By James Cormack
Germany's perennial underdog is steeped in history and silverware, with Borussia Dortmund's ability to acquire and nurture supreme talent playing a major role in their success.
While there's an undeniable appreciation of their fleeting superstars, such admiration from the club's fervent Yellow Wall pales in comparison to the adoration for its loyal servants: the one-club men.
Dortmund is a special club that so many have found impossible to detach from, although some have cruelly departed in favour of the supposed silverware guarantee supplied by rivals Bayern Munich.
Here are the 25 greatest players in Borussia Dortmund's esteemed history.
25. Sven Bender
An underrated cog in Dortmund's engine room, Sven Bender made over 150 Bundesliga appearances in black and yellow, returning to the club in a coaching capacity more than a decade on from his playing debut.
A gritty, sound midfielder with a rather unspectacular profile, Bender suited Jurgen Klopp's aggressive, heavy-metal style immensely and his best years arrived while Klopp's Dortmund were at their peak at the start of the 2010s.
24. Sigfried Held
Sigfried Held enjoyed two spells in the Ruhr either side of his second stint with the lesser-known Kickers Offenbach.
The German had racked up 442 Bundesliga appearances by the time he opted to hang up his boots, over half of which came with Dortmund. Held was an instrumental figure for the club during what was regarded as a pre-modern golden era.
He was a crafty customer who could operate in several forward positions and was part of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup squad in 1966.
23. Christian Worns
Christian Worns was a seasoned Germany international by the time he joined Dortmund in 1998 having spent seven years at Bayer Leverkusen.
A steely and consistent defender regarded as one of the best German centre-backs of his generation, Worns played out the twilight of his playing career in Dortmund and was a key figure in the title-winning side of 2001/02.
22. Stefan Klos
Dortmund born-and-bred, Stefan Klos arrived in 1990 from minnows Eintracht Dortmund and would cement himself as one of the best goalkeepers the club has ever had on their books.
Klos made over 300 appearances for BVB and lifted six major honours in the 90s, including the Champions League in 1996. By the time he departed for Rangers in 1998, Klos had kept 114 clean sheets protecting the Dortmund goal.
21. Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze's 'wunder' years at Dortmund can only be looked upon with great melancholy given the path the German took. The academy product was the first of his kind to be poached by the big bad wolf from Bavaria having established himself as a superstar in front of the Yellow Wall.
Klopp took Gotze under his wing and ensured he played a major role during Dortmund's brief reign of dominance at the Bundesliga's summit. He was a masterful playmaker whose best work arrived as a teenager during the 2010/11 season.
After departing for Bayern in 2013, Gotze returned as Germany's World Cup hero in 2016, although injuries left the creative midfielder with a sense of unfulfillment.
20. Stephane Chapuisat
One of the 90s' great forgotten strikers, Stephane Chapuisat netted over 100 times for Dortmund and ranks 11th in the club's all-time scoring charts.
The Swiss forward embodied the workmanlike nature of the city in which he lived for eight years between 1991 and 1999. He was a tough frontman who certainly had the capacity to dazzle despite his rather gritty profile.
Chapuisat was Dortmund's leading man during a trophy-laden spell for the club and enjoyed two seasons as the Bundesliga's leading marksman.
19. Alfred Schmidt
Not to be confused with a prominent 20th-century German philosopher, Alfred 'Aki' Schmidt was the beating heart of BVB for the best part of a decade.
Schmidt operated as Dortmund's creative hub and inspired the club to DFK-Pokal success as well as the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1966.
He also became the first Dortmund player to captain the national team and was capped 25 times by his country.
18. Lukasz Piszczek
Signed on a free transfer from Hertha Berlin in 2010, Lukasz Piszczek would go on to establish himself as one of the world's most consistent right-backs for the best part of a decade.
The Poland international could fly forward and offer a source of final third production in his heyday but was always a sturdy defender who provided tremendous leadership.
Piszczek spent 11 years in the Ruhr, recording 264 Bundesliga appearances, 16 league goals and eight major honours.
17. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's prolific spell in Dortmund is almost forgotten given his future exploits at Arsenal.
The Gabonese sensation was at the peak of his powers during his five-year Bundesliga spell. Lightning-quick and unflappable in front of goal, Aubameyang typified the electricity often produced by the Yellow Wall on matchday.
He ended his Dortmund career with 98 Bundesliga goals in 144 games, scoring 56 times in the league during his final two full seasons at the club. The deadly striker was named BVB's Player of the Year for his work during the 2015/16 campaign.
16. Marcel Schmelzer
Loyalty is revered in these parts and one-club men are certainly dwindling in numbers.
Marcel Schmelzer, however, was Dortmund through and through.
The well-rounded left-back spent the entirety of his 14-year senior career in black and yellow, captaining the club for two years between 2016 and 2018. He played every single minute of Dortmund's Bundesliga-winning 2010/11 campaign and was a model of consistency for much of his tenure which lasted over 250 Bundesliga games.
15. Dieter Kurrat
An immensely popular figure in Dortmund, Dieter 'Hoppy' Kurrat spent nine years with the club in the 50s and 60s, amassing just shy of 400 appearances in black and yellow.
Kurrat was another instrumental figure during a period of pre-modern success. He operated as a diligent right-back and very rarely put a foot wrong as he claimed the Bundesliga title in 1963, DFB-Pokal in 1965 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup a year after that.
"In terms of stature he was the smallest. But for all of us he was the greatest," former Dortmund manager Dr. Reinhard Rauball commented after Kurrat's passing in 2017.
14. Sebastian Kehl
Now manoeuvring as a savvy operator within the club's hierarchy, Sebastian Kehl spent 14 years as a player in Dortmund, playing an unsung role in two successful eras.
BVB pipped Bayern Munich to Kehl's signature in 2002, with the midfielder joining a title-winning squad.
The German was a diligent customer who could provide midfield steel and sequences of distinct quality in possession. He was consistency personified and returned to prominence in 2011/12 as Dortmund lifted their second consecutive league title under Klopp, who'd made Kehl captain shortly after his arrival in 2008.
13. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is undoubtedly the most talented striker Dortmund have ever had on their books, with the Poland international netting 103 times for the club to rank 13th in the all-time scoring charts.
His legacy at Signal Iduna Park is tainted by his move to Bayern Munich, but the striker nonetheless enjoyed a whirlwind four years at Dortmund having joined the club for a meagre €4.5m in 2010.
He could've been a Blackburn Rover.
Lewandowski wasn't a major contributor in year one but was relentless thereafter. The striker scored 20 or more Bundesliga goals in three successive seasons but is best remembered by his quartet of strikes to sink Real Madrid in the 2012/13 Champions League semi-finals.
12. Karl-Heinz Riedle
Karl-Heinz Riedle ranks relatively low on the club's all-time scoring list, but his legacy in Dortmund has been secure since the 1997 Champions League final.
Revered for his ability in the air, the German forward scored just 24 Bundesliga league goals in black and yellow, but his brace against Juventus in Munich which helped the club to their first and only Champions League crown saw him immortalised at Signal Iduna Park.
11. Roman Weidenfeller
Roman Weidenfeller had big boots to fill when he joined the club in 2002, with the German goalkeeper tasked with replacing Jens Lehmann between the Dortmund posts.
453 appearances and five major honours later, it's fair to say Weidenfeller did a pretty sound job.
10. Lars Ricken
Dortmund love their one-club men and Lars Ricken was another.
Ricken set a litany of records as a teenager as he became the youngest Dortmund player to play, score, assist and more in a litany of competitions - feats that were later broken - and delivered perhaps the most iconic sequence in the club's history to secure Dortmund's sole Champions League success.
Ricken scored 69 times in just over 400 appearances for the club but his 14-year stint at Signal Iduna Park was defined by his audacious lobbed effort over Angelo Peruzzi merely 16 seconds after entering the 1997 Champions League final.
9. Stefan Reuter
Dortmund have produced their fair share of diligent right-backs, with none typifying the stereotype more than Stefan Reuter, who'd enjoyed spells at Bayern and Juventus before joining BVB in 1992.
Reuter was capped by his country 69 times and played out the remaining 12 years of his playing career in the Ruhr.
The full-back was an ever-present cog in the German teams that tasted glory on multiple occasions in the 90s, functioning as the ultimate do-it-all full-back. Reuter played over 300 times for Dortmund, winning three league titles and the 1996/97 Champions League.
8. Manfred Burgsmuller
Manfred Burgsmuller had started his senior career with an array of regional minnows before earning a big move to Borussia Dortmund in 1976.
The striker didn't taste any silverware during his seven years with the club but was remarkably consistent in front of goal. Burgsmuller's lowest scoring league campaign was 14 during his debut 1976/77 season. He reached the 20-goal milestone in four seasons, peaking in 1980/81 when he scored 27 times.
By the time he departed for FC Nurnberg in 1983, Burgsmuller had scored 158 times for the club and he's now their fourth all-time leading goalscorer.
7. Mats Hummels
Mats Hummels couldn't shake off the allure of silverware in Munich, but the defender is doubtlessly one of the best Dortmund have had on their books.
The German established himself as one of Europe's best in his position during his first spell and, despite fears that he was over the hill upon his return, Hummels has purred in his twilight vintage.
While never the most athletic, Hummels' aerial ability, reading of the game and underrated work with the ball more than compensate.
The centre-back has appeared over 500 times in black and yellow across two spells and enjoyed a legacy-defining 2023/24 season.
6. Andreas Moller
Andreas Moller enjoyed a glittering career, especially with the national team. The creative midfielder earned 85 caps over an 11-year period, competing at five major tournaments.
The German playmaker had three separate spells at Eintracht Frankfurt but was undeniably at his apex during his six-year stint at Dortmund between 1994 and 2000.
Moller is perhaps one of the most underrated players of his generation. He was subtle in possession but also extraordinarily quick which rendered him unique compared to other number 10s of his day. He was supreme with both feet and somewhat of a set-piece specialist.
'Turbo' claimed eight major honours 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.
5. Alfred Preissler
Throwing it back to the 50s here, with Alfred Preissler's legacy at Dortmund speaking for itself.
Preissler was the leading marksman for the teams that secured back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 1956 and 1957. The striker played 274 times for the club and remains Dortmund's all-time leading goalscorer with 177 goals.
4. Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc spent the entirety of his 17-year career with his hometown club and retired in 1998 having notched a club-record 572 appearances and scoring the second-most goals ever (159).
A mere seven caps for Germany point towards a midfielder who perhaps wasn't the most gifted of his time, but Zorc was nonetheless a BVB stalwart who was unflappable from 12 yards.
Zorc was a tremendous leader, too, and remains Dortmund's longest-serving captain, wearing the armband for nine years.
3. Jurgen Kohler
A national team regular who earned over 100 caps for his country, Jurgen Kohler was a defensive stalwart and one of the 90s' finest centre-halves.
The German operated as what the Italians would call a 'stopper', often using his stellar man-marking ability and impressive physical capacities to shut out opponents. Kohler was a cerebral defender who combined the brutish nature of the position with its modern finesse.
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.
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 more than Marco Reus.
After returning to the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012 having spent much of his youth career in black and yellow, Reus immediately established himself as a fan favourite. His style with the ball rendered him irresistible and a stellar debut season would set the tone for a fabulous 12-year career with BVB.
There's a sense of tragedy within Reus' Dortmund story, however, given all the injury setbacks, the near-misses and cruel departures of adored teammates. His farewell at the end of the 2023/24 season depicted a man utterly cherished and there's not a football lover who doesn't hold at least a hint of admiration for Dortmund's great contemporary playmaker.
1. Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer was not a local hero, nor did he spend two decades in black and yellow, but the defender's achievements during his five-year spell with the club are unassailable.
The defender was well-established by the time he signed from Inter 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 a litany of roles, although his best work arrived while functioning as a sweeper. Sammer forged a stout relationship with the steely Kohler and his mastery of the now-extinct role saw him earn the most lucrative of honours.
Sammer was twice named Germany's Footballer of the Year during his spell with BVB and, following a stellar 1996/97 season which culminated in Champions League glory, Sammer became the first defender in 20 years to win the Ballon d'Or.
READ THE LATEST BUNDESLIGA NEWS, RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Borussia Dortmund legends: The best Borussia Dortmund players of all time.
