The German Bundesliga since its inception in 1963, has galvanized into one of the best and most followed leagues in the world with world-class players gracing the championship every weekend.
Before a centralised league was birthed in 1962, the German football pyramid was divided into regional tiers that represented Berlin, North, South, Southwest and West of Germany.
Following Germany’s ouster at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in the quarter-final, the German Football Association comprised of 103 members and 129 delegates birthed a centralised league in Germany.
The inaugural Bundesliga campaign got underway on 24, August 1963, and since then the league has become a stage for some of the most renowned, well-followed and successful clubs in the history of the league.
Winning the prestigious Bundesliga trophy by the eventual champions in Germany every season is an arduous task, as such in this article, we pay homage to the 10 most successful players in the league.
- 1. Thomas Muller – (12 Titles)
- 2. Manuel Neuer – (11 Titles)
- 3. David Alaba & Robert Lewandowski (10 Titles)
- 4. Franck Ribery, Jerome Boateng & Javi Martinez – (9 Titles)
- 5. Coman, Ulreich, Kimmich, Kahn, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Robben & Scholl – (8 Titles)
- 6. Bernd Dreher – (8 Titles)
- 7. Thiago Alcantara & Rafinha – (7 Titles)
- 8. Alexander Zickler – (7 Titles)
- 9. Lothar Matthaus & Klaus Augenthaler – (7 Titles)
- 10. Hummels, Starke, Badstubar, & Pizzaro – ( 6 Titles)
1. Thomas Muller – (12 Titles)
Bayern Munich, being one of the renowned clubs in Germany have won the Bundesliga a record 33 times.
Interestingly, out of the 33 trophies won by the Bavarian giant, the local boy has been an important feature in the club’s last 12 league titles starting with the 2010 success.
Looking at Muller’s monumental success, places him as the most decorated player in the history of the German Bundesliga with a total of 12 titles, winning the league in 2010 and claiming 10 in a row since 2013.
In the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign, Muller equalled the Bundesliga record for most games won, previously held by teammate and legend of the club Manuel Neuer.
2. Manuel Neuer – (11 Titles)
Manuel Neuer, a sweeper goalkeeper who is believed to have revolutionized the act of goalkeeping in football, is the second most successful player in the history of the Bundesliga.
Like Muller, Neuer has also been an ever-present player in the Bundesliga and the Bayern Munich team that clinched 10 straight titles since 2013 before Bayern Leverkusen upstaged the Bavarian giant last season.
Since Neuer already bid farewell to the national team recently and Bayern Munich is in imperious form under a new manager, he could be on his way to winning his 12th Bundesliga title this season.
3. David Alaba & Robert Lewandowski (10 Titles)
Next to Manuel Neuer in terms of Bundesliga success are two former teammates David Alaba and Robert Lewandowski, who are currently plying their trade in La Liga.
Alaba started out with the Bavarian giant with the youth system, playing for the U-17 and U-19 teams respectively having joined from Austria Wien’s reserve team before being promoted to the first team.
As one of the lethal strikers in the history of the Bundesliga, Lewandowski was signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and went on to become a legend of the club and likewise the league.
Both Alaba and Lewandowski left the German giant as champions to continue their respective careers elsewhere having won 10 titles respectively.
4. Franck Ribery, Jerome Boateng & Javi Martinez – (9 Titles)
These three renowned players won a total of nine Bundesliga titles respectively with Bayern Munich, with Ribery winning in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2019 while Boateng and Martinez won theirs from 2013 to 2021.
All of these players may not be part of the Bavarian giant contingent anymore, however, their names will never be forgotten in the history of the Bundesliga for their contributions.
Historically, you can’t talk about the most successful players in the league since its inception in 1963 without mentioning players from the Bavarian giant.
5. Coman, Ulreich, Kimmich, Kahn, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Robben & Scholl – (8 Titles)
Five former teammates have been champions eight times respectively with Bayern Munich, putting them side by side with the above names in terms of monumental success in the Bundesliga.
Even though the era and time in which these players won their respective titles differ, yet they’re ranked equally as the most successful players in the history of the prestigious league.
While players like Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich could still increase the number of their Bundesliga titles, the stack reality is that they are a legend of the league.
6. Bernd Dreher – (8 Titles)
When Bernd Dreher joined the German giant in 1996 from Bayer Uerdingen, he understood what he was going to meet with Sven Scheuer as the team number one goalie.
However, the presence of Sven didn’t deter him but rather spurred him to give his best as a second-choice goalie with Die Roten.
The legendary goalkeeper Dreher, has laid his hands on a total of 21 trophies with Bayern Munich, equalling Oliver Kahn and Mehmet Scholl’s record of eight Bundesliga titles.
Dreher, however, shared a record of six DFB Cup successes with another legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, including his triumphs in the Champions League, World Club and League Cup which includes seven titles in total.
7. Thiago Alcantara & Rafinha – (7 Titles)
Thiago Alcantara is arguably one of the finest midfielders and passers the game has ever seen graced the hollowed pitches of the European clubs.
He was forged at the renowned Barcelona’s La Masia but chose to make a name for himself at Bayern Munich where he won a total of seven Bundesliga titles before he left.
As for Rafinha, a Brazilian like Thiago Alcantara who decided to represent the Spanish national team, also won seven Bundesliga titles playing as a full-back for the Bavarian giant throughout his career at Bayern Munich.
8. Alexander Zickler – (7 Titles)
Of the 69 goals the legendary Alexander Zickler scored in his illustrious career at Bayern Munich, his last-minute winner against Kaiserslautern would never be forgotten by Die Rotten faithful who saw him grace the arena.
The lanky forward didn’t only donned Die Rotten colour with panache and glamour, he did that as champions winning a total of seven Bundesliga titles.
9. Lothar Matthaus & Klaus Augenthaler – (7 Titles)
Lothar Matthaus, a European champion and World Cup-winning captain with Die Mannschaft couldn’t have asked for a reputable team to triumph as a professional footballer than Bayern Munich.
The legendary midfielder who was born in Erlangen started his career at Borussia Monchengladbach, but however, forged his cult-statue at Bayern Munich where won seven championships.
Klaus Augenthaler is another brilliant player whose contribution to Die Roten earned him a place in the club’s Hall of Fame.
The lanky and sweeper defender pursued and harvested honours like no other player, making him one of the most successful players in the history of the Bundesliga.
Auge made 404 appearances for Bayern Munich and 27 for Die Mannschaft, scoring 52 top-flight goals throughout his illustrious career.
10. Hummels, Starke, Badstubar, & Pizzaro – ( 6 Titles)
All of these players are without mincing word a legends of the championship, who have also contributed their quota to the Bundesliga.
Mats Hummels, is arguably one of the best defenders Germany has ever produced, donning the colours of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund before moving to Roma this summer.
His time at Bayern Munich didn’t turn out well featuring in just 21 league games, before moving to join arch-rival Borussia Dortmund where he also won league and cup titles with the Signal Iduna Park outfit.
Badstubar, Starke and Pizzaro could boldly boost being a successful player throughout their illustrious careers in the Bundesliga winning six championships respectively.
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