Best Dortmund XI of all time

Founded in 1909, Borussia Dortmund has been one of the most successful German teams and in fact one of the most popular clubs in football, during the past 111 years. The club enjoyed a successful era in the formative years of Bundesliga back in the 60s but they truly became a powerhouse of German football in the 90s when they went toe to toe with Bayern Munich and even managed to win the Champions League.

Dortmund has always been a club that rather than buying great players, they tend to develop them, which has been the club’s main policy in the past decade. Now we have sorted through some of these great players and chosen the best as to make up our

best Dortmund XI of all time

. So without further ado,let’s see who are these players.

Dortmund Best XI of All Time

Now there may be a lot of great players that we have left out of our Dortmund best XI of all time, but it’s important to note that we have simply chosen the players that have impacted the club the most in their respective positions. So here they are:

Goalkeeper: Roman Weidenfeller

A true servant of the club, Roman Weidenfeller has experienced it all with Dortmund during his 16-year career at Dortmund, which started in 2002. He has seen Dortmund experience some of its worst seasons in recent memory but also has helped them to a couple of titles as well as a Champions League final appearance. Weidenfeller is naturally the first player in our Dortmund best 11 of all time.

The problem with being a German goalkeeper is that no matter how good you are, there is always a generational talent better than you that competes for the same spot in the Germany’s squad. For Weidenfeller that player was Manuel Neuer but that didn’t stop him being absolutely sensational for the

Die Schwarzgelben

as well as winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany, although he didn’t feature in any matches.

Weidenfeller made 453 appearances for Borussia Dortmund over 16 seasons, becoming the club’s 2nd leading appearance maker of all time behind Michael Zorc. he helped Dortmund win two Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokals as well as a Champions League final appearance, establishing himself as a club legend and totally deserving of a spot on the best Dortmund XI of all time.

Left Back: Dede

The left back spot of our

Dortmund all-time greatest XI

goes to the Brazilian Dede, who was unfortunate enough to play the same position as Roberto Carlos, one of the best full backs of all time, but when it came to club football, Dede gave everything for Dortmund on the pitch during his 13 years at the club and became a popular figure among BvB fans.

Dede joined Dortmund from Atletico Mineiro in 1998 while being only 20 years old and stuck with

through thick and thin for better part of a decade and a half. While being competent in defense, Dede became a true threat while going forward and was one of the best attacking fullbacks of his generation, which made him a real fan-favorite.

With 398 appearances for Dortmund, Dede is 5th in BvB’s all-time appearance makers. He helped Dortmund win 2 Bundesliga titles in 2002 and 2011 as well as reach UEFA Cup final and DFB-Pokal once, all of which they ended up losing. Although injury plagued his later years in BvB colors, Dede’s place in best Dortmund XI of all time could not be taken by anybody else, because the Brazilian was simply just that good!

Right Back: Stefan Reuter

Easily the most decorated player on our list of Dortmund all-time greatest XI is Stefan Reuter who played for both

and Dortmund and was successful with both but is perhaps more remembered for his long career with Dortmund. A quick and agile fullback, Reuter was a versatile player who could also be deployed as either a defensive midfielder or a center back but his main position was the right back role in which he excelled at, for both club and country.

Reuter started his career at

in 1984 and played 100 matches for them before joining Bayern Munich in 1988. There he won 2 Bundesliga titles in the span of three seasons before joining Juventus for a single 1991-92 season. his return to Bundesliga saw him not join his old team Bayern, but their rivals Dortmund, where he remained for 12 seasons before retiring from playing football in 2004.

Reuter was an integral part of BvB’s golden generation and helped them win 3 Bundesliga titles as well as a Champions League title. he also helped Dortmund reach 2 UEFA Cup finals, both of which they lost. Reuter was also really successful at International level, having made 69 appearances for Germany and helping them win the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996.

Nicknamed Turbo for his exceptional pace, Reuter ended his Dortmund career in 2004 after 410 appearances for them. He is now the general manager at FC Augsburg.

Center Back: Jürgen Kohler

One of the finest center backs of the 90s, Jurgen Kohler is our choice center back of

Dortmund greatest XI of all time

. Kohler had a similar career path to Stephen Reuter as they both were teammates at Bayern Munich, Juventus and Dortmund. He started his career in 1983 at Waldhof Mannheim and then joined

, where he caught the eye of Bayern Munich and eventually joined the Bavarian side in 1989.

A Bundesliga title and two seasons later he, alongside Reuter, joined

but unlike Reuter, Kohler enjoyed a fairly long career at Juve where he won a Double of league and cup in 1994-95 as well as a UEFA Cup, two years prior against his future team, Dortmund. Kohler joined Dortmund in 1995 and became a staple of Dortmund’s golden era and the club’s finest ever center back.

In his 7 seasons and 243 appearances for Dortmund, Kohler won 2 Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy against his former club Juventus as well as an Intercontinental Cup. he also helped Dortmund reach a UEFA Cup final in his last season as a player where he famously was sent off and Dortmund lost the match.

A defender who was great in the air but also was one of the first ball-playing center backs, which was a trend that started in 90s, Kohler was also an accomplished international who made 105 appearances for Germany, having played in 3 World Cups and 3 Euros. He won the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996 and will always be one of Mannschaft’s greatest players and totally deserving of a spot in best Dortmund XI of all time.

Center Back: Mats Hummels

Originally a product of Bayern Munich’s youth academy, Hummels has spent his entire career exclusively at Bayern and Dortmund but it’s safe to say that he became the player he is today by playing for the Schwarzgelben. Hummels initially joined Dortmund in 2007 on loan, which Dortmund made permanent after a season. from then on Hummels quickly found his way to the first team and became one of the most important players of Jurgen Klopp era of Dortmund.

Because of his great technical abilities, such as dribbling and his ability to pick a pass and initiate build up plays, as well as his exceptional defensive timing and perception, Hummels quickly became one of the best central defenders in Europe during the 2010s, which led to his success both at the club and international level.

In his first stint with Dortmund, Hummels helped the club win 2 Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal as well as a Champions League final appearance which they lost to Bayern. He then joined Bayern Munich aned enjoyed 3 successful seasons, winning 3 Bundesliga titles as well as a DFB-Pokal before he returned to Dortmund in 2019.

As of writing this article, Hummels has made over 380 appearances for Dortmund as well as 70 for Germany’s national team. He has helped Germany win the 2014 World Cup and still is counted amongs the world’s best defenders, which is absolutely why he is amongst the

best Dortmund XI of all time

!

Defensive Midfielder: Matthias Sammer

The only player who won a Ballon d’Or whilst being at Dortmund is Michael Zorc’s partner in midfield, Matthias Sammer. Starting his career in East Germany and Dynamo Dresden, Sammer got his big break when he helped

win their first Bundesliga in 1991-92. He then had a brief spell at

in 1992 but returned to Germany and this time to Dortmund where he stayed for the rest of his career.

Although originally a midfielder, Sammer was moved by Ottmar Hitzfeld, BvB’s then-manager, to play in a sweeper role and it paid off as Dortmund won 2 back to back Bundesliga titles between 1994 and 1996. SAmmer played the same role for Germany in Euro 96, where he was named Player of the Tournament and Germany were champions. Later that year he won the Ballon d’Or and a few months later he captained Dortmund in the final of Champions League as they won the title against Juventus.

Sammer suffered a career ending knee injury in 1998 and retired from football shortly after, having played 156 games for Dortmund in which he scored 23 times. after his retirement he became Dortmund’s manager from 2000 to 2004 and led the club to another Bundesliga title in the 2001-02 season, cementing his place as not only a player amongst best Dortmund XI of all time but also a true BvB legend.

Central Midfielder: Michael Zorc

Now here is a true legend of Borussia Dortmund, a man that has dedicated his life to the club since he was 16 years old. Michael Zorc, who is a product of BvB’s youth academy, spent his entire playing career at Dortmund between 1981 and 1998, becoming the club’s all-time leading appearance maker, with 561 appearances, and 3rd all-time goal scorer, with 155 goals.

Zorc was an all-around midfield player who had a bit of everything. His exceptional leadership qualities saw him as Dortmund’s captain between 1989 and 1997, which was BvB’s most successful period. He was also a great penalty-taker which has resulted in many of his goals for Dortmund. Unlike many of the players on this however, Zorc’s talents were not so appreciated at international level as he only made 7 appearances for the Mannschaft.

During his 17 seasons as a BvB player, Zorc led the club to 2 Bundesliga trophies, 1 DFB-Pokal and a Champions League title as well as an Intercontinental Cup. he retired from football in 1998 and immediately became the sporting director of Dortmund and has established a culture of developing youth players at the club, which has resulted in 3 more Bundesliga titles and many great players coming out of Dortmund. He is truly a legendary figure at Borussia Dortmund and totally deserving of a spot on our

Dortmund best XI of all time

.

Central Midfielder: Andreas Moller

Next up amongst

Dortmund best 11 of all time

is a figure who might not be very popular amongst Dortmund fans, since he left BvB to join their arch-rivals

, but there can be no denying Andreas Moller’s immense talent, who was the creative force behind that great era of Dortmund in the 90s.

Andy Moller was a superb attacking midfielder that had excellent passing ability with great ball-carrying capabilities and exceptional vision which allowed him to be one of the best playmaker of his generation. on top of these, Moller was an aerial threat from set-pieces and could strike powerful shots with both his feet which allowed him to score often. This in turn allowed him to even sometimes be deployed as a second striker.

During his 9 seasons at Dortmund over the course of two spells at the club, Andy Moller won 2 Bundesliga titles, 1 DFB-Pokal and a Champions League title, being one of the pillars of that successful team. He was also extremely successful with Germany as he helped them win the 1990 World Cup and 1996 Euros, establishing himself as one of the greatest German players ever and among our best Dortmund XI of all time.

Left Winger: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabonese striker, who currently plays for

, may not be a beloved figure among Dortmund fans but there is no denying his exceptional talents either as a winger or a striker. Joining a Dortmund side who had just lost the Champions League final in 2013, Aubameyang had his work cut out for him to prove his years at Saint Ettiene and Ligue 1 could be repeated at the more intense Bundesliga.

And Auba didn’t cave under pressure as he started scoring left, right and center, despite not being BvB’s main striker. His numbers got even better when Robert Lewandowski left Dortmund and Aubameyang came to lead the line. Between 2015 and 2017, Aubameyang managed to score an incredible tally of 79 goals for Dortmund, establishing himself as one of the greatest strikers of this generation.

Although Aubameyang always did his part, unfortunately for him and Dortmund, they were always up against a strong Bayern Munich side that always hogged all the glory. Although he did manage to win Bundesliga top scorer award as well as Player of the Year in 2015-16 as well as leading Dortmund to a DFB-Pokal a year later. Aubameyang scored 141 goals in 213 appearances for Dortmund and is currently their 5th all-time leading goal scorer.

Striker: Stéphane Chapuisat

One of the greatest Swiss players of all time and a prolific striker for both club and country, Stéphane Chapuisat is the guy that leads the line in our Dortmund greatest XI of all time as he did for Dortmund during the 1990s. Chapuisat’s career was entirely spent at Swiss and German teams, with him making a name for himself at

before coming to Dortmund in 1991.

Chapuisat started his Dortmund career great as he netted 20 goals in the Bundesliga in his debut season and he kept scoring consistently throughout his 7 seasons with BvB. A player with great technique and speed, Chapuisat was very much a modern striker like many that emerged in the 90s, capable on the ball with a great eye for goal.

Stéphane Chapuisat appeared in 278 matches for Dortmund and scored 122 goals, becoming their joint 10th all-time leading goal scorer. He helped Dortmund win two back to back titles between 1994 and 1996 before leading them to a historic Champions League title in 1996-97 season. there may have been strikers with more goals in BvB’s history but Chapuisat gets to be our striker in

best Dortmund XI of all time

.

Right Winger: Marco Reus

Last but not the least in the slightest is Borussia Dortmund’s current captain and leader, the exceptional Marco Reus. Although originally a Dortmund youth player, Marco Reus had to leave the club in order to get first team football and he did so, first at Rot Weiss Ahlen and then

. After an exceptional season in 2011-12, where he was named Bundesliga Player of the Season, Reus joined his childhood team, Dortmund, in the January of 2012.

Reus is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the last decade and could very well be the best player of his generation among his German compatriots but sadly his career has been hampered by injury.

is as much a prolific scorer as he is a superb playmaker, making him extremely dangerous in any forward position that he is deployed in. his partnership with the likes of Lewandowski, Aubameyang and now Haaland has wreaked havoc in Bundesliga. Reus’ silky smooth touch and phenomenal technique is simply something that no football fan would get tired of seeing!

Unfortunately for him though, he has not yet achieved his dream of winning the Bundesliga with Dortmund but he has managed to win the DFB-Pokal with them as well as pick up 2 Bundesliga Player of the Season awards. As of writing this article, Marco Reus has made 305 appearances for BVB and has scored 134 becoming the club’s 8th all-time leading goal scorer. He is already a Dortmund legend and he gets the final spot in our best Dortmund XI of all time.

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