Germany's Greatest XI of All Time

The goalkeeper who permanently changed what the position means. Neuer's sweeper-keeper role in 2014 — rushing off his line, intercepting through balls, effectively acting as a third centre-back — was so successful that every top club in Europe spent the following decade trying to replicate it. 2014 World Cup winner. The most influential goalkeeper of the 21st century.

Pep Guardiola called him the most intelligent player he ever managed. Lahm played both right-back and left-back at the highest level, then reinvented himself as a central midfielder when Bayern needed it. 2014 World Cup winner and captain. His reading of the game — always in the right position, rarely beaten — defined the era of the complete full-back.

The Der Kaiser. Rated joint-highest among all defenders in the database. Beckenbauer essentially invented the libero role — a sweeper who carried the ball forward, dictated tempo, and functioned as an extra midfielder from deep. World Cup winner as a player in 1974 and as a manager in 1990. No German player before or since has had a comparable impact on how the game is understood.

The highest-rated German centre-back in the database outside of Beckenbauer. Led Germany's defensive organisation at Euro 2024 on home soil, commanding and composed in possession. The 2020s German squad has defensive depth across multiple positions — Tah is its anchor.

Scored the penalty that won Germany the 1990 World Cup final against Argentina. That one moment would be enough to cement his place in history. But Brehme was also one of the most complete left-backs of his era — comfortable on either foot, an excellent crosser, and a reliable defender. The goal at the Stadio Olimpico remains one of the defining images in German football.

Started as a right-back under Guardiola, became the best defensive midfielder in European club football at Bayern. His ability to break up play, recycle possession under pressure, and cover enormous ground in both directions makes him the engine of modern Germany. The 2020s squad's most important player.

The most capped German player of all time, with 150 international appearances spanning five World Cups. Won the Ballon d'Or in 1990, the same year he captained Germany to World Cup glory. A box-to-box midfielder who could dominate games physically and technically, then reinvented himself as a sweeper in his thirties. The definition of longevity at the elite level.

Four Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, a World Cup with Germany in 2014. Kroos's passing accuracy in those Real Madrid sides — in tight spaces, under pressure, from deep — was statistically the most precise in elite football for a decade. He retired in 2024 after winning Euro 2024 with Germany on home soil. A pass-completion rate that statisticians still use as a benchmark.

The highest-rated German attacker of the 2020s generation. Technically exceptional, capable of playing anywhere across the front three, and the player who gave Germany's Euro 2024 campaign its creative identity. At 21, already one of the most sought-after players in European football. His ceiling is not yet visible.

Der Bomber. 68 international goals in 62 appearances — a ratio that has never been matched at elite level. Won the 1970 World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, then won the tournament itself in 1974. His movement in the box — the sudden change of direction, the instinctive finish — was so idiosyncratic that no one has successfully taught it. Numbers like his simply don't exist in modern football.

Born in Stuttgart, raised in England, chose Germany — and immediately became one of the most exciting players in European football. His dribbling in tight spaces is reminiscent of players a generation older. At Bayern and for Germany, Musiala consistently produces in the moments that matter. The face of the post-Kroos German era.