Germany Football Formation

Lineup (4-3-1-2)

Oliver Kahn · Jürgen Kohler · Karl-Heinz Schnellinger · Berti Vogts · Franz Beckenbauer (c) · Paul Breitner · Bernd Schuster · Lothar Matthäus · Günter Netzer · Gerd Müller · Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

Germany's "Greatest XI of All Time"

Germany, since the 1950′s, has been the most successful European side by a large margin. The Germans made their way to seven different World Cup finals (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 2002), winning the tournament on three occasions. In addition, the Germans won Euro 1972, 1980 and 1996.

Yet for all their success, rarely have the Germans gained a reputation for playing brilliant football. It’s often been said that Germany is the only country that doesn’t need great players to achieve great results. Their work-ethic, discipline and fighting spirit – not individual genius – carries them through to the end.

So what would an All-Time German team look like? Would it match up with the All-Time teams of countries known for their individual talent, such as Brazil, Argentina or Holland? I believe so.


The formation chosen is a diamond 4-4-2. Germany has never had great wingers – perhaps no coincidence given that it’s the position on the field that’s the most ‘individual’ – so a wingless eleven suits the Germans best.



Goalkeeper ~ Oliver Kahn

The first position immediately presents a difficult choice. Oliver Kahn or Sepp Maier? Both defended the German goal, and that of Bayern Munich, for over a decade. Both, in their prime, were recognized as the best in the world. Maier, however, was more successful: he won three European Cups, as well as Euro 1972 and World Cup 1974. But he did so with a team of Beckenbauer, Breitner and Müller. Kahn won only one Champions League – but was the hero of the decisive penalty series. Similarly, when a mediocre Germany reached the 2002 World Cup final, it was largely because of Kahn’s inspirational goalkeeping. He was even voted the best player of that tournament. Kahn’s individual performances make him the winner of this contest. With his crude looks, unkempt hair, titanic frame, terrifying war-cries and overall fearlessness, Kahn was more than just a talented shot stopper. He was, and remains, an icon.


Right back ~ Berti Vogts

So reliable. So trustworthy. So unspectacular. So German. Nobody will ever have paid money to watch Berti Vogts play. But he sure did, on many occassions, cancel out the opposing star player that people had paid money for to watch. His finest hour came when he marked Johan Cruyff out of the game in the 1974 World Cup final – the first minute aside – and as such contributed to Germany’s triumph as much as Beckenbauer with his leadership or Müller with his goals. It’s also hard to argue with his 96 caps. Perhaps Paul Janes was, for the day, a better all-round player, but the fact that he dates from the 1930′s and 40′s makes him hard to judge. With Vogts, on the other hand, you can’t go wrong.


Libero ~ Franz Beckenbauer

This one was never in doubt. Beckenbauer is not only the best German player in history, he is an ambassador of the entire sport. He was the man who defined the role of the libero: the graceful, intelligent, technically gifted leader of the defense who could at any moment surge forward to set up an attack or score himself. Beckenbauer was the undisputed leader of the German team than won tournaments in 1972 and 1974, and of the Bayern Munich that won three successive European Cups. Der Kaiser finished an astounding ten times in the top five of the Ballon d’Or. The red haired Matthias Sammer is his inferior in every way.


Stopper ~ Jürgen Kohler

The opposite of Beckenbauer in many ways. Kohler wasn’t elegant. Couldn’t dribble. Rarely scored. But he could tackle and mark like the best. A raw defender who was a nightmare for every attacker as he made his presence known in the air and on the ground – often going over the edge, as Marco van Basten’s shortened career demonstrates. Koler amassed over 100 caps for Germany and won the 1990 World Cup with them. An ideal pairing with Franz Beckenbauer. Karl-Heinz Förster takes second place.


Left back ~ Karl-Heinz Schnellinger

As one of the first Germans to play for a foreign club, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger until this day remains one of the most successful Germans to play in the Italian league. Starring in 222 league games for AC Milan, he established himself as Europe’s finest left back. Nicknamed the Volkswagen for his consistency. Won every meaningful award with AC Milan and played in four different World Cups for Germany. Defensively superior to Andreas Brehme.


Defensive midfielder ~ Paul Breitner

Fully bearded footballers. There haven’t been many of them. But among their ranks, Socrates and Breitner take the first place. Both free-thinkers, both played football free from restrictive dogma’s . As a dynamic left back, Breitner regularly roamed the entire field. It was no surprise then that, later in his career, he nominally moved to the centre of the pitch, becoming one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. Curiously played only 48 games for his country – he retired from the team after the 1974 World Cup, only to make his return in the early 80′s. Breitner remains the only German to score in two different, non-successive World Cup finals: 1974 and 1982. An achievement shared only by Pelé and Zidane. Breitner’s replacement at Real Madrid – the excellent Uli Stielike – serves as the reserve player for this position.


Right midfielder ~ Lothar Matthäus

That Lothar Matthäus was a phenomenon can be easily demonstrated by humbly pointing to the number of appearances he made for Germany. 150 times. That makes him far and away the most capped world class footballer in history. Matthäus also appeared in five different World Cups – another record – and played 25 World Cup games – again, a record. But Matthäus had more to offer than quantity. He was a one man engine room, dynamism defined, a tireless runner, a fierce tackler, a scorer of goals - an entire midfield in one. Won the Ballon d’Or in 1990 and was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award. Michael Ballack makes a fine reserve to Matthäus.


Left midfielder ~ Bernd Schuster

In order to really create the best German team of all-time, it’s necesarry to look beyond number of caps or famous World Cup performances. What really matters is individual quality. Bernd Schuster barely featured for the German team – he had an ongoing feud with the DFB – but you can’t argue with his sheer talent. For a decade, he was the prime midfielder in the Spanish Liga. First for Barcelona, then for Real Madrid. An organizer with a great vision and pass, Schuster gets the nod over Wolfgang Overath.


Attacking midfielder ~ Günter Netzer

This is, in many ways, an erroneous choice. Günter Netzer, for most of his career, played second fiddle in the German side to Wolfgang Overath, who was a starter in both the 1966 and 1974 World Cup finals. Overath was reliable, hard-working, better defensively – and for that reason German coaches often prefered playing him above Netzer, who was more lazy, refused to head the ball, and barely defended. But Netzer was an un-German playmaker of the purest kind. He had great vision, brilliant technique and a daring playing style. The one tournament where Netzer was a starter – Euro 1972 – is also the tournament Germany played its best football. And the most remarkable German club side in history – the Borussia Mönchengladbach of the early 70′s – was built around Netzer. As a pure admirer of the game, I could never vote for Overath over Netzer. Since Overath is already the reserve to Schuster, however, the reserve player on this position is the legendary captain of the 1954 World Cup triumph: Fritz Walter.


Right Forward~ Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

An all-round forward if there ever was one. Originally made impact with his dribbling skills, he quickly added scoring to his repertoire as well. Bundesliga topscorer on several occassions, Rummenigge also won Euro 1980 and reached two successive World Cup finals with Germany in the 1980′s - losing both of them. Twice chosen European footballer of the year, Rummenigge really can’t be absent from this team with his 96 caps and 47 goals for Germany. Takes the nodge above the legendary Uwe Seeler, who played in four World Cups.


Left Forward ~ Gerd Müller

The prime example of the tap-in king. Gerd Muller was a remarkably unremarkable player. But his goal stats are beyond belief. 62 games for Germany, 68 goals, for instance. And if the statisticians of the RSSSF are to be believed, Gerd Müller netted a grand total of 1461 goals in his career. And important goals too – the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, to name one. The embodiment of tor-instinct. And as such, a guaranteed starter in the German All-Time team – above, in his case, Jurgen Klinsmann.



Coach/Manager :- Franz Beckenbauer, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Joachim Loew.


Reserves include :-

Andreas Brehme, Jürgen Klinsmann, Sepp Maier, Uwe Seeler, Bernd Förster, Matthias Sammer, Paul Janes, Uli Stielike, Wolfgang Overath, Michael Ballack, Fritz Walter, Rudi Völler, Miroslav Klose and Mesut Özil.