Borussia Dortmund's 10 Greatest Players of All Time
By 90min
Borussia Dortmund is a club steeped in history, with some of Germany's - and indeed the world's - greatest players gracing their famous turf over the years.
From Adi Preißler to Mats Hummels, Die Borussen have had some greats, and one club legend is still plying his trade for them today.
The next generation features Jadon Sancho and Erling Håland, although it remains to be seen how long those teenaged talents will remain.
With Håland seemingly unstoppable and making waves at Signal Iduna Park, we look at ten players who have stood the test of time and made a mark at Borussia Dortmund...
Marco Reus
Dortmund Career: 2012 - present
Dortmund born and bred, Marco Reus was only seven years of age when he joined the BVB youth system. After senior spells at Weis Rot Ahlen and Monchengladbach, where he played under current Dortmund manager Lucien Favre, Reus returned to the club in 2012 with the intention of playing Champions League football.
Reus did just that, scoring on his Champions League debut against Manchester City, the first of four goals in that campaign which helped Dortmund reach the final, sinking Real Madrid on the way.
Famous for his relentless hard work and versatility, Reus has found the net approximately every other game in the eight years since his arrival.
Major Achievements: German Supercup (x3), German Cup, Bundesliga Player of the Year (x2), UEFA Team of the Year, German Footballer of the Year
Matthias Sammer
Dortmund Career: 1993 - 1998
You won’t find many German players more decorated than Matthias Sammer.
Signing from Inter Milan at the midpoint of the 1992/93 season, Sammer made an instant impact at Dortmund, scoring ten goals before dropping back to a sweeper role and becoming a mainstay of the BVB defence.
Sammer holds the honour of being the only Dortmund captain ever to have lifted the Champions League trophy, which was earned in 1997.
He later managed Dortmund to a further Bundesliga victory in 2002.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x2), German Super Cup (x3), German Footballer of the Year (x2), Champions League, Ballon D’Or
Michael Zorc
Dortmund Career: 1981-1998
Zorc is a one club man who holds the record for the most appearances for Dortmund, playing 572 times over 17 years of service as a player.
In seven separate seasons he scored more than ten goals, and he accrued enough goals to put him second in the rankings of top Dortmund goalscorers of all time.
During retirement he has held the position of sporting director at the club, overseeing three Bundesliga titles.
Major Achievements: Champions League, Bundesliga (x2), German Cup, German Super Cup (x3), Intercontinental Cup.
Andreas Möller
Dortmund Career: 1988 - 1990, 1994 - 2000
Andreas Möller was a triple threat for Dortmund, strong with both feet and challenging in the air. In his role as attacking midfielder he notched 88 goals for Dortmund in his two periods for the club, interrupted by a spell at Juventus, where he played in the side that beat die Schwarzgelben in the 1993 UEFA Cup final.
A creative playmaker, Möller made almost as many goals as he scored, chalking up a massive 84 assists. One of these came in the Champions League final of 1997, when he set Lars Ricken up for BVB’s third goal of the game which sank former club Juventus.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x2), Champions League, German Cup, Intercontinental Cup, German Super Cup (x3)
Lars Ricken
Dortmund Career: 1993 - 2007
Lars Ricken grew up in Dortmund and, in 1994, became the youngest player ever to appear for the club at 17 years, seven months and 27 days.
The loyal yellow broke another record when he scored the third and final goal in the game which led to BVB winning their first and only Champions League title to date. He found the back of the net just 16 seconds after replacing Stephane Chapuisat, lobbing the keeper from 25 yards; no substitute has ever scored more quickly after coming on in a Champions League final.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x3), Champions League, Germany Super Cup (x2), Intercontinental Cup
Jürgen Kohler
Dortmund Career: 1995 - 2002
Cool, composed and perceptive in defence, and armed with a lethal header, Kohler was one of the best German centre-backs of his time.
Having arrived at Dortmund in the autumn of his career, Kohler played seven years in a yellow jersey, winning three Bundesliga titles in his time.
The last game of his career was marred by his earning a straight red, taking Dortmund down to ten men and resulting in a penalty which helped Feyenoord defeat die Schwarzgelben to deny them the 2002 UEFA Cup trophy.
Major Achievements: Champions League, Bundesliga (x2), Intercontinental Cup, German Super Cup (x2)
Stefan Reuter
Dortmund Career: 1992 - 2004
Only two players in Dortmund history have racked up more appearances than Stefan Reuter. He captained the club for six years.
A winger - nicknamed ‘Turbo’ for his incredible speed - Reuter made 307 appearances during his 12 years at the club, scoring 12 goals and setting up 17 others.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x3), Champions League, German Supercup (x2), Intercontinental Cup
Alfred Preißler
Dortmund Career: 1946 - 1950, 1951 - 1959
60 years ago today: Adi Preißler and the first league triumph ? https://t.co/NqVF5gd4Bb pic.twitter.com/4xiyzaKQzd
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) June 24, 2016
Alfred Preißler is Borussia Dortmund’s all time top scorer to date, having bagged 168 goals in the yellow jersey. He joined Borussia Dortmund at the end of the Second World War and captained the team for many years.
Preißler helped die Schwarzgleben lift the Championship trophy for the first time in 1956, a feat for which 250,000 fans reportedly lined the streets of Dortmund when the squad returned to the city. He was part of a famous attacking trio with Alfred Kebassa and Alfred Niepieklo affectionately named ‘The Alfredos’, who helped BVB retain the trophy in 1957.
A legend to this day, the drive of the BVB training ground is named after him - ‘Adi-Preißler-Alle’.
Major Achievements: Oberliga (x2)
Mats Hummels
Dortmund Career: 2008 - 2016, 2019 - present
Strong, tall and dominant, Mats Hummels is often compared to German legend Franz Beckenbauer.
Paired with Neven Subotić, the duo held the fort during the 2010/11 season, when Dortmund lifted the title with the best defensive record in the league - second place Bayer Leverkusen conceded twice as many, and with the second fewest goals against in the league, Mainz let in a huge 17 goals more than BVB’s 22.
Controversially, Hummels has been to and from rivals Bayern Munich since beginning his youth career there aged six. Having been defeated by Die Roten in the 2013 Champions League final, he joined them once more, before returning to BVB for £33m in 2018.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x2), German Cup, German Super Cup (x3)
10Roman Weidenfeller
Dortmund Career: 2002 - 2018
No goalkeeper has stood between the sticks for Dortmund more often than Roman Weidenfeller. He is one of the longest-serving players in BVB history and, with an average of one clean sheet in every three games, he will be remembered for helping Dortmund win six major domestic trophies.
When he retired he played for ‘Roman and Friends’ in a special testimonial match, only the eighth of its kind in BVB history.
Major Achievements: Bundesliga (x2), German Cup (x2), German Super Cup (x2)