajduk Split and Sochaux youth academies, he played for Club Brugge, where was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. He later played for Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg before joining Inter Milan in 2015. For Croatia, he had over 70 caps. He was a part of the team that finished second in the 2018 World Cups. He also played in Euro 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup Finals of 2014.
LW: Martin Petrov (Bulgaria)
Martin Petrov was the 2006 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year. He was with CSKA Sofia when he moved to Switzerland. He went on to play in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premiership. His longest stint was with Wolfsburg. His international career started badly. He was sent off for a second yellow card just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute. Nevertheless, he went on to capture 90 caps for Bulgaria, playing at European Championship in 2004.
Martin Petrov was the 2006 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year. He was with CSKA Sofia when he moved to Switzerland. He went on to play in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premiership. His longest stint was with Wolfsburg. His international career started badly. He was sent off for a second yellow card just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute. Nevertheless, he went on to capture 90 caps for Bulgaria, playing at European Championship in 2004.
ST: Wout Weghorst (Netherlands)
Wout Weghorst never broke through Williem II. Instead, he made his debut for Eerste Divisie club FC Emmen in 2012. Then, he played for Heracles Almelo before joining AZ in 2016. In 2018, he joined Wolfsburg in Germany. He made his senior debut with the national team in 2018 against England. In 2021, he was selected for the Dutch national team at Euro 2021. He scored a goal in the first group against Ukraine.
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| Wout Weghorst |
Diego Klimowicz started his career at Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba in the Primera B Nacional. He played for Rayo Vallecano and Valladolid before moving to Wolfsburg in 2001. Then, he played for Borussia Dortmund and Bochum. He considered to play for Poland or Ukraine. His brother javier played for Ecuador while his son represented Germany at the youth level.
ST: Grafite (Brazil)
Grafite played for many clubs around the world. In 2005, Grafite won the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Championship with São Paulo FC. With German club VfL Wolfsburg he won the 2008–09 Bundesliga, and was the league's top scorer as well as Germany's Player of the Year. He was capped 4 times for Brazil. He was a member of the 2010 World Cup team.
ST: Edin Džeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Edin Dzeko is probably the most famous player for Bosnia and Herzegovina not from the era under Yugoslavia. He has played over 80 times for his country and scored 52 goals since 2007, becoming the highest Bosnia and Herzegovina goalscorer of all time. He led Bosnia and Herzegovina to qualify for the World Cup in 2014. He had a great career with Wolfsburg and moved to Manchester City in 2011. At the time of writing, he plays for Roma, helping the club to reach the semifinal of the Champions' League in 2018.
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| Edin Džeko |
Julian Draxler (Germany), André Schürrle (Germany), Maik Franz (Germany), Bas Dost (Netherlands), Charles Akonnor, Claudio Reyna (USA), Patrick Weiser (Germany), Hans Sarpei (Ghana), Olaf Ansorge (Germany), Holger Ballwanz (Germany), Detlev Dammeier (Germany), Andrzej Juskowiak (Poland), Krzysztof Nowak (Poland), Hans-Heinrich Pahl (Germany), Roy Präger (Germany), Siegfried Reich (Germany), , Mario Mandžukić (Croatia), Makoto Hasebe (Japan), Andrés D'Alessandro (Argentina), Diego (Brazil), Tomislav Marić (Croatia), Ivica Olic (Croatia), Uwe Zimmermann (Germany), Christian Gentner (Germany).
Squad Explanation
-- Wolfsburg did not become a regular in the Bundesliga until after the 1990's. Some of my teams selected players who played for their respective team while they were in the lower division. For Wolfsburg, I could not find any suitable candidates before the 1990's. Goalkeeper Claus Reitmaier was the only player who played for the club before the Millennium.
-- Before the 2008-09 season, their biggest achievement was being the runners-up in the DFB-Pokal in 1995. So their 2008-2009 Bundesliga title was a surprise victory for Die Wölfe. Diego Benaglio, Sascha Riether, Marcel Schäfer, Alexander Madlung, Andrea Barzagli, Christian Gentner, Josué, Zvjezdan Misimovic, Ashkan Dejagah, Edin Džeko and Grafite made this team.
-- In their Bundesliga title-winning season, Edin Džeko and Grafite combined to score 54 league goals. They were the most prolific strike partnership ever to grace the Bundesliga. They scored one more goal than the previous record holders Bayern Munich's Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeneß from the 1971-72 season.
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| Džeko and Grafite the record breaking duo |
-- Wolfsburg won the DFB-Pokal in 2015. Diego Benaglio, Vieirinha, Naldo, Marcel Schäfer, Ricardo Rodríguez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ivan Perišić and Luiz Gustavo made this team. Bas Dost just missed out (see below).
-- Sixteen players played from the two title winning team. Nobody was selected into my Northern German/Norddeutschland All-Time Team.
-- Wolfgang Wolf coached Wolfsburg from 1998 to 2003. He was known for his "special" name.
-- Diego Benaglio is Wolfsburg's all-time appearance leader. He helped the club to win the 2008-2009 Bundesliga and the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal. Claus Reitmaier was also a long time keeper with the club. I might take Uwe Zimmermann instead of the other two. He played in the lower division, but he helped the club to reach the DFB-Pokal Final.
-- Cristian Zaccardo and Andrea Barzagli joined Wolfsburg together. Zaccardo was often injured while here. He does not make honorable mention while Barzagli was one of Wolfsburg's key player as they won the Bundesliga.
-- Alexander Madlung earned two caps while playing for Wolfsburg. CB Robin Knoche is the 4th appearance leader. I took them over Maik Franz.
-- At his peak, Ricardo Rodriguez was the best leftback in the Bundesliga. Marcel Schafer was a long time member of the squad. Patrick Weiser was behind them on the leftback position. On the right, Sascha Riether was capped by Germany while playing for Die Wolfe. Vieirinha played for Portugal as they won the Euro 2016.
--
Kevin De Bruyne only played one full season here, but he won the
Bundesliga Player of the Year for the 2014–15 season and the German
Footballer of the Year in 2015. He brought the DFB-Pokal to the club,
Wolfsburg's second biggest trophy at the moment. He was sold to
Manchester City for a reported Bundesliga record fee of €75 million.
-- Josué captained the Bundesliga winning team. He was one of the best players in that campaign. Miroslav Karhan (Slovakia) spent a long career here. Luiz Gustavo scored four times in five matches as Wolfsburg won the DFB-Pokal.
-- Josué captained the Bundesliga winning team. He was one of the best players in that campaign. Miroslav Karhan (Slovakia) spent a long career here. Luiz Gustavo scored four times in five matches as Wolfsburg won the DFB-Pokal.
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| Josué |
-- The team has too many midfielders. So I have no room for Christian Gentner (Germany), Krzysztof Nowak (Poland) or Makoto Hasebe (Japan). Krzysztof Nowak died young. In 2002, he began a foundation
to help find a cure for MND (he died from this illness). The ALS Ice
Bucket Challenge brought the foundation in Germany much attention, since
many Germans who participated in it, donated the money to the
foundation. Christian Gentner was called up by Germany while with the club. Instead I went after an extra wide player.
-- Diego was a record transfer from Juventus. His career here, however, was better known for his conflict with manager Felix Magath. Nevertheless, he did have some great moments. He is on honorable mention.
-- Andrés D'Alessandro was a big name signing. In Argentina, he was hyped as one of the new "Maradonas". He played well in his first season, but he did not play much in his last two seasons.
-- Ashkan Dejagah and Zvjezdan Misimovic were born in Germany, but opted to play for other national teams.
-- Martin Petrov was a top left winger here. He was a more obvious choices than the other players mentioned. Ashkan Dejagah's name was often mentioned as one of their all-timers. Furthermore, he is a natural right winger. The others in consideration normally played on the left.
-- Except from injuries, Ivan Perišić was a key player for most of his career here. He was mainly a left winger, but he also played on the right. I was choosing between Draxler and him. I selected him because he stayed here longer than Draxler.
-- The last spot was between Julian Draxler and André Schürrle. Both of them were Wolfsburg's two most expensive purchases. They were big name signings when they joined the club. Both only spent a season and half here. Julian Draxler used the club as a springboard to move to a bigger club. He was booed by the fans in his second season here because of his desire to leave the club after a year. However, I do not need another forward. I chose him over Schürrle because he was a winger (left wing normally but could play on the right).
-- Mario Mandžukić was a young player here. He made a name while playing for the club. He made honorable mention.
-- Wout Weghorst only joined the club in 2018, but he is already the 4th all-time leading scorer as of 2021. He edged out Bas Dost. I also have Edin Džeko and Grafite over him.
-- Bas Dost (Netherlands), Christian Gentner (Germany), Krzysztof Nowak (Poland) or Makoto Hasebe. André Schürrle (Germany) was a much more famous player than the ones I just mentioned, but the others contributed more to the club.
Formation
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