Bayern Munich All-time Greatest Team for German players

D.Hoeness, Rummenigge, Breitner and Augenthaler 

Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.

Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.

Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? Then, Germany could have won the World Cup in 2002 if they selected Yıldıray Baştürk, Stefan Effenberg, Sebestian Deisler, Mehmet Scholl, etc. And if East Germany played in Euro 1996 with Matthias Sammer, Michael Ballack, Jens Jeremies, Bernd Schneider, Thomas Doll, Carsten Jancker, Ulf Kirsten, Jörg Heinrich, etc. What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.

*** Both Volume One and Volume Two are available now on Amazon. ***

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Bayern Munich All-Time Team
Bayern Munich All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Germany All-Time Team Without Bayern Munich Players

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Bayern Munich's German Players only. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Bayern Munich is the most successful, German clubs.  They won more European Cups and Bundesliga than any other German teams.  However, they were not a big club until the 1960's when Bundesliga became a professional league.  Their successes began around the time Franz Beckenbauer joined them in 1965.  They won three, straight European Cup from 1974 to 1976.  After twenty-five years of successes in the domestic competitions and near misses at the European Cup, they won the European Cup (Champions' league) again in 2001 and in 2013.  They won the title 5 times, making them one of the most successful clubs in Europe.

Gerd Muller, Maier and Beckenbauer

Team
GK: Sepp Maier 
Nicknamed "The cat from Anzing", Maier was considered one of the greatest goalkeeper ever in the 1970's. He had 95 caps for West Germany, winning the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup at home in 1974. For club football, he played his entire career with Bayern Munich. He also won three straight European Cups for Bayern Munich.  He was German Footballer of the Year: 1975, 1977, 1978.

GK: Oliver Kahn
Oliver 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 the 2002 World Cup Finals in Korea/Japan.  He was the Gold Ball winner in that World Cup Finals.  He played 86 times for Germany from 1995 to 2006.

GK: Manuel Neuer
Neuer established as Germany's number 1 before the World Cup Finals in 2010.  Since then, he has been considered one of the best keeper in the world. He helped Germany winning their 4th World Cup in 2014. In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.  He started with Schalke 04, but moved to rival Bayern Munich in 2010. He is the second most expensive keeper of all-time.

RB/LB/DM: Philipp Lahm 
Philipp Lahm was the captain of the 2014 World Cup winning team. He had 113 caps for Germany from 2004 to 2014.  He was included in the World Cup team of the tournament in 2006 and 2010.  For club football, he played his entire career with Bayern Munich, except for a two year loan spell with VfB Stuttgart. He also won the treble in 2013 when Bayern Munich won the Champions' League, the German Cup and the Bundesliga on the same year.  He is a member of Bayern Munich's Hall of Fame.

Philipp Lahm 

RB/CM/CB: Herbert Erhardt 
Erhardt is considered one of the greatest Bayern players. . The DFB German Football Association (German FA) list him in the top 20 best German defenders of all time. He earned 50 caps for the West-German national football team, and was a member of the German team which won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also participated in two other World Cups, in 1958 and 1962. He played for SpVgg Greuther Fürth for mots of his career.  He also played for Bayern Munich.

CB: Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck
Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck was the center-back for both West Germany and Bayern Munich during the 1970's.  Between 1971 and 1978, he played 44 times for West Germany.  He won the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974.  He was a one club man for Bayern Munich, where he won three straight European Cup. He was known as Franz Beckenbauer's defensive partner for club and country.

DM/CB: Ludwig Goldbrunner 
Ludwig Goldbrunner played 39 times for Germany.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1938 and the Summer Olympics in 1936 for them.  He became known in 1937 as one of the "Breslau-Elf" (Breslau Eleven) players, after Germany thrashed Denmark with an 8:0 score.  He spent his entire career with Bayern Munich, winning the German title in 1932.  He was considered to be one of Bayern's greatest players. 

Ludwig Goldbrunner 

SW: Klaus Augenthaler 
Klaus Augenthaler played his entire career with with FC Bayern Munich from 1983 to 1990. He won seven Bundesliga titles.   He was voted as one of greatest players in Bayern Munich's history.  With 27 caps, he was the starting sweeper for West Germany at World Cup in 1990, where West Germany won.  He also went to the World Cup in Mexico 1986.  In 2005, Augenthaler was named as a member of the greatest Bayern Munich XI in the club's history.

CB: Jérôme Boateng 
Jérôme Boateng started his career with Hertha Berlin and SV Hamburger.  He played a single season with Manchester City before joining Bayern Munich in 2011.  Since the World Cuo  Finals of 2010, he is a major player for the national team.  Between 2009 and 2018, he played 76 times for Germany. In 2010, they became the first siblings to play against each other in a World Cup match.  He is the half-brother of Kevin-Prince Boateng who played for Ghana.

SW/CM: Franz Beckenbauer 
Franz Beckenbauer was one of the best ever player in history.  Known as Der Kaiser, he was credited with revolutionizing the sweeper position.  He was twice selected European Footballer of the Year. Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups, winning the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972.  At the club level, he won three straight European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He also played for Hamburger and NY Cosmos.

Franz Beckenbauer 

LB: Konrad Heidkamp 
With Bayern Muinch, Heidkamp captained the 1932 German championship-winning team, Bayern's first title. He also played for He was credited for saving Bayern's trophies during the Second World War by hiding them from the Nazi Party.  He also played for Fortuna Düsseldorf. Between 1927 and 1930, he won 9 caps with the German national football team, scoring 1 goal. He is a member of Bayern Munich Hall of Fame.

LB/CM: Paul Breitner 
Breitner was the first player to score a goal at two different WC Final match.  He had 48 caps for West Germany. He won the Euro 1972 and then, the World Cup in 1974. He spent most of his career with Bayern Muinch and then, went to play for Real Madrid in Spain.  During his club career, Breitner won seven National Championships with Bayern Munich (1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981) and Real Madrid (1975, 1976), the Champions' Cup (1974) as well as the German (1971, 1982) and Spanish Cups (1975). 

DM: Franz Roth
Franz Roth was nicknamed the "Bull". He was known for scoring important goals for Bayern Munich.  He scored three times in three different club Finals in Europe for Bayern Munich, namely the 1967 Cup Winners' Cup, and both 1975 and 1976 European Cup Final. He spent nearly his entire career with the club.  He was the part of the team that won three straight European Cup.  

CM: Michael Ballack 
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 the 2002 World Cup Finals in Japan/Korea.  He moved to Bayern Munich after the World Cup Finals.  He also played for Chelsea before his retirement.  From 1999 and 2010, he played 98 times for Germany.

Michael Ballack 

CM: Bastian Schweinsteiger 
Bastian Schweinsteiger was an important player for both club and country.  He was capped 121 times. He went to three European Championships and as many World Cups, including their victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. At the club level, Schweinsteiger is a youth product of Bayern Munich.  He won the 2013 Champions' league title with Bayern Munich. Late in his career, he played for Manchester United and Chicago Fire.

CM: Stefan Effenberg 
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 in 2001.  For Germany, he was only capped 35 times.  His international career was cut short after the "giving a finger" incident during the World Cup Finals in 1994.

CM: Lothar Matthaus 
Matthaus captained the West German team in winning the World Cup in 1990.  He was the European Player of the Year and the first ever World Player of the year in 1990. He played in five  World Cups, a record for an outfield player, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games). He played in 4 European Championships,winning the 1980 edition. At the club lebel, he played for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Lothar Matthaus 

AM: Mehmet Scholl
Mehmet Scholl was born in Germany of Turkish heritage.  He started with Karlsruher, but spent almost his entire career with Bayern Munich.  He won the Bundesliga title 8 times and the Champions' league n 2001.  Injuries has limited his career with the national team.  He played at Euro 2000, but he never played in any of the World Cup Finals.  He only played 36 times for Germany.

RW/LW: Serge Gnabry

Gnabry with Arsenal in England in 2012. He also had a brief spell on loan with West Bromwich Albion before moving back to Germany to join Werder Bremen in 2016. With Bayern whom he joined in 2017, he won a continental treble consisting of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League. Gnabry made his senior international debut in 2016. He represented Germany at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

FW: Uli Hoeness 
With 35 caps, Hoeness was a part of the generation that won the 1974 World Cup, the 1972 European Championship with West Germany.  He also won three straight European cup with Bayern Munich. He was remembered as the star player at the 1974 European Cup Final against Atletico Madrid, scoring a double in that game. After retirement, he worked for Bayern Munich.  His brother Dieter also played for Bayern Munich.

FW: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was one of the best players in the world during the 1980's.  He was the European Player of the Year in 1980 and 1981.  He won the European Championship in 1980 and was part of the squad that finished runner-up at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He was a young star in Argentina 1978.  He spent the best parts of his club career with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

FW: Thomas Muller

Thomas Muller made his professional debut the season before ]the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa with Bayern Munich.   In South Africa, he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer with 5 goals.  Between the two World Cup Finals, Bayern Munich won one Champions' league in 2013 and went to the Final two other times.  At 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, he won Silver Boot by scoring 5 goals after helping Germany to win their first World Cup since 1990.

ST: Dieter Hoeness
Dieter Honess played with TSG Ulm 1846 and VfR Aalen, before he moved to the professionals in 1975 with VfB Stuttgart.  In 1979, he joined Bayern Munich where his brother Uli starred and just retired. From 1979 to 1987, he played for Bayern Munich. From 1979 to 1986, he earned 6 caps for West Germany, but he did not received a callup from 1979 until the World Cup Finals in 1986.  

ST: Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann won the World Cup in 1990 and then, captained the 1996 European Championship winning team.  He played in all major international tournaments from 1988 until his retirement in 1998.  He had successful club spells with Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspurs. He was a popular player while in England, despite a lot of negative press at the time of his signing.  He won both the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year in 1995.

ST: Gerd Muller 
"Der Bomber" was widely considered to be the greatest striker in history. He scored 68 goals in 62 matches for Die Mannschaft.   He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga appearance, mostly with Bayern Muinch.   He won three straight European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. At the international level, he played over 60 times for West Germany.  He won the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972. He was the European Player of the Year in 1970. 

Gerd Muller 

Honorable Mention

-- Raimond Aumann, Mats Hummels, Hans Pfluegler, Christian Ziege, Adolf Kunstwadl, Thomas Helmer, Jurgen Kohler, Conrad Heidkamp, Werner Olk, Sigmund Haringer, Konrad Heidkamp, Jakob Streitle, Hans Bauer, Peter Kupferschmidt, Udo Horsmann, Markus Babbel, Ernst Nagelschmitz, Jupp Kapellmann, Jens Jeremies, Dietmar Hamann, Norbert Nachtweih, Olaf Thon, Bernd Dürnberger, Mario Basler,  Roland Wohlfarth,Wolfgang Dremmler, Joshua Kimmich. Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala, Rainer Ohlhauser, Josef Bergmaier, Dieter Brenninger, Max Gablonsky, Ludwig Hofmann. Rainer Ohlhauser, Josef Pöttinger, Mario Gomez, Wilhelm Simetsreiter, Jürgen Klinsmann.

Squad Explanation

-- Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge are the undisputed selections on this team.

-- Eighteen players from my Bayern Munich All-Time Team are Germans.  Basically, I need to replace the seven foreigners on the team.  

-- Jerome Boateng, Serge Gnabry, Herbert Erhardt, Conrad Heidkamp, Jürgen Klinsmann, Thomas Muller and Dieter Hoeness are seven Germans added to this team.

-- In 2005, the Bayern fans voted for their Best XI.  The results: Sepp Maier, Klaus Augenthaler, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Steffan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl, Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Gerd Muller and Giovane Élber.  Except Giovane Élber, they were all Germans.

-- The official Bundesliga Greatest Best XI of Bayern Munich features the following legendary players: Oliver Kahn, Philipp Lahm, Klaus Augenthaler, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Arjen Robben, Lothar Matthaus, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, Gerd Muller, and Robert Lewandowski.  Only three non-Germans were on the Best XI.

-- The Bild came upon with 50 greatest Bayern Munich players in 2022.  The top 15 players ranked were as followed: 1) Franz Beckenbauer, 2) Thomas Muller, 3) Gerd Muller, 4) Robert Lewandowski, 5) Manuel Neuer, 6) Lothar Matthäus, 7) Philipp Lahm, 8) Franck Ribery, 9) Arjen Robben, 10) Sepp Maier, 11) Bastian Schweinsteiger, 12) Klaus Augenthaler, 13) Oliver Kahn, 14) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and 15) Paul Bretnier.

-- Sport.de listed as their 10 greatest ever Bayern players: Phlipe Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Kahn, Paul Bretiner, Sepp Maier, Lothar Matthäus, Uli Hoeness, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller.  They were all German footballers.

Goalkeepers

-- Sepp Maier, Oliver Kahn and Manuel Neuer were the two obvious choices for goalkeepers.  Maier revolutionized the goalkeeper position in the 1970s as a key player in Bayern Munich's dominant era. Kahn, led Bayern Munich to Champions League glory in 2001 with a heroic performance in the final against Valencia. Neuer is known for his "sweeper-keeper" style of play. He has won the treble (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League) twice with Bayern Munich, in 2012-13 and 2019-20. In the latter season, he captained the team to their historic triumph.

Oliver Kahn and the 2001 Champions' league

-- Raimond Aumann was probably the only other notable German goalkeepers in the history of Bayern Munich.

Defenders

- Franz Beckenbauer was as much of a midfielder as a defender, but his preferred position was libero.  Both Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Klaus Augenthaler remained loyal one-club players.  I opted for Schwarzenbeck mainly due to his partnership with Beckenbauer in defense.   If there was no Beckenbauer, Augenthaler would be easily Bayern's greatest defender.   Ludwig Goldbrunner is the only member of Bayern Hall of Flame who played before the 1960's.  I took him because his importance to the club in a different era.  In 2016, Jerome Boateng had not built up his merits to be considered.  By 2024, he won 8 straight Bundesliga titles while winning the treble twice.  He edged out his defensive partner Mats Hummels who only played three seasons in Munich.

Jerome Boateng 

-- I contemplated choosing Werner Olk, a standout in his own right before the rise of Beckenbauer.   I also looked into Hans Pflügler.  They all made honorable mentions. Jurgen Kohler only spent a short time here.

-- Although Philipp Lahm was adept at playing both sides of the fullback position, I designated him as a right-back due to the absence of a truly iconic figure in that role. Herbert Erhardt showcased versatility, being capable of playing as both a right-back and a left-back, with his strongest suit possibly lying in central defense. Markus Babbel and Joshua Kimmich were the other choice. 

-- Paul Breitner was put as a leftback because there were too many great central midfielders while he was the finest left-back in the world during his tenure in Munich. Conrad Heidkamp is listed as playing in different positions by different websites.  The official Bayern Munich website said that he was a leftback. He was the only Bayern Munich Hall of Famer not on my Bayern Munich All-Time Team.  So I took him into the All-German team.  He was a crucial player in Bayern Munich's first league title win in 1932. Amidst the turmoil of war, his wife protected Bayern's trophies from the Nazis and later from American soldiers searching for souvenirs, ultimately preserving them. So, he had a special place in Bayern history. Andreas Brehme only played two seasons in Munich.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- The midfield position presents an even fiercer competition. To accommodate players like Bastian Schweinsteiger or Franz Roth, I positioned Paul Breitner at left-back and Franz Beckenbauer as a sweeper.  Lahm also played as a midfielder.

--Franz Beckenbauer primarily operated as a midfielder for a significant portion of his career rather than as a sweeper. During the 1960s, the German manager Helmut Schön preferred Beckenbauer to play in midfield, asserting that the Kaiser's influence was best felt orchestrating play from the center of the field. It was only upon his shift to the libero role at Bayern Munich that Beckenbauer revolutionized and redefined that position.  In this position, he controlled the entire length of the field. The national team would later deploy him as a libero.  However, the libero role became extinct after the 1990's.  Beckenbauer might have to play central midfielder for this team.

-- With Bayern, Lothar Matthaus won the league title seven times, the cup twice, and the UEFA Cup once. He is also the oldest goal scorer in the club's history (in 1999 at the age of 38 years and 8 months during the 6-1 victory against Freiburg).   Stefan Effenberg led Bayern to three Bundesliga titles and two European Cup finals in four years, winning the second Final.  Then, I took Bastian Schweinsteiger who consistently appeared in some of the top lists (See above).  He played 17 years in Munich. Michael Ballack only played 4 seasons in Bayern Munich. However, he was Germany's best player during his time there.

Stefan Effenberg 

-- Franz Roth does not have the same name recognition as the others player because his international career was limited to 4 caps, but he is one of 16 players on Bayern Hall of Flame.  He is also the 4th all-time leading scorer, despite playing as a midfielder.  He also scored in all three European finals in the 1970's. 

-- Bernd Duernberger was a one club player, but still could not get into this team.  I also do not enough space for Roland Wohlfarth.  Kimmich has emerged as a great deep lying midfielder, but he is not going unseat the players selected.  He also could not get in as a rightback.

-- In 2024, I noticed that this team lacked wide players.  I introduced Serge Gnabry. He notably earned recognition as part of the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2019-20 and secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for the same year. While his primary role excelled on the right wing, he could also play on the left. To balance the team's composition, Wolfgang Dremmler was omitted due to an abundance of central midfielders.  From 1979 to 1986, he played for Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles.  From 1981 to 1984, he was capped 27 times. He was part of the West Germany team that reached the 1982 World Cup final against Italy.   That season, he also played in the losing side at the 1982 European Cup Final.

- At one point, Mario Basler was seriously considered because the team lacked a good winger.  In the end, I preferred player who had a better career with Bayern Munich.  Basler is only on honorable mention.

-- I took Mehmet Scholl because he usually played in a more advanced role than the other midfielders listed here.  He won a Champions' League title over here.  Jamal Musiala still had a long way to go before being considered.

Forwards

-- Gerd Muller needed no introduction.  He scored 487 goals for Bayern Munich. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was European Player of the Year twice during his time in Munich. They were undisputed selections.
-- Thomas Muller's numbers in Munich stood out.  He is now the third leading scorer for Bayern Munich.  With Bayern, he has won a record twelve Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokals, eight DFL-Supercups, two Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups.  

Thomas Muller

-- My selection of Uli Hoeness is heavily influenced by his involvement with the club after his retirement.  It is something that I do not normally considered.  However, Hoeness' name has embedded with the club for so long.  It is hard not to identify Hoeness with the club.  Dieter Hoeness overshadowed by his brother as well as other more famous German strikers of his generation.  However, I have seen his name mentioned many places among the greatest Bayern players. -Mario Gomez actually scored over 70 goals for the club. By contrast, Miroslav Klose's output was much lower than the two strikers.  In fact, he failed to perform while in Munich. Roland Wohlfarth was also considered, but I felt Dieter Hoeness might have better name recognition.  I had a better impression of him probably due to the 1986 World Cup Finals and his surname.  So I took him over the names mentioned.

-- Mario Gomes spent a longer career here than Klinsmann.  He finished as the top scorer of the Bundesliga.  He was named on the Team of the Season twice.  But I still took Jurgen Klinsmann obverb him. Klinsmann only spent two seasons with Bayern Munich, but was highly successful. He scored 31 goals in 65 appearances.  He also won an UEFA Cup as a key player.  His tally of 11 goals in the tournament was a record.

Formation
My team lacked a true left side wide player.

Bayern Munich Foreign Players All-time Greatest Team

Robben, Lewandowski and Xabi Alonso

Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.

Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.

Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.

*** Both Volume One and Volume Two are available now on Amazon. ***

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Bayern Munich All-Time team
Bayern Munich All-Time Team for German Players

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

Bayern Munich is the most successful, German clubs.  They won more European Cups and Bundesliga than any other German teams.  However, they were not a big club until the 1960's when Bundesliga became a professional league.  Their successes began around the time Franz Beckenbauer joined them in 1965.  They won three, straight European Cup from 1974 to 1976.  After twenty-five years of successes in the domestic competitions and near misses at the European Cup, they won the European Cup (Champions' league) again in 2001 and in 2013.  They won the title 5 times, making them one of the most successful clubs in Europe.

Lerby and Pfaff

Team
GK : Jean-Marie Pfaff (Belgium)
Jean-Marie Pfaff was one of the best keepers in the world during the 1980's.  He spent most of his professional career with Beveren and Bayern Munich. Pfaff was capped 64 times playing for Red Devils. He participated at the World Cup Finals of 1982 and 1986, and at the European Championship of 1980 and 1984.  He was the starting goalkeeper as Belgium finished second at Euro 1980 and reached the semifinal at Mexico 1986.

GK: Yann Sommer (Switzerland)

Sommer played for Basel, where he won the Swiss Super League on four consecutive occasions before transferring to Mönchengladbach in 2014. In 2023, he joined Inter Milan. He also won the Swiss Challenge League and two Liechtenstein Football Cups while on loan to Vaduz. Sommer made his debut for Switzerland in 2012. He represented the nation at the World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and the  European Championship in 2016 and 2020.

GK: Pepe Reina (Spain)
Pepe Reina first became a star at Villarreal when he helped the club to reach the Champions' league for the first time in history.  A year later, he joined Liverpool FC.  At Liverpool FC, he won three Premier League Golden Glove between 2005 and 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he played for Napoli. He was a part of Spain at the World Cup 2010, Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, but served as a backup to Iker Casillas.  In total, he had 36 caps.

RB: Johnny Hansen (Denmark)
Johnny Hansen most notably played six years for Bayern Munich, where he won three European Cups and three Bundesliga, playing alongside Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Gerd Muller, etc. He was named 1967 Danish Player of the Year. He also played for local top-flight club Vejle Boldklub and 1. FC Nürnberg.  He only 45 caps for Denmark because Denmark did not select professional footballers during a part of his career.

Johnny Hansen

RB: Willy Sagnol (France)
Willy Sagnol started with St Etienne and  later, played Monaco before going to the Bundesliga.  He was better known for his stint with Bayern Munich between 2000 and 2009, winning the Champions' League in 2001.  He played 58 times for the French national team from 2000 to 2008.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 2006. He became the regular stater after Lilian Thuram moved to centre-back.  

CB: Lucio (Brazil)
Lucio was the star of Brazil 2002 World Cup winning Team. He earned 105 caps for Brazil between 2000 and 2011.  He reached the Champions' League final with Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.  In 2004, he moved to Bayern Munich, where he won one German Cup and three Bundesliga titles. He also helped Inter Milan to win the 2010 Champions League against his former club Bayern Munich.  He also played for Juventus.

CB: Samuel Kuffour (Ghana)
Samuel Kuffour was probably Ghana's most famous defender.  He spent 11 seasons with Bayern Munich, winning almost everything.  He won the Champions' League in 2001. He was twice runnerup for the African Player of the Year and won Ghana Player of Year in 1998, 1999 and 2001. He was capped 59 times.  He played in the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. His youth career started with Torino in Italy.  He also played for Roma, Ajax and Livorno. 

Samuel Kuffour

CB: Martín Demichelis (Argentina)
Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich in Germany (seven and a half years), winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his home country with River Plate, in Spain with Espanyol and Málaga and in England with Manchester City. Demichelis earned 51 caps for Argentina, representing the country in two World Cups – finishing second in 2014 – and the 2015 Copa América.

CB: Daniel Buyten (Belgium)
Van Buyten hegan at Charleroi as a striker, his career took off when he converted to a centre back. At the club level, he also played for Marseille, Manchester City, Hamburger SV and Bayern Munich.  He played with Bayern Munich from 2006 and 2014, winning the Chamlions' league in 2013.  Over there, he played alongside Lucio, Dante and Jérôme Boateng.  With Belgium, he played 83 times.  He played in the 2002 and 2014 World Cup Finals.

LB:  Bixente Lizarazu (France)
Bixente Lizarazu was the leftback for the all-conquering French national team, winning the World Cup in 1998 at home and European Championship in 2000. He had 97 caps from 1992 and 2004. Lizarazu began his professional career with Girondins de Bordeaux. He also played fort Athletic Bilbao, but better known for playing with Bayern Munich for 9 seasons between 1997 and 2004. He won the Champions' League in 2001. He is a Basque and he also played for Atletico Bilbao. 

 Bixente Lizarazu 

LB/DM/RW: David Alaba (Austria)
David Alaba was a son of a Nigerian father and Filipino mother living in Austria.  In 2008, he joined the youth team of Bayern Munich, making his senior debut in 2010.  Apart form a brief loan deal with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, he has been with the club, winning the 2013 Champions' League.  In 2021, he moved to Real Madrid. For Austria, he played in Euro 2016. He is the Austrian Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.

DM: Mark van Bommel (Netherlands)
In Netherlands, Mark van Bommel's career was associated PSV, where he had two separated stints.  However, his most famous part of his career was spent with Bayern Munich. He was their first ever non-German captain.  He also played for Barcelona FC. At the international level, he played 79 times for Netherlands and was a main player as they reached the Final of the World Cup in 2010.

CM: Thiago Alcantara (Spain)

Thiago Alcantara is the son of the 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho.  He was born in Italy when his father was playing in Italy. He joined Barcelona in 2005.  He was a star with the Spanish Under-21 team as they won the European Under-21 Championship in 2013.  In 2013, he shocked the Barcelona fans by joining Bayern Munich.  He helped them to win the Champions League in 2020.  For Spain, he played 46 times.

DM/CM: Xabi Alonso (Spain)
Xabi Alonso started with Real Sociedad in 2000.  He joined Liverpool in 2004 winning the Champions' League trophy in his first season.  In 2009, he moved to Real Madrid, winning the Champions' League again in 2014. In 2014, he joined Bayern Munich. He was a key member of the Spanish team that won the World Cup and two European Championships.  His 114 caps between 2003 and 2014 make him the fifth most capped player in the nation's history.

Xabi Alonso

DM/CM/LWB: Ze Roberto (Brazil)
Zé Roberto made his name with Portuguesa in Brazil. He then joined Real Madrid in 1997 for a brief spell, where he helped them win La Liga, before moving back to Brazil to play for Flamengo.  However, his peak years were spent in the Bundesliga. In 1998, he joined German side Bayer Leverkusen and went to Bayern Munich in 2002.  Ze Roberto was capped 84 times.  He went to France 1998 and Germany 2006.

CM: Owen Hargreaves (England)
Born in Canada, Hargreaves began his career with Bayern Munich. He spent 7 years there, winning the Champions League. He joined Manchester United in 2007, winning the Premier League and Champions League in his first season.  He was capped by Wales on the youth level, but played for England as a senior.  In 2001, he became the first English international who never lived in England.  He played in the WC Finals of 2002 and 2006, and the Euro 2004.

CM: Soren Lerby (Denmark)
Soren Lerby was most prominently played professionally for Dutch clubs Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax and the 1988 European Cup with PSV.  He also played for Bayern Munich between 1983 and 1986. He also played for AS Monaco. At the international level, he had 67 caps for Denmark. He was a key member of the Danish team known as "Dynamite Denmark", Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup team that dazzled the world.

Soren Lerby

RW/RB: Hasan Salihamidžić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Hasan Salihamidžić is best remembered for playing 9 seasons with Bayern Munich.  With Bayern, he won the 2001 Champions' League final, scoring one of the penalties in the shootout win in the Final. He also played for Juventus and Wolfsburg. At the international level, he earned 43 caps and scored six goals for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He is regarded by many as one of the most successful Bosnian football players in recent times.

RW/LW/FW: Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
Arjen Robben was an important player for Bayern Munich's dominance in Europe as they reached three Champions' League Finals in 4 years, winning the one in 2013.  He also played with Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven at the club level.  For Netherlands, he had 96 caps between 2003 and 2017.  He helped Netherlands to reach the Final of the 2010 World Cup Finals and then, four years later the semi-final of the World Cup in Brazil.  

Arjen Robben 

RW/LW: Franck Ribery (France)
Ribery is one of the best French players of his generation.  Individually, Ribéry is a three-time winner of the French Player of the Year award and has also won the German Footballer of the Year becoming the first player to hold both honours.  He won the Champions' League in 2013 with Bayern Munich. He played in two World Cup Finals and helping France to a 2nd place in 2006. He played 81 times for France.

AM/FW: Conny Torstensson

Tortsensson represented Åtvidabergs FF, Bayern Munich, and FC Zürich during a career that spanned between 1967 and 1980. With Bayern Munich, he impressed most in European Cup matches, where he scored a number of important goals, and won the competition three times consecutively between 1974 and 1976. A full international between 1972 and 1979, he won 40 caps and scored seven goals for Sweden and represented his country at the 1974 and 1978 World Cup.

ST: Giovane Élber (Brazil)
At his prime, Giovane Élber was one of the greatest strikers playing in Europe.  He formed the famous magic triangle with Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic at VfB Stuttgart.  With Bayern Munich, he was the star player as the club that won 4 league titles and the Champions' League in 2001.  However, he only played 15 times for Brazil, largely due to stiff competition. He played in the same generation with Ronaldo, etc.

Giovane Élber 

ST:  Robert Lewandowski (Poland)

At the time of writing, Robert Lewandowski is Poland's all-time leading scorer.  He started with Znicz Pruszków and Lech Poznań, but 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 won the 2020 Champions' League. For Poland, he was capped over 90 times.  He played in Euro 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup Finals in 2018.

ST: Roy Makaay (Netherlands)
Makaay played for Vitesse and CD Tenerife before becoming a big star with Deportivo La Coruna.  He helped them to win their first ever La Liga title in 1999-2000.  In 2002-2003, he scored 29 goals and became the European Golden Boot winner.  In 2003, he moved to Bayern Muinch.  He won two Bundesliga title.  For the national team, he was only capped 43 times, largely because he was playing at the same time as Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kuivert and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

ST: Claudio Pizarro (Peru)

At the time of writing, Claudio Pizarro is the all-time leading foreign scorer in the Bundesliga history.  His career in Germany was sandwiched between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen.  He also played for Chelsea in England.  For the national team, he only scored 20 times for 85 matches at the time of writing between 1999 and 2016. He played in the 2018 World Cup Final, Peru's first World Cup Finals since 1982.  He scored a single goal in the Finals.

Claudio Pizarro

Honorable Mention
Dante (Brazil), Dayot Upamecano (France), Lucas Hernández (France), Robert Kovac (Croatia), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands), Patrik Anderssen (Sweden), Benjamin Pavard (France), Jorginho (Brazil), Rafinha (Brazil), Alphonso Davies (Canada), Arturo Vidal (Chile),  Javi Martinez (Spain), Branko Oblak (Slovenia), Alan McInally (Scotland),  Paulo Sergio (Brazil),  Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Brian Laudrup (Denmark), Mario Mandžukić (Croatia), Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay), Luca Toni (Italy), Harry Kane (England).

Squad Explaination

-- This team was created in November, 2018.  I redid this team on August, 2024.

-- Seven players from my Bayern Munich All-Time Team are non-Germans.  They are Willy Sagnol, Giovane Elber, Robert Lewandowski, Bixente Lizarazu, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.  Mark Van Bommel should also be undisputed.  Basically, I need to select 18 foreigners to this team.  

-- Giovane Élber and Bixente Lizarazu are the only foreign players elected to Bayern Munich Hall of Fame.

-- The 2020 Champions League winning team is still relatively young.  David Alaba (Austria) is the only significant player who stayed in Munich long enough.

-- In 2005, the Bayern fans voted for their Best XI.  The results: Sepp Maier, Klaus Augenthaler, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Steffan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl, Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Gerd Muller and Giovane Élber.  Except Giovane Élber, they were all Germans.

--The official Bundesliga Greatest Best XI of Bayern Munich features the following legendary players: Oliver Kahn, Philipp Lahm, Klaus Augenthaler, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Arjen Robben, Lothar Matthaus, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, Gerd Muller, and Robert Lewandowski.   The three foreigners were Ribery, Robben and Lewandowski.

-- The Bild came upon with 50 greatest Bayern Munich players in 2022.  The foreign players ranked were as followed:  4) Robert Lewandowski, 8) Franck Ribery, 9) Arjen Robben, 17) David Alaba, 19) Giovane Elber, 24) Javier Martinez,  25) Bixente Lizarazu 26) Sammy Kuffour, 27) Willy Sagnol, 28) Hasan Salihamidzic, 29) Claudo Pizarro, 32) Rafinha, 36) Luca Toni, 41) Patrik Andersson, 42) Roy Makaay, 43) Ze Roberto, 44) Xabi Alonso, 45) Thiago, 50) Jean-Marie Pfaff.

-- Sport.de listed as their 10 greatest ever Bayern players, but no foreign player was on their list.

Goalkeepers

-- Jean-Marie Pfaff is the only one foreign goalkeepers who is considered an all-timer over here.  So I have difficulty to find two other foreign keepers.

Jean-Marie Pfaff 

-- From my research, Ladislav Jirasek was the only other foreign keeper who started regularly for Bayern Munich.   There is limited information on his background on the internet. He was born in Czechoslovakia in 1927, but he was playing for German clubs when he was only 20 years old.  He started his career with Stuttgart Kickers in 1949.  He seemed to be the starting keeper for Bayern Munich between 1950 and 1952 before the birth of Bundesliga.  While playing for Borussia Neunkirchen between 1952 and 1961, he was capped once by Saarland in 1954 against Uruguay. He also played a single game for Saarland B team in the same year.  His nationality was often listed as Czech, but since he represented Saarland, a team considered one of the many German national teams during the Cold War era, he was officially cap-tied to a German national team. Therefore, he is considered a German player.

-- Both Pepe Reina and Zlatko Skoric (Yugoslavia) were backup keepers for a single season. I took Reina because I knew him better as a player. He only played 4 games for them, collecting a single red card. The other keepers were Robert Dekeyser (Belgium) and Ivan Lucic (Austria).

-- Yann Sommer came to Bayern Munich during the midseason break in the 2022-2023 season for an injury replacement to Manuel Neuer. He actually played more games than Pepe Reina.  He at least contributed half of a season in Munich.

Defenders

-- Lucio was among the best defender in the world while playing for Bayern Munich.  He was named on the ESM Team of the Year while playing for Munich.  Samuel Kuffour was named the BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2001 while playing for Bayern.  Robert Kovac was born in Germany, but he played for Croatia, which qualified him for this team.  However, his career here lasted 4 seasons only.  Matthijs de Ligt only spent two years here, but he was named on the Bundesliga Team of the Season.  Nonetheless, his spell was very short.  By contrast, Martín Demichelis and Daniel Van Buyten both had longer careers here.  So I decided to select Demichelis. and Van Buyten.

-- Dante was also seriously considered.  He was named on the ESM team of the Year in the 2012-2013 season. Patrik Anderssen also spent a short time here.  He was selected by Bild one of Bayern's 50 greatest players, but I still counted against him because of his longevity of Demichelis and Van Buyten.

-- Bayern Munich has two great foreign right backs, namely Willy Sagnol and Johnny Hansen. Sagnol belonged to my all-time Bayern team while Hansen was very close to making that team.  Hansen notably scored the first goal in a Bundesliga match at Munich's Olympic Stadium.  I also selected Hasan Salihamidžić as a right winger, but he could also play over here.  I had no space for Benjamin Pavard, Rafinha, Jorginho.  Rafinha was also a long-time rightback for the club. Jorginho was restricted to a backup for a long period of time in Munich.

-- Bixente Lizarazu has won all the titles there are to win in world football – only missing the UEFA Cup, which he ironically lost in 1996 with Bordeaux in the final against Bayern.  Alphonso Davies also has done many wonderful things in Munich, but he is not going to displace Lizarazu and Alaba. Ze Roberto could also play as a leftback. David Alaba could also play as a leftback.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- David Alaba played as a midfielder, central defender, and left-back during his time in Munich. He played a significant role in an era characterized by domestic league supremacy and continental "treble" crown successes. 

David Alaba

-- Mark Van Bommel is the first foreigner to be named Bayern's captain.  He is one of the undisputed selections for the club. Ze Roberto was a left wingback, but I selected him as a defensive midfielder, largely for his partnership with Van Bommel.  He later starred for Brazil in the 2006 World Cup Finals, playing as a defensive midfielder.  Thiago Alcântara's career was plagued with injuries, but he played enough games to solidify a place on the team.  He was named the Champions' League Team of the Season as Bayern won the title in 2020.

-- Most of the outfielders selected had a lengthy career with the club, but Xabi Alonso was only here for three seasons at the end of his career. However, he made the Bundesliga Best XI for the season 2014-2015.  I also selected him for his passing skills.  Lerby also only played three seasons, but he played in Munich at his prime.  

-- Javi Martinez's career with Bayern Munich was plagued by injuries.  I gave the last spot to Owen Hargreaves. He was a big contributor to the 2001 Champions' League title.

--  Brian Laudrup was Danish Player of the Year while playing for Bayern  Munich, but he earned it mainly through Denmark's victory at Euro 1992.  He only spent 2 seasons in Munich, and was affected by some injury issues.  On the hand, in all European competitions, Conny Torstensson netted 10 goals across 21 matches, with several being crucial strikes, leading to him being dubbed "Mr. European Cup" in Munich.   Consequently, he emerged as a more significant player for the club than Laudrup.

-- Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery became known as ‘Robbery’ in Munich.  They defined a generation of Bayern's successes.  The pair won 77 per cent of the games when they played together on the same field.  In 2013, they won the Champions' League with Robben scoring the winning goal.  Ribery is also one of Bundesliga's all-time leading assist providers.  Hasan Salihamidžić and Ze Roberto would be the backup wingers. Salihamidžić spent 9 seasons with the club playing over 360 matches for Bayern.  Kingsley Coman played many years in Munich.  He scored the winning goal in the 2020 Champions' league Final, but I stayed with the players selected.

Franck Ribery

Forwards

-- As you can see above, Giovane Élber was consistently ranked among Bayern Munich's greatest players.

-- Claudio Pizarro's international reputation was not well-known as the others, but in the Bundesliga, he is among the greatest ever foreign players.  He is the ninth top scorer in the history of Bayern Munich and the sixth top scorer in the history of the Bundesliga and its second top scorer in the 21st century. 

-- In August, 2020, I decided to add Robert Lewandowski after Bayern Munich won the 2020 Champions' League.  He is now the second All-Time leading scorer for Bayern Munich. In the 2020-2021 season, Lewandowski broke Gerd Muller’s 40-goal season record in the 1971–72 season that was thought to be unbreakable. He is Bayern Munich's all-time top scorer for foreign player. Arjen Robben is second.

-- Harry Kane finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga during his first season, but Bayern Munich finished trophy-less.  At the time, he is heading toward his second season.  Luca Toni played 3 seasons in Munich.  He finished as the Bundesliga top scorer in his first season, but he only had two good seasons. I onmly put Kane and Toni on Honorable Mentions.  Instead, I selected Roy Makaay.  He scored over 100 goals for Bayern in 4 seasons.

Roy Makaay

Formation