I came up with the following "Best of Eleven" for various Bundesliga epochs based more or less on my gut feeling (criteria for inclusion: a minimum of two seasons have to be played): 1963 to 1969 (covering seasons 1963-64 to 1968-69) - --------- 11 Emmerich------9 G.Müller------8 Seeler-------7 Held ----------------------10 Overath-----------6 Netzer --------------3 Höttges----4 Weber-----5 Beckenbauer-----2 Vogts -----------------------------------1 Wolter 1970 to 1974 (covering seasons 1969-70 to 1973-74) -----------------11 Heynckes--9 G.Müller------7 Libuda -----------------8 U.Hoeness---10 Netzer-----6 Wimmer -----3 Breitner----4 Schwarzenbeck---5 Beckenbauer----2 Vogts -----------------------------------1 Nigbur 1975 to 1979 (covering seasons 1974-75 to 1978-79) --------------11 K.Rummenigge----9 Fischer------7 Simonsen ------------------8 Keegan---------10 Grabowski-----6 Bonhof -------------3 Dietz-----4 Rüssmann-----5 Beckenbauer------2 Vogts ------------------------------------1 Hellström 1980 to 1984 (covering seasons 1979-80 to 1983-84) --------------------- 11 K.Rummenigge-------9 Völler -------------8 Cha----10 Sigurvinsson-----6 Breitner---7 Littbarski -------------3 Briegel------4 K.Förster-----5 Pezzey-----2 Kaltz --------------------------------------1 Franke 1985 to 1989 (covering seasons 1984-85 to 1988-89) ---------------------------11 K.Allofs-------9 Klinsmann --------------------8 Lerby------------------------------7 Hässler -------------------------------------10 Matthäus ---------------3 Brehme------------------------------------2 Reuter ---------------------------6 Buchwald-------4 Kohler ----------------------------------5 Augenthaler --------------------------------------1 Köpke 1990 to 1994 (covering seasons 1989-90 to 1993-94) ------------------------------11 Kirsten-------------9 Yeboah ---------------------------------10 Bein------------7 Möller -------------------------4 Sammer----8 Matthäus----6 Effenberg -------------------------------3 Helmer-------2 Buchwald ------------------------------------------5 Binz ------------------------------------------1 Stein 1995 to 1999 (covering seasons 1994-95 to 1998-99) ------------------------------11 Polster---------9 Elber ---------------------8 Herzog------10 Balakov------7 Scholl --------------------------------4 Soldo----------6 Effenberg -------------------------------3 Julio César-----2 Wörns ----------------------------------------5 Sammer ------------------------------------------1 Kahn
Finally allstar XI resembling real teams. Honorable mentions? Which choices were the hardest to decide for.
Thanks! I had several names worthy of inclusion which I dropped but who might've made the first choice team on another day. Like Felix Magath (early-80s left midfield instead of Cha), Manfred Burgsmüller (late-70s/early-80s midfield), Horst Hrubesch (early-80s center forward instead of Völler), Jürgen Grabowski (early 70s right wing instead of Libuda), Hansi Müller (late-70s left midfield), Gerd Müller (late-70s center forward instead of Fischer), Bernd Franke or Dieter Burdenski (late-70s instead of Hellström), Schumacher instead of Franke (early-80s), Sepp Maier instead of Horst Wolter (late 60s), Morten Olsen instead of Soren Lerby (late 80s), Thomas Berthold instead of Stefan Reuter (late 80s), Matthias Herget instead of Klaus Augenthaler (late 80s), Olaf Thon instead of Manfred Binz (early-90s), Frank Verlaat instead of Matthias Sammer (late 90s), Jürgen Kohler instead of Christian Wörns (late 90s).
For fun, I also came up with two teams for the last decade.... 2000 to 2004 (covering seasons 1999-00 to 2003-04) --------------------- 11 Pizarro-------9 Ailton -----------7 Zé Roberto----10 Micoud-----8 Ballack --------------------------------6 Ernst ----------3 Lizarazu------5 Lucio-----4 Nowottny----2 Sagnol ---------------------------------1 Kahn 2005 to 2009 (covering seasons 2004-05 to 2008-09) --------------------------------9 Klose -----------11 Ribéry---------10 Diego---------7 Schneider --------------------6 Frings------------8 Ballack ------------3 Lahm------5 Bordon-----4 Mertesacker----2 Castro ------------------------------1 Weidenfeller
You did pretty good actually ... until the last team .. Ballack was no longer good there in midfield. I would replace with Van Der Vaart and few others before him
Rafael van der Vaart was not eligible for the 2004-05 to 2008-09 "Best of XI" as he only played one season (2005-06) during that time span and the minimum is two seasons. Ballack's performances in 2004-05 and 2005-06 were pretty good. He became German Footballer of the Year in 2005 and was a major player in the Bayern side that dominated German club football in those years (winning back-to-back championships and back-to-back DFB Cups). Have a look at the 2005 "German Footballer of the Year" votes: Rank Player Votes 01. Michael Ballack 516 02. Lukas Podolski 103 03. Marcelinho 99 04. Marek Mintal 55 05. Bastian Schweinsteiger 39 06. Per Mertesacker 28 07. Roy Makaay 25 08. Lincoln 21 09. Dietmar Hamann 10 10. Sebastian Deisler 8
Thanks for clarification .. I did doublecheck over the weekend, and you were right ... Ballack was still very good at least until 2006-07
I did make a mistake though when I said van der Vaart was not eligible. Of course he played more than 1 season during that timespan 2004-05 to 2008-09.
While I'm at it .... 2010 to 2014 (covering seasons 2009-10 to 2013-14) ---------------------------9 Lewandowski -----------11 Ribéry---------10 Götze---------7 Robben ---------------------6 Kroos-------------8 Schweinsteiger ------------3 Alaba------5 Dante-----4 Hummels----2 Lahm --------------------------------1 Neuer
This is my take at an combined "Best of Bundesliga XI" from the above selections: --------------11 K.Rummenigge-----9 G.Müller-------7 Littbarski --------------------8 Ribéry---------10 Netzer---------6 Matthäus --------------3 Breitner------4 K.Förster-------5 Beckenbauer------2 Vogts ------------------------------------------1 Kahn Could have been Overath instead of Ribéry and Simonsen instead of Littbarski.
With such XI I would play them a la Brazil 70: ------------ G Muller ----- Rummenigge-------------- Ribery -----------------------------------------Littbarski ----------------- Netzer ------------------------------- -----------------------------Mathauss------------------ Breitner ------------------------------------------B Vogts ---------------Forster----------beckenbauer------------- ---------------------- Kahn ------------------------------- I agree with your selection, since Overath would be redundant to Netzer in middle, and I prefer Littsbaski to Simonsen