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The Bundesliga has been dominated by Bayern Munich in recent times. But in the meantime, we have also seen Borussia Dortmund grow to be one of the elite teams in the top five leagues.
The initial years of the UEFA Champions League in the 21st century saw Bundesliga sides Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen featuring in the finals consecutively. When Bayern Munich won the 2001 Champions League title, Leverkusen ended up as the runners-up the following year.
Unlike the other leagues in Europe's top-five leagues, the Bundesliga features a total of eighteen teams and not twenty.
The top-flight in Germany have a majority of their influential players playing for either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. The league has seen some big arrivals along side club graduates. Without further ado:
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Let's take a look Top five Bundesliga Players in the 21st Century.
#5 Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich's goalkeeper has found himself in the limelight for quite some time now. While the world was busy finding the best between Juventus' Buffon and Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, Neuer beat them both to rise as the best goalkeeper in the world recently.
In 2013, Manuel Neuer beat Iker Casillas to grab a spot in the FIFPro World Men's XI. The Real Madrid star lost the spot to his competitors after featuring in the FIFPro team five times in a row (2008-2012).
The German national team and Bayern Munich's success saw Manuel Neuer be the recipient of numerous individual honors. He won the German national player of the year in 2020.
The 2014 World Cup Golden Glove winner came close to winning the Ballon d'Or the same year. However, he finished behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
#4 Marco Reus
Arguably, we can consider Marco Reus to be one of the most loved German/Bundesliga players of all time. While his slick hairstyle and charming face adds to his off-the-field popularity, his on-field heroics have made Reus popular in the realm of modern football.
The Dortmund captain is also the epitome of club loyalty. Performing at a consistent level within the league handed the Yellow and Blacks' forward an opportunity to join Bayern Munich and re-unite with his former companion Robert Lewandowski.
However, Reus turned down the offer and decided to play in the Dortmund outfit for the remainder of his career.
The three-time Bundesliga player of the season is also a regular Bundesliga team of the season inductee.
#3 Bastian Schweinsteiger
The eight-time Bundesliga champ is one of the few players to have kissed on almost every trophy that exists in the world of football.
Having had an equally illustrious club and national career, Bastian Schweinsteiger remains one of the best-ever Germans in the history of the sport.
The FC Bayern Munich Hall of Fame inductee left the Bundesliga to join Manchester United. With whom he won the UEFA Europa League in 2017.
Nicknamed the Midfield Motor, Schweinsteiger's limitless endurance was looked upon by many. His versatility was incomparable and he was capable of switching roles as per the demand of the situation.
Because of his playing style, Bastian didn't end up on the scoresheet quite often but those who observe the game know the former number seven's contribution has always been massive. Here's what his national coach said about Bastian recently:
He (Bastian Schweinsteiger) was certainly one of the greatest players Germany had. Each one of us must have a picture of him in our head and that's the game.
#2 Robert Lewandowski
Bayern Munich's goal machine Robert Lewandowski grabs the second spot on our list. Lewandowski has been running goal riots across all competitions for the past few seasons.
The suspension of the 2020 Ballon d'Or is said to have denied the Polish his much-awaited and well-deserved trophy. Nevertheless, with his constant form, it seems to be only a matter of time until Lewandowski wins the coveted individual award in the world of football.
The four consecutive Bundesliga golden boot winner is also the second-most goal-getter in the history of the Bundesliga. He is the top scoring foreigner in the German League.
Since his switch to the Bavarian side, Lewandowski has scored 203 goals in 219 Bundesliga appearances.
#1 Philipp Lahm
The 2014 World Cup-winning captain from Germany has had a distiguished trophy-laden career. However, there is one personal achievement that stands out. It is an achievement that defines the greatness behind the name — Philipp Lahm.
Despite being a defender, Phillip Lahm has never earned a red card throughout his career. By throughout his career, we mean 652 club and 113 international appearances!
This shows the level of talent the individual possessed. Lahm's impeccable career made him one of the best defenders and leaders of all time and the former German captain enjoyed a career without a shadow of doubt over him ever.
This concludes our list of the Top 5 Bundesliga Players of the 21st Century. Share your thoughts on the same.
