Germany National Team All-Time Top Scorers

Germany have always had a knack for producing incredible footballers, and while that doesn't always immediately translate into national team success, it most definitely has for them.

Die Mannschaft are one of the most successful teams to compete within international competition, winning four World Cups, three European Championships, a Confederations Cup and nose-bleed high finishes on the Olympic stage.

Even when they aren't sweeping up silverware, their incredible players are putting on high-octane performances. Here's a look at the all-time top goalscorers for the German national team.

33. Toni Kroos

Germany Career: 2010 - present

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 99

A midfielder making this kind of list tells you all you need to know about the calibre of German footballers. Kroos is consistently unbelievable for both club and country.

32. Wolfgang Overath

Germany Career: 1963-1974

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 80

Overath has the unusual achievement of finishing as a winner, runner up and third place at the World Cup. Great name, too.

31. Mario Gotze

Germany Career: 2010 - present

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 63

It's been a sizeable fall from grace since 2014, but nobody can ever take away the fact that Gotze scored the goal that won his country the World Cup in 2014.

Here's hoping he finds that level once more at PSV.

30. Klaus Allofs

Germany Career: 1978-1988

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 56

Allofs' 17 goals included three at Euro 1980, which saw him finish top scorer of the competition as West Germany won the tournament. Crucial in the big moments.

29. Otto Siffling

Germany Career: 1934-1938

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 31

Siffling was seen as one of the most talented forwards in football during the 1930s. He scored at the 1934 World Cup, but died suddenly in 1939 at just 27.

28. Helmut Schön

Germany Career: 1937-1941

Germany Goals: 17

Germany Appearances: 16

Schön literally played for the national team during the second World War and holds an incredible goals to games ratio. He was also the man in charge of West Germany when they lost to England in the 1966 World Cup final.

27. Pierre Littbarski

Germany Career: 1981 - 1990

Germany Goals: 18

Germany Appearances: 73

Littbarski breaks the duck of scoring 17 goals, finally. He scored 18 times for Die Mannschaft, including one at the 1990 World Cup which West Germany went on to win.

26. Kevin Kuranyi

Germany Career: 2003-2008

Germany Goals: 19

Germany Appearances: 52

Born in Brazil to a German father of Hungarian descent and a Panamanian mother, Kuranyi found most of his success with Germany from 2006 to 2008.

25. Ulf Kirsten

Germany Career: 1990-2000

Germany Goals: 20

Germany Appearances: 51

Kirsten also made 49 caps for East Germany prior to the country's re-unification. Counting his goals only from the re-unified Germany, however, 20 from 51 still isn't bad at all.

24. Helmut Rahn

Germany Career: 1951-1960

Germany Goals: 21

Germany Appearances: 40

Rahn scored the winner in the 1954 World Cup final, making it 3-2 to West Germany. Nicknamed Der Boss, legend status is guaranteed.

23. Karl Hohmann

Germany Career: 1930-1937

Germany Goals: 21

Germany Appearances: 26

Hohmann played virtually up until the breakout of war and holds an impeccable scoring record. He bagged both goals in the 1934 World Cup quarter final to send his country through, but they could only finish third.

22. Max Morlock

Germany Career: 1950-1958

Germany Goals: 21

Germany Appearances: 26

Morlock enjoyed a mammoth career for both club and country, He represented FC Nuernburg from 1940 to 1964, and won the World Cup with Germany in 1954.

21. Andre Schurrle

Germany Career: 2010-2017

Germany Goals: 22

Germany Appearances: 57

Schurrle, just 29, shocked football fans all over when he announced his retirement at such a young age in July 2020. He enjoyed a strong career in his peak, though, and bagged two in Germany's 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in 2014.

20. Lothar Matthaus

Germany Career: 1980 - 2000

Germany Goals: 23

Germany Appearances: 150

Matthaus played in five World Cups for Die Mannschaft in an immense international career. He captained the side as they won the 1990 World Cup and remains the most-capped German of all time.

19. Mesut Ozil

Germany Career: 2009-2018

Germany Goals: 23

Germany Appearances: 92

Ozil was comfortably one of the most skilful players of the 2010s and made the Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament, as well as dominating proceedings at the 2014 World Cup. It's easy to forget just how good he was at his prime, given his troubles at Arsenal.

18. Richard Hofmann

Germany Career: 1927 - 1933

Germany Goals: 23

Germany Appearances: 25

Hofmann pre-dates the second World War, but began his international career for Germany with a hat-trick against Switzerland in 1927. He lost his right ear in 1930, but still continued to play at a high level.

17. Bastian Schweinsteiger

Germany Career: 2004 - 2016

Germany Goals: 24

Germany Appearances: 121

The legendary midfielder is Germany's fourth most-capped player of all time and scored 24 goals for the national team. Two in particular came in the third place play-off at the 2006 World Cup, where he would've had a hat-trick if it wasn't for a deflected free-kick not being given as his.

16. Edmund Conen

Germany Career: 1934 - 1942

Germany Goals: 26

Germany Appearances: 28

Conen scored four goals for Germany at the 1934 World Cup, three of which came in his first match of the tournament against Belgium.

15. Andreas Möller

Germany Career: 1988 - 1999

Germany Goals: 29

Germany Appearances: 85

Möller enjoyed a prolific career with the Germany national team and featured at three major tournaments throughout the 90s, winning the 1990 World Cup and 1996 European Championship.

14. Mario Gomez

Germany Career: 2007 - 2018

Germany Goals: 31

Germany Appearances: 78

Gomez holds both German and Spanish citizenship, but represented Germany from youth to senior level. Injury saw him miss out on the winning 2014 World Cup squad, and while the 2018 tournament wasn't a successful one, being recalled was a personal success for Gomez.

13. Ernst Lehner

Germany Career: 1933 - 1942

Germany Goals: 31

Germany Appearances: 65

Lehner featured in two World Cups for Germany and was a part of the famous Breslau Eleven; a Germany team that beat Denmark 8-0 in Breslau in 1937, and went on to win 10 out of 11 games that year.

12. Klaus Fischer

Germany Career: 1977 - 1982

Germany Goals: 32

Germany Appearances: 45

Fischer famously scored two bicycle kicks for Die Mannschaft, one of which was an equaliser in extra time at the 1982 World Cup semi-final. It ultimately sent his side to the final after they won on penalties.

11. Fritz Walter

Germany Career: 1940 - 1958

Germany Goals: 35

Germany Appearances: 62

Walter was the one club man before it was even cool. He spent 22 years playing for Kaiserslautern from 1937 to 1959, and enjoyed success for both club and country. In between all this, he spent time as a prisoner of war in Maramures, too, before returning to the game. Sensational.

10. Oliver Bierhoff

Germany Career: 1996 - 2002

Germany Goals: 37

Germany Appearances: 70

Bierhoff scored the first golden goal in the history of modern international football in the final of Euro 96 and now serves as team director for the current German national team.

9. Thomas Müller

Germany Career: 2010 - present

Germany Goals: 38

Germany Appearances: 100

A versatile yet lethal attacker for club and country, Müller has consistently been one of the strongest attackers in the world for the best part of a decade.

8. Michael Ballack

Germany Career: 1999 - 2010

Germany Goals: 42

Germany Appearances: 98

Ballack has the unusual stat of wearing the shirt number 13 at every club he played at, with the exception of Kaiserslautern. He was also decent at that football thing for Germany.

7. Uwe Seeler

Germany Career: 1954 - 1970

Germany Goals: 43

Germany Appearances: 72

Seeler is seen as one of the greatest players in German history and was named one of FIFA's 125 Greatest Living Players by Pele in 2004.

6. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

Germany Career: 1976 - 1986

Germany Goals: 45

Germany Appearances: 95

After an incredible playing career that saw him play at Bayern Munich and Inter, and pick up the 1980 European Championship, Rummenigge now serves as Bayern's Chairman.

5. Jürgen Klinsmann

Germany Career: 1987 - 1998

Germany Goals: 47

Germany Appearances: 108

Klinsmann spent two seasons with Tottenham over two spells and quickly became popular with his knack for scoring and his iconic dive celebration. He was one of the deadliest strikers in Europe during the 90s.

4. Rudi Völler

Germany Career: 1982 - 1994

Germany Goals: 47

Germany Appearances: 90

Völler scored Germany's equaliser at the 1986 World Cup final, but it wasn't enough to inspire a victory. He did reach the summit four years later, however, scoring three times in the 1990 tournament.

3. Lukas Podolski

Germany Career: 2004 - 2017

Germany Goals: 49

Germany Appearances: 130

Podolski is the third-most capped German player in history and was part of the squad during seven major tournaments. He also holds the record for the fastest goal scored in the national team's history.

2. Gerd Müller

Germany Career: 1966 - 1974

Germany Goals: 68

Germany Appearances: 62

Müller is Germany's second top-scorer with 68 goals. One of the greatest finishers ever, he spent 15 years with Bayern Munich before moving stateside to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1979.

1. Miroslav Klose

Germany Career: 2001 - 2014

Germany Goals: 71

Germany Appearances: 137

Perhaps one of the most underappreciated forwards in recent times, Miroslav Klose is Germany's all-time top goal scorer, and their most capped player ever. He's now assistant to Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich, having retired in 2016.