Attack
Left Winger – Franck Ribery (France)
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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)
