The greatest German footballers of all time

Germany has produced great football talents throughout its history, establishing itself as a football powerhouse. Everything from goalkeepers to hardened strikers, we made a list of the best German players of all time.

Quite possibly the best German football player ever, Franz Beckenbauer was a legend of Bayern Munich and the German national team. Nicknamed 'Der Kaiser', the elegant defender won two Ballon d'Ors and three European Cups, not to mention the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

A midfielder of enormous quality, Lothar Matthäus was a key figure at Bayern Munich, Internazionale and the German national team. Matthäus guided Die Mannschaft to the world title in 1990, the year in which he also won the Ballon d'Or.

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A strong midfielder with a good right and left foot, Michael Ballack made a name for himself at Bayer Leverkusen, where he earned himself a transfer to Bayern Munich. Later on, he would also play for Chelsea, where he won the 2009-10 league title.

One of the best German goalkeepers ever. With 86 Germany caps and countless Bayern Munich games and trophies under his belt, Oliver Kahn just deserves to be included in this list.

A deadly striker in his time, Miroslav Klose currently stills holds the goal-scoring record at the FIFA World Cup (16).  At club level, the Poland-born attacker played for the likes of Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, before retiring at Lazio Roma.

One of the most popular German footballers of all time, Fritz Walter was an integral part of the Western German side that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Walter collected 61 caps for his country, scoring 33 goals. He also won the German league on two occasions, with 1.FC Kaiserslautern.

One of the best midfielders of his generation, Günter Netzer played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Real Madrid, winning two league titles with both clubs. With West Germany, Netzer took home UEFA EURO 1972 and the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

World champion, eight time German champion, Champions League winner ... Philipp Lahm has a trophy cabinet many can only dream of. The full-back realized his football dreams by hard work and loyalty towards Bayern Munich.

Another Bayern Munich icon, Manuel Neuer is known for his incredible reflexes and excellent anticipation skills. Neuer started his career at Schalke 04, but would go on to become a legend at Der Rekordmeister.

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Scoring 43 goals in 72 caps for West Germany, Uwe Seeler was one of the best and most productive German strikers ever. He won the German league title with Hamburger SV and was crowned German footballer of the year on three occasions.

If scoring goals was an art form, Gerd Müller would be its main artist. 'Der Bomber' scored countless goals for Bayern Munich, still holding the goal-scoring record in the Bundesliga (365). Müller became world champion in 1974, won the 1970 Ballon d'Or and lifted three consecutive European Cups with Der Rekordmeister.

Another legendary German striker, Rudi Völler scored 47 goals for Germany, guiding his country to World Cup glory in 1990. In club football, he spent successful spells at Werder Bremen, AS Roma and Olympique Marseille.

A VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund icon, Matthias Sammer was one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation. He won the Champions League with Dortmund and the 1996 Euro's with Germany.

An iconic goalkeeper of German football, Sepp Maier was a key figure of West Germany's 1974 World Cup triumph. Maier was one of the best of his generation, winning 95 caps for his country.

A prolific striker at club and international level, Jürgen Klinsmann played for VfB Stuttgart, Internazionale, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and UC Sampdoria. With Germany, he crowned himself world (1990) and European champion (1996).

Known for his excellent heading skills, Horst Hrubesch scored twice in the 1980 Euro's final against Belgium, guiding his country to European glory. At club level, 'Das Kopfball-Ungeheuer' ('the Header Beast') impressed at German side Hamburger SV, taking home the 1983 European Cup.

Bastian Schweinsteiger established himself at Bayern Munich from a young age onwards and wrote his name in German football history by winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 'Schweini' was one of the best German footballers of his generation, which earns himself a spot in this list.

Germany has always had great strikers throughout its history, and Karl-Heinz Rummenige is surely one of them. The former Bayern Munich and Internazionale attacker is a two-time German league and a two-time European Cup winner.

A star of Eastern German football, Joachim Streich crowned himself top scorer of the DDR-Oberliga on four occasions. Streich is also the most-capped player of East Germany, holding the former nation's goal-scoring record as well (55).

Having started at 1.FC Köln, Bernd Schuster built himself an impressive club career in Spain, playing for FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. He won the Spanish league three times and also took home the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona.

Thomas Müller is a Bayern Munich icon. Period. The attacker never played for another team and was a key figure in many of Bayern's successes, including eleven (!) consecutive German league wins.

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Toni Kroos made his mark at Real Madrid, winning five Champions Leagues with the Spaniards. The midfielder also excelled in the shirt of Bayern Munich and Germany, in a professional career that spanned 17 years.

A player with a golden touch, Mesut Özil was as gracious as they come. The attacking midfielder established himself at Werder Bremen, Real Madrid and Arsenal, and was a key player for Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.