Top 10 greatest players of all time: Borussia Dortmund

In this article, we present to you our pick of the ten greatest-ever male players to ever represent Borussia Dortmund.

Despite being Germany’s perennial underdogs, BVB are one of the most successful clubs in European football. They have won eight league titles, five DFB-Pokals, one UEFA Champions League, one Intercontinental Cup, and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. 

The key to Dortmund’s success lies in their ability to acquire and nurture some of the most exciting talent to ever grace the sport. They’re a special club many have found impossible to detach from, although some have found it easier to depart the Black and Yellow shores in favour of the increased silverware guarantee assured in particular by Bayern Munich.

While there’s an undeniable appreciation for their fleeting superstars, such admiration from the club’s passionate fanbase pales in comparison to the adoration for their loyal long-term servants. 

In order to make this list, we’ve taken a very specific set of criteria into account, which factors in the following:

• Impact
• Longevity
• Statistics
• Trophies

#10 Lars Ricken 

The Dortmund faithful love their one-club men. Lars Ricken happens to be one of them. 

Ricken set a long list of records as a teenager when he became the youngest Dortmund player to play, score, and assist in various competitions. These feats were later broken, but he delivered the club perhaps the most iconic moment in their history as he helped them secure their sole Champions League title to date.

Ricken scored 69 times in just over 400 appearances for the club during his 14-year stint at Signal Iduna Park. He was part of on the most successful eras in BVB history, winning three German Bundesliga titles, two DFL SuperCups, one Intercontinental Cup, and the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League. 

#9 Stefan Reuter 

There have been many great right-backs who’ve had the honour of playing for the Black and Yellow army, though none fit the stereotype more aptly than Stefan Reuter, who’d enjoyed spells at Bayern and Juventus before joining BVB in 1992.

A regular starter for the Germany national team, Reuter was capped by his country 69 times, winning both the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 European Championships.

The fullback was an ever-present cog in the BVB setup that tasted glory on multiple occasions in the ’90s, functioning as the ultimate do-it-all fullback. Reuter played over 300 times for Dortmund, winning three league titles and the 1996/97 Champions League.

#8 Manfred Burgsmüller 

Manfred Burgsmüller had to fight his way through some lower-division teams before earning a big move to Borussia Dortmund in 1976. Although the striker didn’t taste any silverware during his seven years with the club, he was remarkably consistent for them in front of goal. 

Burgsmüller’s lowest-scoring league campaign was 14, which was his debut campaign in 1976/77. He broke the 20-goal milestone on four different occasions, peaking in 1980/81, when he scored 27 times. He holds the record for scoring double-figure goals for eleven consecutive seasons—a record bettered only by the legendary Gerd Müller. 

By the time he departed for Nürnberg in 1983, Burgsmüller had scored 158 times for the club and still remains fourth in their list of all-time leading goalscorers.

#7 Mats Hummels

Regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, Mats Hummels is a large, consistent, and physically strong player. With his powerful tackling and strength in the air, as well as his positional sense, ability to read the game, and intercept loose balls, Hummels more than makes up for relative his lack of pace. 

The veteran German established himself as one of Europe’s best in his position during his first BVB spell. Despite fears that he was over the hill upon his return to Signal Iduna Park, Hummels purred in his twilight vintage. The centre-back appeared over 500 times in Black and Yellow across his two spells and recently enjoyed a legacy-defining 2023/24 season as Dortmund made the Champions League final.

#6 Andreas Möller 

Andreas Möller is perhaps one of the most underrated players of his generation. Möller was a talented, versatile, and complete advanced playmaker known for his exhilarating sprinting speed.

Nicknamed “Turbo Möller”, the German possessed a wide range of passing, creativity, vision, intelligence, and technical ability. His agility, reactions, and reading of the game enabled him to play first–time killer  passes.

Möller enjoyed a glittering career, especially with the German national team. The creative midfielder earned 85 caps over an 11-year period, competing at five major tournaments. He claimed eight major honours during his time at Signal Iduna Park, scoring 61 times in 212 appearances. He was also the Bundesliga’s top assist provider in 1995/96 and subsequently named in the Team of the Season.

Also read: Chelsea FC’s top 10 greatest players of all time

#5 Alfred Preissler

Alfred Preissler’s legacy at Dortmund speaks for itself. Despite hanging up his boots in 1959, Preissler is still BVB’s leading all-time goalscorer with 177 goals across all competitions.

Preissler was the leading marksman for the BVB sides that secured back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 1956 and 1957. The striker played a total of 274 times for the club across two stints and scored 177 goals. 

#4 Michael Zorc 

Another one-club man that the Black and Yellow faithful adore, Michael Zorc spent the entirety of his 17-year career with his hometown club and retired in 1998 after a club-record 572 appearances, also landing at third for the most goals scored by a BVB player (159).

A defensive midfielder with a penchant of scoring crucial goals with expert penalty-taking abilities, Zorc was a Dortmund stalwart who was unflappable from 12 yards. The former BVB sporting director was a tremendous leader, too, and remains Dortmund’s longest-serving and most successful captain, having worn the armband for nine years.

#3 Jürgen Kohler 

Regarded by experts as one of the best defenders of his generation, Kohler was a complete and physically-strong centre-back who was famed for his defensive perception, anticipation, quick reactions, and marking apart from his tactical awareness. 

A national team regular who earned over 100 caps for Germany, Kohler was a defensive stalwart and one of the finest centre-backs of the ’90s. He spent seven years at Dortmund, playing a crucial role on their way to Champions League glory in 1997. In the wake of this triumph, Kohler was named Germany’s Footballer of the Year. He also won two Bundesliga titles, two DFL SuperCups, and one Intercontinental Cup. 

#2 Marco Reus

Dortmund have possessed their fair share of loyal servants over the years, but none quite boasted the bond and rapport with the Yellow Wall as much as Marco Reus did.

After returning to the club from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, having spent much of his youth career at Dortmund, Reus immediately established himself as a fan favourite. For 12 years, he was also the person everybody looked up to in the dressing room.

But there’s a sense of tragedy in Reus’s Dortmund story, given all the injury setbacks, near-misses, and cruel departures of adored teammates he had to endure. In the end, Reus left BVB after the 2023/24 season with 170 goals—second on the BVB all-time top scorers’ list—along with two DFB-Pokals and DFL SuperCups each. 

#1 Matthias Sammer 

Known for his exceptional defensive skills, including his ability to read the game, make interceptions, and tackle effectively, Matthias Sammer is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. 

Sammer was well-established by the time he signed for BVB from Inter Milan and would blossom into one of the best of his generation under Ottmar Hitzfeld’s guidance. Hitzfeld utilised Sammer’s versatility and well-rounded profile to the highest degree. He was used in various roles, although he produced his best work functioning as a sweeper. 

During his five-year trophy-laden stint with BVB, Sammer was twice named Germany’s Footballer of the Year. Following a stellar 1996/97 season which culminated in Champions League glory for Dortmund, Sammer became the first defender in 20 years to win the Ballon d’Or.