The Best Players Ever to Wear Each Shirt Number at Bayern Munich
By Ben Carter
Squad numbers can be a sticky subject and at Bayern Munich it's no different.
We all remember Bixente Lizarazu and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk for their unusually high numbers, while Sandro Wagner, Wolfgang Dremmler and Peter Kupferschmidt have had numbers which traditionally go to players in the complete opposite position.
But who are the best players to ever wear each shirt number for Bayern Munich? We're about to find out.
1. Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich have had a long list of world-class number ones, but they have had two.
Manuel Neuer could very well go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time when he eventually decides to call it a day, but the history books in Bavaria will show you that Sepp Maier is just as worthy of top spot.
Die Katze won everything on offer with Bayern Munich and started in between the sticks for their first team for an incredible 18 years.
2. Willy Sagnol
Considering the last two players to wear this shirt are Álvaro Odriozola (yes, he does play for the club) and Sandro Wagner, it's perhaps not too much of a surprise to see us go back in time to find Bayern Munich's best.
Willy Sagnol was by no means a generational talent, but he was an outstanding servant for the club over nine years, also representing France on 55 occasions.
3. Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner was so good he could play anywhere on the pitch - and he pretty much did.
He wore the No. 8 shirt when he moved into midfield, but at the start of his career Der Afro made a name for himself as the best left-back on the planet.
As well as being a bonafide legend for Bayern Munich, Breitner earned his stripes with the national team too, most notably scoring the equalising goal in the 1974 World Cup against Johan Cruyff's Holland.
4. Georg Schwarzenbeck
Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck didn't stand a chance as being remembered as the best defender of his generation as he played alongside Franz Beckenbauer, but Katsche was the catalyst which let his defensive partner become Germany's greatest of all time.
'The Kaiser's bodyguard' was one of the unsung heroes during Bayern Munich and Germany's golden era, but slowly Schwarzenbeck's importance to the club's incredible history has started to become just as gospel as it should be.
5. Franz Beckenbauer
Greatest.
Of.
All.
Time.
6. Thiago Alcântara
Even with Franz Roth and Andreas Brehme staking a claim for this position, Thiago Alcântara is the clear favourite for this spot - even if Bayern Munich fans are reluctant to admit it.
The Barcelona academy graduate could comfortably walk into any team in history and hold his own. Thiago plays in an unusually defensive position given his technical ability, but the 28-year-old is going under the radar as one of the most complete holding midfielders around.
7. Franck Ribéry
12 years. 425 appearances. 326 goals and assists.
Franck Ribéry might not be remembered as the greatest foreign player to ever represent Bayern Munich - in fact, he might not even be remembered as the best half of the Robbery double act - but the Frenchman will always remain one of the most loved.
At one point in time, Ribéry was arguably the best player in the world at Bayern Munich and the club were harshly denied their first Ballon d'Or winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the early 1980s.
8. Lothar Matthäus
If any one player had to be held responsible for Bayern Munich's "FC Hollywood" nickname, it would be Lothar Matthäus.
He might be remembered for his ego and what he did off the pitch more these days, but Matthäus was probably the best midfielder Bayern Munich have ever had.
In two separate spells, he spent 12 years at the club where he made 410 appearances across all competitions, winning 14 major honours.
9. Gerd Müller
Bayern Munich have had plenty of outstanding goalscorers, but no one comes close to matching Gerd Müller.
Der Bomber wasn't a fancy striker by any stretch of the imagination, but Müller was the best there ever was at doing the simple things well.
He's the Bundesliga's all-time top goalscorer by quite some distance and it seems almost impossible that his status as Germany's top marksman will ever be challenged.
10. Arjen Robben
Deciding who's the better player between Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry is difficult, but there's little doubt that in recent memory Bayern Munich haven't had a more clutch player than their flying Dutchman.
He spent a decade in Bavaria, making 309 appearances where he scored 144 goals and picked up 101 assists.
Robben scored 209 club goals throughout his entire career, with his most important securing the club their fifth Champions League title in 2013.
11. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Kalle Rummenigge didn't wear the No. 11 shirt during the early stages of his career, but once he changed at the start of the 1978/79 season, he pipped Gerd Müller to become Bayern Munich's top goalscorer.
The second player on this list who went on to play in Italy for Inter, Rummenigge scored 294 goals during his career, 217 of which came for Bayern Munich.