The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 755 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 6th most number of Soccer Players behind Spain, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous German Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Soccer Players.

1. Franz Beckenbauer (1945 - 2024)

With an HPI of 80.92, Franz Beckenbauer is the most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 92 different languages on wikipedia.

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (German pronunciation: [fʁants ˈʔantoːn ˈbɛkn̩ˌbaʊɐ] ; 11 September 1945 – 7 January 2024) was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed der Kaiser ("the Emperor"), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper (libero). Twice named European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany, playing in three FIFA World Cups and two European Championships. He is one of three men, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo and France's Didier Deschamps, to have won the World Cup as a player and as a manager; he lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European Championship at the international level and the European Cup at the club level. He was named in the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020, the IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team in 2021, and in 2004, was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world's greatest living players. At club level with Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967 and three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. The latter feat made him the first player to win three European Cups as captain of his club. He became team manager and later president of Bayern Munich. After two spells with the New York Cosmos he was inducted into the US National Soccer Hall of Fame. Beckenbauer led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup and chaired the organizing committee. He worked as a pundit for Sky Germany, and for 34 years as a columnist for the tabloid Bild, both until 2016. Beginning August 2016, he was investigated for fraud and money laundering in connection with the 2006 World Cup. The investigation was closed without a verdict in 2020 as the statute of limitations expired. Beckenbauer was born in the post–World War II ruins of Munich, the second son of postal-worker Franz Beckenbauer, Sr. and his wife Antonie (née Hupfauf). He grew up in the working-class district of Giesing. Beckenbauer was raised as a Catholic, and was an altar boy in the Munich-Obergiesing parish. Despite his father's cynicism about the game, Beckenbauer started playing football at the age of nine with the youth team of SC Munich '06 in 1954. Originally a centre forward, he idolised 1954 FIFA World Cup winner Fritz Walter and supported local side 1860 Munich, then the pre-eminent team in the city, despite their relegation from the top league, the Oberliga Süd, in the 1950s. "It was always my dream to play for them" he would later confirm. That he joined the Bayern Munich youth team in 1959, rather than that of his favourites' 1860 Munich, was the result of a contentious Under-14 youth tournament in nearby Neubiberg. Beckenbauer and his teammates were aware that their SC Munich '06 club lacked the finance to continue running its youth sides, and had determined to join 1860 Munich as a group upon the tournament's conclusion. Fortune decreed that SC Munich and 1860 would meet in the final and a series of niggles during the match eventually resulted in a physical confrontation between Beckenbauer and the opposing centre-half. The ill-feeling this engendered had a strong effect upon Beckenbauer and his teammates, who decided to join Bayern's youth side rather than the team they had recently come to blows with. In 1963, at the age of 18, Beckenbauer was engulfed by controversy when it was revealed that his then girlfriend was pregnant and that he had no intention of marrying her; he was banned from the West Germany national youth team by the DFB and only readmitted after the intervention of the side's coach Dettmar Cramer. Beckenbauer made his debut with Bayern in a Bundesliga promotion play-off match on the left wing against FC St. Pauli on 6 June 1964. In his first season in the Regionalliga Süd ("Regional League South", then the second level in Germany), 1964–65, the team won the league and was eventually promoted to the Bundesliga. Bayern soon became a force in the new German league, winning the German Cup in 1966–67 and achieving European success in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. Beckenbauer became team captain for the 1968–69 season and led his club to their first league title. He began experimenting with the sweeper (libero) role around this time, refining the role into a new form and becoming perhaps the greatest exponent of the attacking sweeper game. During Beckenbauer's tenure at Bayern Munich, the club won three league championships in a row from 1972 to 1974 and also a hat-trick of European Cup wins (1974–76) which earned the club the honour of keeping the trophy permanently. Beginning in 1968, Beckenbauer was called "der Kaiser" ('the Emperor') by fans and the media. The following anecdote is told (even during his lifetime by Beckenbauer himself) to explain the origin: On the occasion of a friendly game of Bayern Munich in Vienna, Austria, Beckenbauer posed for a photo session right beside a bust of the former Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. The media called him Fußball-Kaiser ('football-emperor') afterwards, and soon he was just called der Kaiser. According to a report in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, this explanation is untrue, though very popular. According to the report, Beckenbauer fouled his opposite number, Reinhard Libuda from Schalke 04, in the cup final on 14 June 1969. Disregarding the fans' hooting, Beckenbauer took the ball into the opposite part of the field, where he balanced the ball in front of the upset fans for half a minute. Libuda was commonly called König von Westfalen ('king of Westphalia'), so the press looked for an even more exalted moniker and invented der Kaiser. In 1977, Beckenbauer accepted a lucrative contract to play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with the New York Cosmos, playing alongside Pelé in his debut season. He played with the Cosmos for four seasons up to 1980, and the team won the Soccer Bowl on three occasions (1977, 1978, 1980). Beckenbauer retired after a two-year spell with Hamburger SV in Germany (1980–82) with the win of the Bundesliga title that year and one final season with the New York Cosmos in 1983. Beckenbauer won 103 caps and scored 14 goals for West Germany. He made his debut in a World Cup qualification match against Sweden in Stockholm on 26 September 1965, with West Germany winning 2–1. Beckenbauer scored his first goals for the West Germany national team against the Netherlands on 23 March 1966 at De Kuip, Rotterdam; he scored twice as West Germany won 4–2. He was a member of the World Cup squads that finished runners-up in 1966, third place in 1970, and champions in 1974, while also being named to the tournament all-star team in all three editions. He also won the 1972 European Football Championship and finished as runners-up in the 1976 edition. Beckenbauer's first game for the national team came on 26 September 1965. Beckenbauer became the most capped player for the German national team in 1973, he beat Uwe Seeler's record of 72 matches and was overtaken by Lothar Matthäus in 1993. Beckenbauer appeared in his first World Cup in 1966, playing every match. In his first World Cup match, against Switzerland, he scored twice in a 5–0 win. West Germany won their group, and then beat Uruguay 4–0 in quarter-finals, with Beckenbauer scoring the second goal in the 70th minute. In the semi-finals, the Germans faced the USSR; Helmut Haller opened the scoring, while Beckenbauer netted the second goal of the match, his fourth goal of the tournament, thus contributing to a 2–1 win and helping West Germany advance to the Wembley Stadium final against hosts England. He and Bobby Charlton were instructed by their respective managers to man-mark each other, thus cancelling out each other's play. England went on to win the final and the Jules Rimet Trophy in extra time. Still, Beckenbauer was nominated the Best Young Player of the tournament, while also being awarded the Bronze Boot, together with Ferenc Bene, Geoff Hurst and Valeriy Porkujan. West Germany won their first three matches before facing England in the second round in a rematch of the 1966 final. The English were ahead 2–0 in the second half, but a spectacular goal by Beckenbauer in the 69th minute helped the Germans recover and equalise before the end of normal time and win the match in extra time. West Germany advanced to the semi-finals to face Italy, in what would be known as the Game of the Century. He dislocated his shoulder after being fouled, but he was not deterred from continuing in the match, as his side had already used their two permitted substitutions. He stayed on the field carrying his dislocated arm in a sling. The result of this match was 4–3 (after extra time) in favour of the Italians. Germany defeated Uruguay 1–0 for third place. Beckenbauer became captain of the national side in 1971. In 1972, West Germany won the European Championship, beating the Soviet Union 3–0 in the final. The 1974 World Cup was hosted by West Germany and Beckenbauer led his side to victory, including a hard-fought 2–1 win over the hotly favoured Netherlands side featuring Johan Cruyff. Beckenbauer and his fellow defenders man-marked Cruyff so well that the Dutch were never quite able to put their "Total Football" into full use. Beckenbauer became the first captain to lift the new FIFA World Cup Trophy after Brazil had retained the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970. This also gave West Germany the distinction of being the first European national team to win the European Championship and World Cup consecutively (two other countries have done it since: France in 2000, and Spain in 2010). In the 1976 competition, West Germany again reached the final, where they lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia. Beckenbauer was selected in the Team of the Tournament. Beckenbauer retired from international football in 1977, at the age of 31, following his move to New York Cosmos. On his return to Germany, Beckenbauer was appointed manager of the West Germany national team to replace Jupp Derwall on 12 September 1984. He took the team all the way to the final of the 1986 World Cup, where they lost to the Diego Maradona inspired Argentina. In 1990, before the German reunification, Beckenbauer managed the last Germany national football team without East German players in a World Cup, winning the final 1–0, against Argentina, in a rematch of the previous World Cup final. Beckenbauer was one of three men (with Mario Zagallo, and Didier Deschamps) to have won the Cup as player and as manager, and he is the first man and one of only two (with Didier Deschamps) to have won the title as team captain as well as manager. Beckenbauer then moved into club management and accepted a job with Olympique de Marseille in 1990, but left the club midway through his first season. Marseille won the 1990–91 French championship and ended runner-up of the 1990–91 European Cup under the management of his successor, Raymond Goethals. From 28 December 1993 until 30 June 1994, and then from 29 April 1996 until 30 June of the same year, Beckenbauer managed Bayern Munich. His brief spells in charge saw him collect two further honours – the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup in 1996. In 1994, Beckenbauer took on the role of club president at Bayern, and much of the success in the following years has been credited to his astute management. Following the club's decision to change from an association to a limited company, he was chairman of the advisory as of since the beginning of 2002. He stepped down as president of Bayern in 2009, being succeeded by long-time general manager Uli Hoeneß. In 1998, Beckenbauer became vice-president of the German Football Association. At the end of the 1990s, Beckenbauer headed the successful bid by Germany to organize the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He chaired the organizational committee for the World Cup and was a commentator for the Bild-Zeitung. In June 2014, Beckenbauer was banned by FIFA Ethics Committee for 90 days from any football-related activity for allegedly refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption dealing with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. He protested the ban, as he had requested the questions that were put to him be in German and in writing. The ban was lifted after Beckenbauer agreed to participate in FIFA's inquiry. In February 2016, Beckenbauer was fined CHF 7,000 and warned by FIFA Ethics Committee for failing to cooperate with the inquiry in 2014. In March 2016, the Ethics Committee opened formal proceedings against Beckenbauer regarding the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup to Germany. In the course of investigations, Swiss officials also found evidence of a payment of at least 1.7 million euro, allegedly from the South African Football Association, to Beckenbauer, via Gibraltar. It was claimed this was a consultancy fee for helping secure the hosting of the 2010 World Cup for South Africa. It also emerged that Beckenbauer, who had claimed to be working for free for the World Cup Organizing Committee of the German Football Association (DFB), had been paid 5.5 million from the income of a sponsorship deal that the German Football Association had made with betting company Oddset in 2004. No tax had been paid in Germany on the money until the authorities chanced upon it in 2010. Beckenbauer stated he had already paid the tax due on his share in Austria, where he was tax resident. In 2021, FIFA closed its ethics inquiry against Beckenbauer as the statute of limitations expired. In October 2019, Black Mirror Leaks published email correspondence of Russian member of Parliament, Sergey Kapkov, where Beckenbauer and his adviser, Fedor Radmann, were named as recipients of €3 million for their votes in favour of Russia as host of the 2018 World Cup. Both allegedly received an additional €1.5 million in success fees after the 2018 cup was allocated to Russia. In 1976, Beckenbauer paid 1.6 million D-Marks in back taxes. He had relied on advice to shelter income from tax using a financial structure which was later found to be invalid. In this instance, he was not fined. He claimed in his memoir that the Bavarian Finance Minister Ludwig Huber, who had attended Beckenbauer's 30th birthday party in 1975, had given him tax advice, including about moving to Switzerland. Huber was also president of the state-owned bank and approved a loan of 1 million D-Marks to enable him to pay the back-taxes. In 1982, Beckenbauer moved to Austria, where tax rates were lower. In 1987, Beckenbauer was fined by Swiss authorities for evading taxes while living in Switzerland between 1977 and 1980. During his playing career, Beckenbauer's popularity was such that he was included as a character in Monty Python's sketch "The Philosophers' Football Match" as the sole genuine player and a "surprise inclusion" to the German team. During the match, between famous Greek and German philosophers, instead of actually playing football, the "players" walk in circles contemplating philosophy, while "asking questions", a popular phrase used by English football commentators, much to the confusion of Beckenbauer. In a 2013 advertisement for South Korean company Samsung, Beckenbauer appeared as the manager of a Galaxy XI of football players from around the globe, and hands the captain's armband to Lionel Messi. Beckenbauer features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series; he was included in the FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Legends. Beckenbauer was married three times and had five children, one of whom, Stephan, was a professional footballer, who died from a brain tumour on 31 July 2015, at the age of 46. Stephan's son Luca is also a professional footballer, playing for SV Wacker Burghausen in the Regionalliga Bayern. Beckenbauer was a Catholic. After appearing in an advertisement for a mobile phone company, Beckenbauer specifically requested the number 0176 / 666666 for his mobile phone. He was soon called by several men who thought it was a phone sex number (in German, "6" translates to "sechs", sounding similar to "sex"). Beckenbauer became an honorary consul of Kosovo in 2011, to help promote Kosovo's campaign for membership of UEFA and FIFA. In 2016 and 2017, Beckenbauer had cardiac surgery, and received an artificial hip in 2018. At the end of his career as a Bundesliga player, Beckenbauer established the foundation Franz-Beckenbauer-Stiftung in Hamburg on 15 May 1982 to support the disabled, the sick and people in need. He gave the foundation the gate money of 800,000 DM from his farewell match on 1 June 1982 (Hamburger SV versus Germany national team, which the national team won 4–2), and later added another 200,000 DM. In total, Beckenbauer raised more than 20 million euros for the foundation. His wife, Heidrun, is chairman of the foundation. Beckenbauer died on 7 January 2024, at the age of 78, due to natural causes as announced by his family in a note sent to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. A memorial service was held at Allianz Arena on 19 January. Beckenbauer is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game. He is the only defender in football history to win the Ballon d'Or twice, and is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero, a defensive player who intervenes proactively in the offensive game of his team. Named European Footballer of the Year twice, Beckenbauer was chosen on the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002. An icon in Germany, and one of only three men (Mário Zagallo and Didier Deschamps being the others) to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager, Beckenbauer was lauded by former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder for winning the World Cup as a player in 1974, winning as manager in 1990, and for playing a leading role in Germany's success of achieving host status of the 2006 World Cup. His reputation as an administrator was later tarnished by repeated allegations of bribery. When Beckenbauer praised Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2019, Klopp said he felt that he had been given knighthood by a king. After his death in 2024, La Gazzetta dello Sport declared Beckenbauer to be the "greatest defender ever", and was praised by many outlets to be one of the greatest players of all time. Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Beckenbauer goal. As of 22 January 2014 Bayern Munich Regionalliga Süd: 1964–65 Bundesliga: 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 DFB-Pokal: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71 European Cup: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup: 1966–67 Intercontinental Cup: 1976 New York Cosmos North American Soccer League: 1977, 1978, 1980 Hamburger SV Bundesliga: 1981–82 West Germany FIFA World Cup: 1974; runner-up: 1966; third place: 1970 UEFA European Championship: 1972; runner-up: 1976 West Germany FIFA World Cup: 1990; runner-up: 1986 UEFA European Championship Third place: 1988 Marseille Ligue 1: 1990–91 Bayern Munich Bundesliga: 1993–94 UEFA Cup: 1995–96 Player Ballon d'Or: 1972, 1976; runner-up: 1974, 1975; third place: 1966 Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1966, 1968, 1974, 1976 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award: 1966 FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1966 FUWO European Team of the Season: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 FIFA XI: 1968 Sport Ideal European XI: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 NASL Most Valuable Player Award: 1977 FIFA Order of Merit: 1984 UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 1972, 1976 World Team of the 20th Century: 1998 FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002 FIFA Centennial Player and Football Personality Award: 2004 FIFA 100: 2004 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: 2007 IFFHS Universal Genius of World Football: 2007 Golden Foot: 2010, as football legend Marca Leyenda: 2012 FIFA Presidential Award: 2012 UEFA President's Award: 2012 World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013 UEFA Euro All-time XI: 2016 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll second place: 2004 France Football's Football Player of the Century sixth place: 1999 World Soccer Greatest Players of 20th century fourth place: 1999 Eric Batty's World XI: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 IFFHS All-time Men's World Dream Team: 2021 IFFHS All-time Men's European Dream Team: 2021 IFFHS Men Team of the Century (1901–2000): 2021 IFFHS World Player of the Century third place: 2000 IFFHS European Player of the Century second place: 2000 IFFHS Legends: 2016 Bayern Munich All-time XI: 2005 Germany's Sports Hall of Fame: 2008 Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020 Manager World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year: 1990 World Soccer 29th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013 Sportsperson Placar (2013): "Biggest genius" in the history of football List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps List of UEFA Cup winning managers Hesse-Lichtenberger, Ulrich (2002). Tor! The Story of German Football. London: WSC Books. ISBN 0-9540134-3-3. Beckenbauer, Franz and Dettmar Cramer, Nicht nur ein Spiel! Reinbek: Rowohlt, 2006, ISBN 3-498-00640-1. Körner, Torsten, Franz Beckenbauer – der freie Mann. Scherz, Frankfurt 2005, ISBN 3-502-18391-0. Kratzert, Armin: Beckenbauer taucht nicht auf. Roman. Kirchheim Verlag, München 2012, ISBN 978-3-87410-119-6 Kummermehr, Petra (Hrsg.): Das Buch Franz. Botschaften eines Kaisers. Diederichs, München 2011, ISBN 978-3-424-35063-0. Suling, Nils (4 November 2023). Wir Helden von Rom. Die wahre Geschichte der WM 1990 – erzählt von den Weltmeistern (in German). Edel Sports - ein Verlag der Edel Verlagsgruppe. ISBN 978-3-98588-080-5. Franz Beckenbauer Foundation (in German) Facts on Beckenbauer (in German) Franz Beckenbauer at fussballdaten.de (in German) Portrait of Franz Beckenbauer at Germany's Sports Hall of Fame (in German) Portrait of Franz Beckenbauer

2. Gerd Müller (1945 - 2021)

With an HPI of 77.15, Gerd Müller is the 2nd most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 84 different languages.

Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛʁt ˈmʏlɐ]; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A prolific striker, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the sport. With success at club and international level, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. At international level with West Germany, he scored 68 goals in 62 appearances, and at club level, in 15 years with Bayern Munich, in which he scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches, he became—and still is—record holder of that league. In 74 European club games he scored 65 goals. Averaging over a goal a game with West Germany, Müller was, as of 11 July 2021, 21st on the list of all time international goalscorers, despite having played fewer matches than every other player in the top 48. Among the top scorers, he has the third-highest goal-to-game ratio. He also had the highest ratio of 0.97 goals per game in the European Cup, scoring 34 goals in 35 matches. Nicknamed "Bomber der Nation" ("the nation's Bomber") or simply "Der Bomber", Müller was named European Footballer of the Year in 1970. After a successful season at Bayern Munich, he scored ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup for West Germany where he received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, before winning the 1970 Ballon d'Or. In 1972, he won the UEFA European Championship and was the top goalscorer, scoring two goals in the final. Two years later, he scored 4 goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, including the winning goal in the final. Müller held the all-time goal-scoring record in the World Cup with 14 goals for 32 years. In 1999, Müller was ranked ninth in the European Player of the Century election held by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and he was voted 13th in the IFFHS' World Player of the Century election. In 2004, Pelé named Müller in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

3. Lothar Matthäus (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 69.85, Lothar Matthäus is the 3rd most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 76 different languages.

Lothar Herbert Matthäus (German pronunciation: [ˈloːtaʁ maˈtɛːʊs] ; born 21 March 1961) is a German football pundit and former professional player and manager. He captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award. He was also included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020. Matthäus was the first outfield player, and second overall after Antonio Carbajal, to appear at five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998); he remains one of only six male players to have done so, along with Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Andrés Guardado. He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988 and 2000 UEFA European Championships. In 1999, aged 38, Matthäus was again voted German Footballer of the Year, having previously won the award in 1990. Matthäus is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany) in 20 years, and 23 goals. Matthäus is a member of the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé. Diego Maradona said of Matthäus, "He is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him." A versatile and complete player, Matthäus is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense and well-timed tackling, as well as his powerful shooting. During his career, he usually played as a box-to-box midfielder, although late in his career he played as a sweeper.

4. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 69.14, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is the 4th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (German: [ˌkaʁlˈhaɪnts ˈkalə ˈʁʊmənɪɡə]; born 25 September 1955) is a German football executive and former professional player. Considered one of the greatest German footballers, he was also the longtime Chairman of Executive Board of FC Bayern München AG, a daughter company of German Bundesliga team Bayern Munich. As a player, Rummenigge had his greatest career success with Bayern Munich, where he won the Intercontinental Cup, two European Cups, as well as two league titles and two domestic cups. He also won two Ballon d'Or awards, in 1980 and 1981. A member of the West Germany national team, Rummenigge won the 1980 European Championship and was part of the squad that finished runner-up in the 1982 FIFA World Cup and at the 1986 World Cup. Rummenigge is a former chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), serving in that capacity from 2008 until 2017. He also served as representative of the ECA to the UEFA Executive Committee from 2021 to 2024.

5. Jürgen Klinsmann (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 68.50, Jürgen Klinsmann is the 5th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 70 different languages.

Jürgen Klinsmann (German pronunciation: [ˈjʏʁɡn̩ ˈkliːnsˌman]; born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the unified German team that won the UEFA Euro 1996. As a manager, he managed the German national team to a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was subsequently coach of a number of other teams including, notably, Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, the United States national team, and the South Korea national football team. Considered one of Germany's premier strikers during the 1990s, Klinsmann scored in all six major international tournaments he participated in for Germany, from the UEFA Euro 1988 to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 1995, he came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award; in March 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers". In 2016, he became the fifth player to be named as honorary captain of Germany.

6. Uwe Seeler (1936 - 2022)

With an HPI of 67.16, Uwe Seeler is the 6th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Uwe Seeler (German pronunciation: [ˈuːvə ˈzeːlɐ]; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in German football history, Seeler was named one of FIFA's 100 greatest living players by Pelé in 2004. He was the first football player to be awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

7. Oliver Kahn (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 66.75, Oliver Kahn is the 7th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 75 different languages.

Oliver Rolf Kahn (German: [ˈɔlɪvɐ ˈkaːn]; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in the professional squad. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for the fee of DM 4.6 million, where he played until the end of his career in 2008. His commanding presence in goal and aggressive style earned him nicknames such as Der Titan ([deːɐ̯ tiˈtaːn], "The Titan") from the press and Vol-kahn-o ("volcano") from fans. Kahn is one of the most successful German players in recent history, having won eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Cup in 1996, the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup, both achieved in 2001. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, his individual contributions have earned him a record four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards, as well as three IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper awards, and two German Footballer of the Year trophies. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Kahn became the only goalkeeper in the tournament's history to win the Golden Ball. Kahn placed fifth in both the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century and Best Goalkeeper of the Past 25 Years elections. From 1994 to 2006, Kahn was in the Germany national team, in which he played as a starter after the retirement of Andreas Köpke, he was an unused member of the squad that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, although Germany were not among the tournament favourites, Kahn's prowess, despite being injured, in goal was key to reaching the final, where Germany lost 0–2 to Brazil. Kahn made a mistake on Brazil's first goal; nonetheless, he received the Golden Ball as player of the tournament. On 1 July 2021, he became the CEO of Bayern Munich and was sacked on 27 May 2023.

8. Paul Breitner (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 65.95, Paul Breitner is the 8th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages.

Paul Breitner (German pronunciation: [ˈpaʊ̯l ˈbʁaɪ̯tnɐ]; born 5 September 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and left-back. Considered one of the best full-backs of all time, and one of the best players of his era, Breitner was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. In 2004 he was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration. Breitner was capped 48 times for West Germany and was an integral part of the team that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the final. He also scored in the final of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, making him one of only five players to have scored in two different World Cup final matches, the others being Pelé, Vavá, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé. He was known for his partnerships with Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Berti Vogts in defence for the national team, and his midfield combination with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for Bayern Munich. Breitner has been working as a commentator, pundit and columnist in Germany since retiring and is also an advisor to the Bayern management board.

9. Rudi Völler (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 65.79, Rudi Völler is the 9th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 54 different languages.

Rudolf "Rudi" Völler (pronounced [ˈfœlɐ]; born 13 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player, who is currently the director of the Germany national team. In Germany, he is nicknamed "Tante Käthe" ("Aunt Kathy"), a name bestowed upon him by Thomas Berthold, and in Italy, he is nicknamed "Il tedesco volante" ("The flying German") by supporters of Roma. A forward, Völler began his professional career at Kickers Offenbach, before joining 1860 Munich, and he was top scorer of the 2. Bundesliga in the 1981–82 season. He went on to play for Werder Bremen, where he was noted for his consistent goalscoring, becoming the top scorer of the Bundesliga in the 1982–83 season. Völler moved abroad, firstly transferring to Serie A club Roma and then to Ligue 1 club Olympique Marseille. At Roma, he won the Coppa Italia and was runner-up of the UEFA Cup during the 1990–91 season; he was also top scorer of both these tournaments. At Marseille, he won the French title and the Champions League in the 1992–93 season, but following a match fixing scandal, the club were stripped of their league title and were relegated in 1994. The same year, Völler returned to his native country, ending his career at Bayer Leverkusen. Völler made his debut for the Germany national team, then known as West Germany, in 1982. He represented his country at three FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships each, during a successful period for Die Nationalmannschaft. Völler played in two consecutive World Cup finals, both of which were against Argentina, and he won the trophy in 1990. At the time of his retirement in 1994, he was Germany's second highest goalscorer behind Gerd Müller; he is now joint-fourth with Jürgen Klinsmann, having been surpassed by Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. After retiring as a player with Bayer Leverkusen, he became the sporting director of the club until 2000, where he was the interim manager for twelve matches, before being succeeded by Berti Vogts. He was then appointed caretaker manager of the Germany national team, despite his lack of coaching experience. In the wake of the drug scandal that involved the preferred choice of the DFB, Christoph Daum, Völler was ultimately kept on, and was able to lead Germany to the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, where they lost to Brazil. Along with Mário Zagallo, Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps, Völler has the distinction of reaching a World Cup final as both a player (1986 and 1990) and as a manager (2002). Following a group-stage exit at UEFA Euro 2004, Völler resigned as manager, after which he had a short-lived spell as manager of his former club Roma. He later returned to Leverkusen, where he was briefly interim manager again, and became the club's sporting director for the second time, a position he held until 2022. In February 2023, he was appointed director of the Germany national team.

10. Andreas Brehme (1960 - 2024)

With an HPI of 65.36, Andreas Brehme is the 10th most famous German Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Andreas "Andi" Brehme (German pronunciation: [anˈdʁeːas ˈʔandiː ˈbʁeːmə]; 9 November 1960 – 20 February 2024) was a German professional football player and coach. At international level, he is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina from an 85th-minute penalty kick. At club level, Brehme played for several teams in Germany and also had spells in Italy and Spain. A versatile attacking full-back with an eye for goal, Brehme was capable of playing anywhere along the flank on either side of the pitch, and was known for his crossing ability, ambidexterity, and his accuracy from free-kicks and penalties, possessing a powerful shot.

People

Pantheon has 903 people classified as German soccer players born between 1872 and 2005. Of these 903, 777 (86.05%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German soccer players include Lothar Matthäus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Jürgen Klinsmann. The most famous deceased German soccer players include Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, and Uwe Seeler. As of April 2024, 147 new German soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Werner Peter, Heinz Stuy, and Klaus Wunder.