Bayern Munich’s top 15 German internationals of all time
Numbers 2 & 1
2. Gerd Muller
Gerd Muller is — simply put — the greatest German striker of all time. Much like Bayern’s contemporary Muller, Der Bomber was not particularly skilled technically, nor was he physically imposing. Yet he still managed to become one of the best forwards to step foot on a pitch, scoring a remarkable 68 goals for West Germany in only 62 appearances across eight years.
His fantastic attacking instinct and uncanny knack to be in the right place at the right time meant he “mullered” opposition with goal after goal all throughout his career. He scored a sensational 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup, where his nation finished third. Although he “only” scored four goals in the 1974 tournament, it was enough to help lead his country to total glory. Slotted right between those two tournaments was the 1972 European championship, where Muller stood out yet again as the top scorer and contributed heavily to West Germany bringing home the trophy.
Although Miroslav Klose has since surpassed Muller as Germany’s all-time top goalscorer, the former has played over twice as many games as his predecessor and only bettered his record by three goals. That should put Gerd Muller’s phenomenal talent in perspective.
There’s absolutely no doubt he is one of the all-time greats, but he just misses out on the number one spot. No, that place belongs to one man, and one man only.
1. Franz Beckenbauer
Germany has been home to some of the greatest players to ever grace a pitch, but they all pale in comparison to Der Kaiser himself, Franz Beckenbauer. Like many others on this list, Beckenbauer was a highly versatile player, adept at playing various positions across the pitch. But he truly shone in one position in particular: sweeper. Not a position often used in modern tactical set-ups, the term sweeper is almost synonymous with the legendary Bayern Munich defender.
Beckenbauer wasn’t the hard-nosed, aggressive defender who struck fear into the heart of his opponents. He was the elegant, tactically astute distributor who picked apart opponents and led his team with magnificence from the back. He took over as skipper of West Germany in 1971 and subsequently drove his team to back-to-back victories at the 1972 European Championship and 1974 World Cup.
His calm and reassuring presence at the back, combined with his cool gravitas and cerebral approach to the game, made him the key player and clear leader on the Bayern Munich and West Germany teams that dominated the world during the 1970s.
There will never be another player quite like the Kaiser. Not only is Franz Beckenbauer undoubtedly the best Bayern Munich and Germany player of all time, he’s simply one of the best players to ever grace a pitch.
Next: What should Bayern Munich do with Robert Lewandowski?
There you have it, my top 15 Bayern Munich German internationals. Agree with the list? Disagree? Perhaps you feel some players deserve a higher or lower spot on the list? Let me know in the comments!