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7.4k voters

The Best Soccer Players from Germany

Updated August 25, 2020 58.0k votes 7.4k voters 190.4k views149 items

List RulesSoccer players / footballers from Germany or played on the German national team.

In your dream Germany national soccer team, which of the best German soccer players of all time would you pick? Would you choose newer players such as Mesut Özil or ones from years past, such as Franz Beckenbauer? Compared to many other countries, drafting top soccer players from Germany is quite easy as there are many to choose from. Look at the list of top footballers from Hungary for instance and many of the names there are from decades past and aren’t very well known. In fact, many of the best footballers of all time are from Germany. So to determine who truly is the best German soccer player of all time, soccer fans have ranked their favorites below.

Vote up your favorite German soccer players or add any you feel are missing from the list. If you're searching for a particular famous German soccer player you can use the search box at the top of the list to find who you're looking for. Photos and details such as positions played have been provided when available.

On this list, you’ll see famous legends like Franz Beckenbauer, as well as modern German stars like Thomas Muller. So if you’ve ever wondered who were the best German soccer players of all time were, just look at the list below to find out.

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1
1,735
560
Gerd Müller
Forward
Birthplace: Nördlingen, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛɐ̯t ˈmʏlɐ]; born 3 November 1945) is a German... more
2
2,094
692
Franz Beckenbauer
Defender, Sweeper
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (pronounced [ˈfʁants ˈbɛkn̩ˌbaʊɐ]; born 11 September 1945) is a German... more
3
1,575
515
Lothar Matthäus
Defender, Sweeper
Birthplace: Erlangen, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Lothar Herbert Matthäus (German pronunciation: [ˈloːtaːɐ̯ maˈtɛːʊs]; born 21 March 1961) is a... more
4
1,717
517
Philipp Lahm
Defender
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Nationality: Germany, West Germany
Philipp Lahm (German pronunciation: [ˈfɪlɪp ˈlaːm]; born 11 November 1983) is a German retired... more
5
1,323
455
Oliver Kahn
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Karlsruhe, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Oliver Rolf Kahn (German: [ˈɔlɪvɐ ˈkaːn]; born 15 June 1969) is a German former football... more
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#223 of 403 Famous Role Models We'd Like to Meet In Person#37 of 164 The Best Soccer Players of the '90s
6
1,515
482
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Playmaker, Midfielder
Birthplace: Kolbermoor, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced [ˈbasti̯an ˈʃvaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯ɡɐ] (listen); born 1 August 1984) is... more
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#66 of 102 Best Manchester United Players of All Time, Ranked#4 of 12 The Best Professional Soccer Players Who Retired In 2019
7
1,025
290
Michael Ballack
Midfielder
Birthplace: Görlitz, Germany
Nationality: Germany, German Democratic Republic
Michael Ballack (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪçaːʔeːl ˈbalak]; born 26 September 1976) is a... more
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#111 of 1,310 The Best Soccer Players of All Time#1168 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time
8
1,605
514
Toni Kroos
Midfielder
Birthplace: Greifswald, Germany
Nationality: Germany, German Democratic Republic
Toni Kroos (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːniː ˈkʁoːs]; born 4 January 1990) is a German... more
9
1,618
548
Miroslav Klose
Forward
Birthplace: Opole, Poland
Nationality: Germany
Miroslav Josef Klose (German: [ˈmiːʁoslaf ˈkloːzə] (listen), Polish: Mirosław Józef Klose;... more
10
2,224
909
Manuel Neuer
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯eːl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ, -ɛl -]; born 27 March 1986) is a... more
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#6 of 32 The Best Goalies In The World Right Now#16 of 77 Who Is The Most Famous Athlete In The World Right Now?
11
592
275
Rudi Völler
Forward
Birthplace: Hanau, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Rudolf "Rudi" Völler (pronounced [ˈfœlɐ]; born 13 April 1960), nicknamed "Tante Käthe"... more
12
1,847
855
Thomas Müller
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːmas ˈmʏlɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German... more
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#34 of 115 The Funniest Professional Athletes#5 of 41 The Best Bayern Munich Forwards Of All Time
13
907
504
Jürgen Klinsmann
Forward
Birthplace: Göppingen, Germany
Nationality: Germany,West Germany
Jürgen Klinsmann (German pronunciation: [ˈjʏʁɡn̩ ˈkliːnsˌman], born 30 July 1964) is a German... more
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#36 of 38 The Best Current Soccer Coaches/Managers#12 of 84 The Best Tottenham Hotspur Players of All Time

14
1,161
406
Marco Reus
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Dortmund, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
Marco Reus (German pronunciation: [ˈmaʁkoː ˈʁɔʏs]; born 31 May 1989) is a German professional... more
15
844
501
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Lippstadt, Germany
Nationality: Germany,West Germany
Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (German: [ˌkaɐ̯lˈhaɪnts ˈkalə ˈʁʊmənɪɡə]; born 25 September... more
16
547
307
Paul Breitner
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Kolbermoor, Germany
Nationality: Germany,West Germany
Paul Breitner (born 5 September 1951 in Kolbermoor, Bavaria) is a former German footballer,... more
17
1,670
781
Mesut Özil
Midfielder
Birthplace: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzut ˈøːzil], Turkish: [meˈsut œˈzil]; born 15 October... more
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#1334 of 1,355 The Greatest Minds of All Time#94 of 103 Coolest Soccer Players
18
448
251
Matthias Sammer
Defender, Sweeper
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Nationality: German Democratic Republic, Germany
Matthias Sammer (German pronunciation: [maˈtiːas ˈzamɐ]; born 5 September 1967) is a retired... more
19
552
352
Sepp Maier
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Metten, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Josef Dieter "Sepp" Maier (born 28 February 1944) is a German former professional football... more
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#17 of 188 The Best Soccer Goalies of All Time#3 of 9 The Best Bayern Munich Goalkeepers Of All Time
20
448
278
Uwe Seeler
Forward
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Uwe Seeler (German pronunciation: [ˈuːvə ˈzeːlɐ]; born 5 November 1936) is a German former... more
21
612
294
Lukas Podolski
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Gliwice, Poland
Nationality: Germany, Poland
Lukas Josef Podolski (German pronunciation: [ˈluːkas poˈdɔlski]; born Łukasz Józef Podolski... more
22
450
273
Andreas Brehme
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Nationality: Germany, West Germany
Andreas "Andy" Brehme (born 9 November 1960) is a German football coach and former football... more
23
677
247
Mats Hummels
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Nationality: Germany, West Germany
Mats Julian Hummels (German pronunciation: [ˈmats ˈhʊml̩s]; born 16 December 1988) is a German... more
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#84 of 356 The Best Current Soccer Players#105 of 452 The Best Soccer Defenders of All Time

24
309
200
Günter Netzer
Playmaker, Midfielder
Birthplace: Mönchengladbach, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944 in Mönchengladbach) is a former German football... more
25
448
295
Fritz Walter
Forward
Birthplace: Kaiserslautern, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter (31 October 1920 – 17 June 2002) was a German footballer. He usually... more

Rudi Völler