Borussia Dortmund's Greatest All-Time Bundesliga XI - But Only Picking One Player From Each Country
Die Borussen have had fluctuating fortunes in the last decade. At the start they seemed to be building a team to dominate the Bundesliga again, like the famous team of the nineties.
But having sold the majority of their best players to their European rivals for large sums, they have had a period of rebuilding, which now finally seems to be coming to fruition, as the next crop of talented youngsters from around the world emerge from the shadows of legends gone by.
With this is in mind, we have attempted to compile an XI of the best players to play for Dortmund, but with one challenging filter added. We can only have one player per country, and therefore can only pick one German....wish us luck.
Special mention goes to the many who haven't made this XI. We could comfortably fill a subs bench with them. Have a gander at the 11 we ended up with.
GK: Roman Bürki (Switzerland)
Swiss maestro Roman Bürki has been first choice between the sticks since 2015 and has been a solid, reliable presence for BVB as they rebuild their title challenging squad. A smart stopper with excellent reflexes and a solid penalty save record.
Strangely, Bürki has turned down recent opportunities to play for this country, stating his priority is helping Dortmund. Probably not regretting it too much now with the Euros postponed.
RB: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Young Hakimi has only been at BVB for two seasons but boy, has he had an impact. Extremely quick, strong and dynamic, the 21 year old full-back has notched three goals and ten assists so far this campaign.
Dortmund have struggled for quality full-backs for some time and just as they stumble upon one, it seems likely he wont be there for long. He's on loan from Real Madrid anyway but he is also attracting major interest from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal & Spurs.
CB: Sokratis (Greece)
Sokratis Papastathopoulos was a regular and successful fixture in the Dortmund side for five seasons. Forming a formidable partnership with Mats Hummels, he helped the team finally end the trophy wait when they clinched the German Cup in 2017.
He is arguably the best Greek footballer playing in Europe (he hasn't got a huge amount of competition to be fair), but has not looked the same player since his move to Arsenal. Probably because playing alongside David Luiz instead of Hummels is a bit of shock.
CB: Neven Subotić (Serbia)
The man who Sokratis replaced in the heart of the Dortmund back line. The giant Serb was a regular fixture at the back for almost nine years.
He played nearly 200 games for BVB and was a fans favourite for his tireless work, loyalty and professionalism. A regular under Klopp for their back to back league titles, he still plays in the Bundesliga for Union Berlin.
LB: Dedé (Brazil)
Another fan favourite; Brazilian wing-back Dedé played the majority of his club career at the Westfalenstadion. The boy from Belo Horizonte had all the attributes that were key to Dortmund's success in the early 2000s.
Pacy, intelligent and had great accuracy with crosses which came to prominence in the season of 2007/08 when he bagged 11 assists. Lost his place when Klopp arrived but alongside legendary centre back Júlio César, the best Brazilian to play at BVB.
CM: Matthias Sammer (Germany)
I can't tell you how hard it was to pick a German for this XI. Commiserations to messers Möller, Zorc, Reus, Kohler & Hummels. They all could have snuck in for a variety of reasons.
But the spot goes to defensive sweeper and club icon Sammer. Won back-to-back league titles with BVB in the mid-nineties as well as captaining them in the Champions League Final win over Juve in 1997. Won the Ballon d'Or in 1996, the same year he helped Germany to Euro glory. That's enough proof of inclusion, right?
RM: Tomáš Rosický (Czech Republic)
The Little Mozart, so called because of his ability to orchestrate the midfield with grace. Rosický spent six seasons at BVB and helped them to the Bundesliga title in his first full term with the club.
Equally capable with both foot, and able to shoot and pass with dreamlike precision with the outside of his boot (arguably better than his inside), he was gifted, tenacious and essentially made any team better. Arsene Wenger was a huge admirer and the Czech playmaker left for Arsenal in 2006 – where he spent the remainder of his career.
LM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
Another player who left Dortmund for Arsenal, although this time via Manchester United. However, Mkhitaryan's best years definitely came whilst at Dortmund. His golden season was 2015/16 when he notched an incredible 20 Bundesliga assists.
On his day he is a world class playmaker, with threat on both flanks. But when he's not at the races, he is found wanting. He struggled with the faster pace of English football and is now at AS Roma trying to rescue his career. He is certainly the best Armenian player now, and perhaps ever (he's won their player of the year eight, yes eight times).
RW: Jadon Sancho (England)
The best English talent in a generation? Hard to argue against Harry Kane's goalscoring record but at 20 years old, Sancho does already look the real deal. Now the main man at BVB after the departures of Dembélé & Pulisic, he has taken his game to new heights in the last two seasons.
26 league goals and a whopping 33 assists in the past two campaigns are much of the reason why so many of Europe's top clubs are chasing his services. Wherever he ends up, he will be forever grateful for the faith and trust Dortmund have shown in him.
LW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
Auba's record at BVB is extraordinary. In 144 league appearances, he notched 98 goals and after a slow start, has kept up that excellent goal ratio at Arsenal.
His pace and spacial awareness is among the best in Europe, and his ability to play in wide positions as well as through the middle is such a bonus. Fun Fact: He nearly joined Newcastle in 2012. Imagine him linking up with the likes of Paul Dummett & Shola Ameobi. Actually, maybe don't.
ST: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
What can we say that hasn't already been said about this guy? In many people's eyes the most complete striker on the planet, Lewandowski has set the highest benchmark for forwards around the world and isn't showing signs of slowing down at all.
103 goals for BVB across all competitions in just four seasons is extraordinary stuff. Still going strong for Bayern, he is the model of consistency in front of goal. The best Polish player we have ever seen, and certainly the best Pole to play in the famous Yellow and Black kit.