The Greatest Bayern Munich Players Of All Time
Bayern Munich has a long and storied history. Since the team’s inception into the soccer world, there have been a number of incredible players to grace Bayern with their extraordinary talents. The current Bayern squad as a number of exceptional players, but time will tell if they go down as some of the organizations best players ever. As the current Bayern greats gear up to win the treble this season, let’s take a look at some of the players in team history.
1) Franz Beckenbauer
Beckenbauer is undoubtedly the greatest player to ever put on a Bayern Munich jersey, if not the greatest to play the sport period. With one World Cup, three European Cups, and four Bundesliga titles to his name, Beckenbauer has the trophy case to prove it. Furthermore, he is the only player to ever win three consecutive European Cups as captain of his side. Beckenbauer was the real driving force behind soccer at Bayern, and in Germany as a whole, throughout the 1970s.
2) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
In a 10 year span (1974-1984), Rummenigge scored 162 goals in 310 games played. Add in eight trophies, picking up as many European Cups as Bundesliga titles, and you have one of the most successful players in the team’s history. Rummenigge combined flawless technique with a unique flair that left fans in awe. Although he never got the international attention that many other players world stars, Rummenigge’s talent was eventually recognized when he picked up the German footballer of the year award in 1980 and the European football of the year medal a year later.
3) Gerd Muller
Muller is arguably the greatest goalscorer in the entire history of the sport: 398 goals in 453 games for Bayern Munich. But what is even more impressive is the 66 goals he scored in 74 European Cup games. Muller played an influential role in the Bavarian champions three European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, and a solitary European Cup Winners’ Cup.
4) Oliver Kahn
The position of goalkeeper is often overlooked in the game of soccer, but when you have a player as good as Oliver Kahn you take notice quickly. Kahn won four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper wards, two German footballer of the year awards, and a solitary Golden Boot award in the 2002 World Cup, when he lifted a poor German national team to the final against Brazil. During the course of his career, Kahn and Bayern Munich took home eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB Pokal cups, one UEFA Cup and one CHampions League Trophy.
5) Lothar Matthaus
Matthaus is the only one on this list to have a FIFA World Player of the Year trophy to his name. The one defining theme of Lothar’s career was his longevity. He appeared in 302 games for Bayern and took part in five separate World Cups and four European Championships for the German national team. During his time with Bayern, Matthaus won seven Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokal cups, and a UEFA Cup.
