Ranking The Top 10 Best Defenders In Bundesliga History

  • We have compiled the 10 best defenders in Bundesliga history

  • Attacking full-backs, sweepers and central defensive stoppers are covered

  • Do you agree with our selections?

There have been some great defenders in Bundesliga history. We’ve taken on the unenviable task of narrowing it down to the 10 best Bundesliga defenders of all-time.

We’ve got adventurous full backs, who were a threat for first goal scorer in Bundesliga betting. There are central defensive rocks and playmaking sweepers.

In compiling this list, the aim has been to mix longevity with peak performance and team success with individual displays.

10) Manfred Kaltz

Second all-time in Bundesliga appearances, Manfred Kaltz was surprisingly prolific, with 76 Bundesliga goals to his name. That’s what 53 penalties will do for your statistics.

Kaltz was as reliable as they come at right-back. He won three Bundesliga titles with Hamburg and a European Cup and starred for the successful West Germany side at the 1980 European Championships.

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Alongside his penalty-taking skill, Kaltz was a gifted crosser. His whipped, swerving deliveries from his right foot earned the brilliant nickname of Bananenflanken.

Scoring and assisting plenty, Kaltz would have been a gem in today's Bundesliga.

9) Philipp Lahm

Understated and often underrated, Philipp Lahm’s name isn’t necessarily recognisable if you don’t often bet on football games. Lahm, though, made 385 Bundesliga appearances, and won the Bundesliga eight times with Bayern Munich.

Five times selected to the UEFA Team of the Year, Lahm was an elite player wherever he slotted into the team.

His peak years largely came at right-back, though he was just as comfortable on the left and spent some time in central midfield under Pep Guardiola.

Possessing a great engine, tactical nous and a knack for timing a tackle, Lahm was as good a two-way full-back as we’ve seen in the 21st century.

8) Berti Vogts

Spending his whole playing career with Borussia Monchengladbach, Berti Vogts is the club’s Bundesliga appearance leader. The former Scotland manager was an integral member of the side as Die Fohlen won five Bundesliga titles.

Alongside consistent play at Gladbach, Vogts amassed almost 100 caps for Germany and won both the European Championships and World Cup in the 1970s.

Twice named German Footballer of the Year, Vogts was also selected to nine Bundesliga Team of the Seasons by kicker.

7) Mats Hummels

The pre-eminent Bundesliga central defender of the last 15 years, Mats Hummels is a German sports betting star.

Initially at Bayern, Hummels joined Dortmund in 2008 and became a key member of Jurgen Klopp’s successful sides, winning two Bundesliga titles.

He rejoined Bayern in the mid-2010s, won three more Bundesligas, and then went back to Dortmund in 2019. The former Germany international remained at Signal Iduna Park until 2024 when he departed for Roma. 

Physically imposing at 6’3 with broad shoulders, Hummels compensates for a lack of speed with great instincts, and he’s supremely comfortable in possession.

6) Jürgen Kohler 

Prior to coming out on top in Bundesliga predictions under Jurgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund hadn’t enjoyed success since the era of Jürgen Kohler.

Kohler started out at Waldhof Mannheim before joining Koln and then Bayern Munich. He won a Bundesliga with Bayern, and then set off for Turin and Juventus where more silverware followed.

Returning to Germany in 1995, Kohler’s superb reading of the game and no-nonsense defending formed the foundation of Dortmund’s triumphant teams in the late-1990s.

He won two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League at Dortmund and was named German Footballer of the Year in 1997. 

5) Stefan Reuter

Just like Kohler, Stefan Reuter arrived at Borussia Dortmund via Bayern Munich and Juventus. Playing with Kohler and Sammer as Dortmund won the 1997 Champions League final, Reuter was a hard-working and fast right-back.

He earned 69 caps for Germany, earning World Cup and European Championship medals in 1990 and 1996 respectively.

The collection of five Bundesliga titles and playing in three continental finals is enough for a slot in the top 10.

4) Matthias Sammer

It took some time for Matthias Sammer to find his best position. Playing up front, on the left and in central midfield, it was at Borussia Dortmund that Sammer slotted into a defensive role that he ultimately became known for.

Sammer won a trio of Bundesligas – one with Stuttgart, two with Dortmund – and lifted the Champions League in 1996-97 alongside the aforementioned Kohler in a back five.

A Ballon d’Or winner in 1996 and two-time German Footballer of the Year, Sammer could easily be qualified as a midfielder given his versatility, but there’s no question his best football came from defence.

His career is sometimes overlooked because injuries forced an early retirement, yet Sammer’s peak performances are easily deserving of a place among the best Bundesliga defenders.

3) Andreas Brehme

A two-footed set-piece maestro, Andreas Brehme spent a few years in Italy and Spain with Inter and Zaragoza respectively. He still racked up over 300 Bundesliga appearances, though, making him an easy pick for this list.

The tally of two Bundesligas and one Team of the Season selection is overshadowed by some others here.

Still, Brehme was regarded by Lothar Matthäus as the best player he ever played with, and recorded a third-place Ballon d’Or finish. That’s more than enough for us.

2) Lúcio

Lúcio was still in the early years of his senior career when he joined Bayer Leverkusen. He didn’t win silverware at the club, but his performances were acknowledged with a string of the Team of the Season selections.

A move to Bayern came in 2004, and the Brazil international won three Bundesligas and three DFB-Pokals at the club.

Nicknamed O Cavalo – ‘The Horse’ in Portuguese – Lucio was a physically imposing defender with good technical skill.

He had the talent in possession to bring the ball out of defence when required, and his mix of mobility and strength made him nightmare opponent for strikers.

1) Franz Beckenbauer

The best defender in the history of the sport, Franz Beckenbauer was a master of his craft. Elegant, imposing and a talismanic leader, Beckenbauer is the only defender ever to win two Ballons d’Or.

He won five Bundesliga titles – four with Bayern, one with Hamburg – and lifted the European Cup thrice with Die Roten.

The 12 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season selections and four German Footballer of the Year awards only tell part of the story.

Beckenbauer had an impact over individual matches and the sport as a whole that only a handful of players can rival.

 

 

March 21, 2022
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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Ranking The Top 10 Best Goalkeepers In Bundesliga History

  • The Bundesliga has been home to some of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time

  • Many of these names are familiar, but others haven’t got the reputation their performances deserve

  • Who are the best Bundesliga goalkeepers of all-time?

How much consideration does a goalkeeper get when placing a football bet? Probably not as much as their goal scoring counterparts.

Still, the best goalkeepers in Bundesliga history could impact matches.

Beyond the highlight saves, top class goalkeepers influence proceedings through leadership and organisation; skills that don’t always get considered when looking at Bundesliga betting.

Here are our 10 greatest Bundesliga goalkeepers of all-time.

9) Toni Schumacher

Debuting for FC Köln at just 19 years of age, Toni Schumacher enjoyed a long career with club and country.

He was between the sticks as Köln completed a double in 1978, a season which was in the middle of a span of 213 consecutive Bundesliga appearances.

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Playing for Schalke, Bayern and Dortmund is a rare feat. Schumacher’s years with Köln are where his reputation was developed, though, and where he was twice named German Footballer of the Year.

8) Jens Lehmann

While Jens Lehmann’s career is most often associated with Arsenal’s unbeaten campaign, the former German international made almost 400 Bundesliga appearances across spells with Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart.

In his pomp, Lehmann was the ideal modern goalkeeper, blending shot-stopping prowess with technical ability on the ball.

An aggressive demeanour didn’t always go down well with opponents, but Lehmann was a fearsome competitor and one of the best German goalkeepers of the last three decades.

7) Stefan Klos

Well-known by Rangers fans after spending almost a decade in Glasgow, Stefan Klos also played over 250 times for Borussia Dortmund, winning a pair of Bundesliga titles and the Champions League with Die Schwarzgelben.

These were Dortmund’s first league titles in the Bundesliga era. Klos wasn’t the biggest name in the team, but he was an important figure at the back. His standards remained high with Rangers too, winning another four league titles.

The fact he never earned a Germany cap speaks more to the depth of ‘keeping at the time than Klos’ talents.

6) Frank Rost

Appearing over 100 times for each of Hamburg, Schalke and Werder Bremen, Frank Rost featured in Bundesliga predictions from the early 1990s through to the start of the 2010s.

He played in more Bundesliga matches than Franz Beckenbauer, but Rost suffered a bridesmaid of a career.

A runner-up twice in the Bundesliga and twice in the DFB-Pokal, Rost’s main silverware was two domestic cups with Bremen. His international exploits were limited by superior compatriots, too.

Not the best of his generation, and with a limited medal collection, Rost is perhaps a contentious pick among the greatest Bundesliga goalkeepers. We give him the nod for such longevity, though.

5) Manuel Neuer

The premier Bundesliga goalkeeper of the last decade, Manuel Neuer has over 450 Bundesliga appearances.

He’s become synonymous with Bayern Munich and their relentless success over the last 10 years – it’s easy to forget Neuer actually started out with Schalke, who he made 156 Bundesliga appearances for.

Neuer’s supreme confidence is immediately obvious, yet that hasn’t become complacency. He has strived to improve, becoming a game-changing sweeper keeper under Pep Guardiola.

Leadership has come naturally for the Gelsenkirchen native, which has only helped the cause of Bayern and Germany.

A two-time Champions League winner and nine-time German champion, Neuer has consistently performed on the biggest stages.

IFFHS voted Neuer as the best goalkeeper of the 2010s, and he’s earned six selections to the Bundesliga Team of the Year. A no-brainer for this top 10.

4) Roman Weidenfeller

Not only one of the best Bundesliga goalkeepers ever, Roman Weidenfeller is the greatest Dortmund goalkeeper of all-time, and arguably the best value transfer in Bundesliga history.

Weidenfeller signed with Dortmund on a free in 2002. He went on to make 349 appearances for the club, including a run of six straight Bundesliga seasons with at least 30 appearances.

Young talents emerged in the Jurgen Klopp era, and Weidenfeller provided the reliable goalkeeper every great team needs. He won four domestic titles with Dortmund, including a double in 2011-12.

3) Ulrich Stein

Breaking through with Arminia Bielefeld in the wake of the match-fixing scandal, Uli Stein moved to his hometown club Hamburg in 1980 and was superb through an incredibly successful period, which featured back-to-back league titles.

Hamburg fired Stein after punching a Bayern player, and he joined Eintracht Frankfurt for a seven-year stint. With his reputation as one of the greatest Bundesliga goalkeepers of all-time secure, Stein had second spells with Hamburg and Ariminia.

While he’s unlikely to feature in a Bundesliga greatest XI, Stein is among the top six or seven BuLi ‘keepers of all-time. He’s currently 10th in appearances.

2) Sepp Maier

As the ‘the Cat from Anzing’ gives away, Sepp Maier was a remarkably agile goalkeeper with the reflexes to make the extraordinary appear standard.

Maier spent his entire career with Bayern, winning four Bundesliga titles as the Bavarian club made steps on the path to the world superpower they are known as today.

Once he made the decision to put his gloves away for good, Maier was recognised as a great in Germany and beyond.

Not only a three-time German Footballer of the Year, the Cat from Anzing was also voted the fourth-best goalkeeper of the 20th century behind Dino Zoff, Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks.

1) Oliver Kahn

Just reading his name provokes an image of an enraged Oliver Kahn screaming at his defenders.

The nicknames of Der Titan and Vol-kahn-o were well-deserved – Kahn was an angry character between the lines, but he was also a phenomenal goalkeeper.

Playing 557 times in the Bundesliga (third most all-time) and winning 86 caps for Germany, Kahn won eight Bundesligas and a Champions League.

IFFHS voting adjudged him to be the fifth-best goalkeeper this century, and he won UEFA Best European Goalkeeper four years in a row.

 

 

March 21, 2022
Bundesliga
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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