There is no denying the fact that Bayern Munich have been one of the most successful clubs in the world since the 1970s. If 26 national titles weren't enough to prove their mettle, their numerous European wins, which include five European Cup/Champions League titles, cement their place among the top clubs in Europe.
Like most successful clubs, Bayern have more often than not based their squad around a core of national team players. In the 70s, it was the trio of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier, popularly known as the axis. The 80s was the era of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paul Breitner and Klaus Augenthaler whereas the 90s belonged to Lothar Mattheus and the vigorous Stefan Effenburg.
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Since the dawn of the millennium, football has seen the rise of many other illustrious names including Oliver Kahn, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller to name but a few.
Even with the presence of world-class German talent at their disposal, Bayern have had some foreign stars who have made Munich their second home and changed the club’s history forever. Here, we look at a starting XI consisting of these non-German Bayern Munich legends.
Goalkeeper – Jean-Marie Pfaff (Belgium)
If you ever think that Thibaut Courtois is the greatest goalkeeper Belgium have ever produced, then you probably haven’t heard the name of Jean-Marie Pfaff.
Pfaff gained popularity for his performances with K.S.K Beveran and the Belgian national team, which he represented in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. The fact that he is the only non-German goalkeeper to become the first choice for Bayern since their rise in the 1970s automatically gets him into this XI.
He enjoyed six successful seasons at Munich, winning three Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokals. He became the first player to win the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award in 1987.
Honourable Mention: Arpad Fazekas (Hungary)
Defence
Left Back – Bixente Lizarazu (France)
When talking about great left-backs, the name Bixente Lizarazu often gets overlooked considering the fact that he plied his trade in the same era as Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini. Still, no one can take away from the fact that he was an important member of France’s golden generation which went on to win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 European Championship.
His runs, crosses and tackles helped Bayern Munich win the UCL after a 25-year hiatus. Apart from this, he was instrumental in their five Bundesliga and five DFB Pokal victories during his eight seasons at Munich. Lizarazu is one of the two non-German players who have been inducted into the Bayern Munich Hall of Fame and therefore he has been chosen as the left-back of this team.
Honourable Mentions: David Alaba (Austria), Hasan Salihamidzic (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Centre Back – Lucio (Brazil)
Brazilian defender Lucio was the undisputed first choice for the centre back slot despite the fact that he stayed at the club for only five seasons. A man who nearly perfected the art of tackling, marking and heading, he could undoubtedly be considered the greatest South American centre back of the 21st century.
Although he had already made a name for himself as a part of the Brazilian national team that won the 2002 World Cup, it was at Bayer Leverkusen that Lucio's impressive displays drew the attention of top European clubs.
From there, he moved to Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles and three DFB Pokal cups. Lucio's natural leadership qualities, excellent technical skills and tenacious attitude earn him a place on this team.
Honourable Mentions: Daniel van Buyten (Belgium), Peter Pumm (Austria)
Centre Back – Samuel Kuffour (Ghana)
The only African footballer on this list, Kuffour will forever be remembered for beating the ground in frustration after Bayern’s 1999 UEFA Champions League final loss to Manchester United, a gesture that endeared him to Bayern supporters.
Kuffour joined Bayern Munich in 1993 at the age of 17 and stayed at the club for 11 seasons. His best performance came during the 2000-2001 season when he was an integral part of the Bayern Munich team that won the 2001 UCL title; he scored the winning goal in the 2001 Intercontinental Cup.
He won a host of other titles with Bayern aside from earning the glory of being the youngest defender to score in a Champions League match and making 72 Champions League appearances, a record for an African defender.
During his illustrious career, Kuffour earned several individual titles, including the BBC African Footballer of the Year award. He was also on the list of 30 Best African players of all time. But it's the heart and passion that he poured into the game, into every tackle he made, into every header he elevated towards, into everything that he did for his team, that earns him a place on this team.
Honourable Mentions: Martin Demichelis (Argentina), Robert Kovac (Croatia)
Right Back – Willy Sagnol (France)
Unlike some of the other positions in the starting 11, choosing a right back wasn’t an easy task considering the fact that the ones that missed out included names like Johnny Hansen, who alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier, won three consecutive European Cups, and Jorginho, who was a part of the 1994 WC winning Brazil squad. Yet, it’s the Frenchman Willy Sagnol who has been given this spot due to his decade-long service to the club.
Sagnol first came into the limelight as a part of Jean Tigana’s Monaco side which famously dumped Manchester United out of the Champions League in 1998. He joined Bayern Munich in 2000 and remained an integral part of the side for the next eight seasons.
Sagnol’s excellent crossing ability made him a key player in Bayern’s attacking play. Unfortunately, because of continuous trouble with his Achilles tendon, he had to end his football career on 1st February 2009. In his illustrious career, he managed to win a total of 13 trophies with Bayern.
Honourable Mentions: Johnny Hansen (Denmark), Jorginho (Brazil)
Midfield
Defensive Midfielder- Owen Hargreaves (England)
While most of the players on this list joined FC Bayern from other clubs, Owen Hargreaves remains the only name on this team who rose up from Bayern’s youth ranks itself. Born and raised in Canada to an English father and Welsh mother, he began attracting interest from scouts while playing for Calgary Foothills FC, ultimately earning himself a place in Bayern Munich’s prestigious youth academy.
There, Hargreaves moulded himself into a player with artifice qualities thanks to training with master craftsmen like Oliver Kahn, Stefan Effenberg and Lothar Matthäus.
A hardworking and solid defensive midfielder who worked tirelessly to win the ball, Hargreaves, till date, remains one of two English players to have won a Champions League medal with a non-English club, the other being Steve McManaman.
He played a crucial role in Bayern’s 2001 UEFA Champions League victory as he started the semi-finals against Real Madrid in the absence of Effenberg. His calm and composed performance not only earned him lots of plaudits, but also a permanent place in Bayern’s starting eleven.
Unfortunately, injury problems led to his downfall once he left Munich to play in England. His name is often brought up in conversations about promising careers tragically ended by injuries. Yet, the numerous accolades that he won at Bayern are a testimony to the fact that Hargreaves belonged to a very selective group of British footballers who made a name for themselves across the English channel.
Honourable Mentions: Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Ukraine), Xabi Alonso (Spain)
Central Midfielder – Mark van Bommel (Netherlands)
We need a box-to-box midfielder who can merge the attack with the defence and, to be honest, it was quite an easy choice to make. In the century-long history of the club, there has been, quite remarkably, only one non-German player to ever lead the side, the ‘Dutch Destroyer’ Mark van Bommel.
One of the greatest central midfielders of his generation, van Bommel was not only an expert tackler and ball winner but also boasted of a huge array of powerful shots and passes. He arrived at Bayern from Barcelona in 2006 with a huge reputation after winning the 2005-06 UCL with the Catalans.
At Bayern, he soon established himself as a key member of the side and in only his second season with the club, was named the Bayern Player of the Year, beating favourites like fellow Dutchman Roy Makaay and German midfielder Mehmet Scholl.
After the retirement of club legend Oliver Kahn, van Bommel was selected to succeed him as the captain. He spent a total of five illustrious seasons at Munich and carried the side to the 2010 UEFA Champions League finals. A true representative of Bayern’s fighting spirit and ruthless attitude, van Bommel easily earns the right to lead this elite team.
Honourable Mentions: Soren Lerby (Denmark), Daniel Pranjic (Croatia)
Attacking Midfielder – Ze Roberto (Brazil)
Having played nearly 12 seasons in Germany, Ze Roberto is without a doubt a Bundesliga legend. A man who left Flamengo at the age of 24 to join Bayer Leverkusen, Roberto also played for Hamburger SV.
Although primarily operating as a defensive player, his word-working nature, pace and versatility allowed him to play in a wide range of positions. He was given more creative freedom later in his career, being deployed as a left-winger or attacking midfielder.
Roberto was a part of the pre-tournament favourite Brazil squad during the 2006 World Cup that unceremoniously went out in the quarterfinals stage. Roberto’s incredible performance though earned him a spot in the World Cup All-Star team. His time at Bayern saw him win four Bundesliga titles and as many DFB Pokal cups.
Honourable Mentions: Conny Tortensson (Sweden), Branko Oblak (Yugoslavia)
Attack
Left Winger – Franck Ribery (France)
In the summer of 2009, Bayern received a bid of €65 million plus Jose Bosingwa from Chelsea for Franck Ribery, a deal that could have changed the history of European football. After nearly a decade’s service, one could say that Bayern’s GM Uli Hoeness took a wise decision by not letting Ribery leave the club.
The fact that Zinedine Zidane himself called Ribery the ‘Jewel of French Football’ proves that he is one of the greatest wingers ever to play for the Les Blues. Ribery came to prominence at Marseille, as a result of which he was signed by Bayern Munich in 2007. Since then he has remained an integral part of a dominant Bavarian side that has won a record five consecutive Bundesliga titles.
Ribery’s best performances came during the 2012-13 season when Bayern won the historic treble. He won the ‘UEFA Best Player in Europe’ award in 2013, the first player outside of La Liga to do so.
Honourable Mentions: Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Paulo Sergio (Brazil)
Right Winger – Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
It’s impossible to imagine Franck Ribery at left wing with someone other than Arjen Robben on the right. A pair as popular in football as Xavi-Iniesta or Rivaldo-Ronaldo, ‘Robbery', as they are popularly called, have been terrorising opposition defences for nearly a decade.
Known for his speed, dribbling and bullet left foot, Robben was a journeyman, honing his trade in various parts of Europe, before finding a home at Munich in 2009. It was here at Bayern Munich that he grew from being a potential star into one of the greatest players of the 21st century.
Even at the age of 33, he is as fast and destructive as ever. Opposition managers still haven’t found a solution to him cutting inside and effortlessly driving the ball past the goalkeeper into the net. He more than made up for the penalty miss in the 2012 UCL final by giving a Man of the Match-worthy performance at the same stage the very next year.
Honourable Mentions: Brian Laudrup (Denmark), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)
Striker – Giovane Elber (Brazil)
Choosing a striker was the most difficult task seeing as the players competing for this position included Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro and Roque Santa Cruz. But keeping in mind every aspect of the game, ranging from goal-scoring to longevity to match-winning performances, ’The Samba Striker’ Giovane Elber is the perfect choice.
Elber’s career in Europe started with AC Milan at the age of 18, but he gained a reputation at Stuttgart, where he formed the magic triangle alongside Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic. His prolific nature earned him a transfer to Bayern, where, out of six full seasons, he was the club’s top scorer in five. Elber played an important role in Bayern’s 2001 European conquest as he was the club’s top scorer with six goals.
Most importantly, he successfully carried forward the legacy of Gerd Muller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Roland Wohlfarth, something which now lies in the safe hands of another world class forward, Robert Lewandowski.
Honourable Mentions: Roy Makaay (Netherlands), Claudio Pizzaro (Peru), Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
