Is this the best German team of all time?
A jury of prominent sports journalists has assembled a legendary team of 11 players plus a coach for German football's Hall of Fame.
| The German players celebrate the World Cup triumph in 1974. |
The jury were allowed to propose all players of German origin whose career ended at least five years ago. Therefore, for example, they weren't allowed to suggest Philipp Lahm's inclusion in the team as the former Bayern München and Germany captain retired in 2017.
Eventually, the jury had a list of 26 players and three coaches to pick from - and they put together this team:
Coach:
Sepp Herberger
Led Germany to their first ever World Cup title in 1954 by beating Hungary 3-2 in the final - a game known as 'The Miracle of Bern'. Previously, in the 1930's, he coached the Breslau Eleven - a team that is widely regarded as one of the best German teams ever.
Goalkeeper:
Sepp Maier
Maier - nicknamed 'the cat from Anzing' - represented Germany 95 times and is the keeper who has made most appearances for 'Die Mannschaft'. He was part of the team that won the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974. Maier spent his entire club career at Bayern München, winning the Bundesliga four times and the European Cup three times.
Defence:
Andreas Brehme
Played a key role in the World Cup final in 1990 as he scored a penalty to earn Germany the win. Won the Bundesliga with Bayern München and Kaiserslautern and also had a successful spell at Inter, claiming the Serie A title in 1989.
Franz Beckenbauer
'Der Kaiser', by many considered one of the best players of all time, won the European Championship in 1972 and has won the World Cup twice - once as a player (1974) and once as a coach (1990). Spent most of his career at Bayern München and won the Bundesliga four times (plus once as a coach) and the European Cup three times.
Paul Breitner
Also won the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974. Additionally, he won plenty of titles club-wise and enjoyed successful spells at both Bayern München and Real Madrid.
Midfield:
Fritz Walter
Captain of the first German team to win the World Cup in 1954. Spent his entire career at Kaiserslautern and won the German championship twice. Walter always seemed to play better when it was raining which is why the term 'Fritz Walter Wetter' is used to describe rainy weather conditions in Germany.
Matthias Sammer
Became European champion in 1996 and also won almost all important titles at club level - including the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997. Later, he won the Bundesliga with the BVB as a coach. Unfortunately, Sammer, who was born in 1967, was forced to retire in 1998 after failing to recover from a knee injury.
Lothar Matthäus
Germany's record-appearance maker with 150 games for 'Die Mannschaft'. Won the European Championship in 1980 and the World Cup in 1990. Also won the Bundesliga seven times with Bayern and the Serie A once with Inter.
Günter Netzer
Netzer is another player who became European Champion in 1972 and World Champion in 1974. Spent most of his club career at Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the Bundesliga twice, before joining Real Madrid to win the Spanish La Liga two times.
Strikers:
Uwe Seeler
Turned down plenty of lucrative offers to spend his entire career at Hamburger SV, scoring more than 400 goals for the club. Won the Bundesliga once and was part of the German team that lost the World Cup final in 1966 to England.
Gerd Müller
Scoring 68 goals in just 62 matches for West Germany and 476 goals in 541 matches for Bayern München, it is safe to say Gerd Müller is one of the game's most deadly strikers ever. 'Der Bomber der Nation' won all there is to win - including the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974.
Helmut Rahn
Rahn's legendary goal in 1954 guided Germany to their first ever World Cup title. Won the Bundesliga once and spent the majority of his career at Rot-Weiss Essen.