Hall Of Fame

[Lance Knight]

i saw this on the website and i thought why not, we got so many greats, so here goes:

1) Franz Beckenbauer The 'Kaiser'

It all began with a good clip round the ear. Unfortunately for TSV 1860 Munich, it was one of their players who chose to clout the 13 year-old Franz Beckenbauer, causing him to turn his back on the 'Lions' and join Bayern instead. The year was 1958, the beginning of a football career unparalleled to this day.

More than 40 years later, Beckenbauer and Bayern still belong together like no other before or since. He was part of the team promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965, and a succession of honours quickly followed: four German championships (1969, 1972-74), four Cup winners' medals (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971), three European Cup triumphs (1974-76), the Cup Winners' Cup (1967), and the World Club Cup (1976) - all of them with Bayern.

However, theKaiser's crowning glory as a player was a World Cup winner's medal in 1974. His elegance, ease on the ball and graceful control earned him his superlative nickname. After 396 Bundesliga appearances and 44 goals, he finally left Bayern in 1977, to play out his career in the USA with the New York Cosmos.

But the man who also won Germany's 'Footballer of the year' award four times (1966, 1968, 1974, 1976) now embarked on a second career, taking on the role of national team coach. It was in this job that he chalked up another outstanding achievement: having won the World Cup in 1974 as a player, he secured the game's highest honour a second time in 1990, this time as coach. After that, he returned home to Bayern.

From 28 December 1993 until 30 June 1994, and then from 29 April 1996 until 30 June of the same year, he coached Germany's most successful club side. His brief spells in charge saw him collect two further honours - the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup in 1996. In 1994 he had taken on the role of club president at Bayern, and much of the Munich giants' success in the following years has been credited to his astute management. Following the club's decision to change from an association to a limited company, he has been chairman of the advisory board since the beginning of 2002.

Beckenbauer is also active within the German Football Association (DFB). He was elected vice-president in 1998, and led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup. He currently heads up the tournament organising committee.

There can be no question that Franz Beckenbauer is the undisputed 'higher power' of German football. And if the 'Kaiser' had a throne, it would be installed at Bayern's Säbener Strasse headquarters.

[Lance Knight]

2) Gerd Müller The 'Bomber'

Only one striker has run up 40 goals in a Bundesliga season: Gerd Müller, the diminuitive, stocky Bayern centre-forward, who in 1972 set the league record which stands to this day. He was the league's leading scorer on no less than seven occasions: 1967,1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1978. He was Europe's top scorer twice (1970, 1972), German Footballer of the year twice (1967, 1969) and was voted European Footballer of the year in 1970.

Müller collected all these honours with Bayern. He came to the club in 1964, having begun his career in his home town of Nördlingen, where he was born on 3 November 1945. He completed an apprenticeship as a weaver while living at home.

But Müller had always lived and breathed football. He made the break into the big time with Munich, as the club and player proved a perfect fit. Coach Zlatko 'Tschik' Cajkovski was a proponent of a modern attacking style, and his 'short, fat Müller' as the coach liked to call his protege, had an unparalleled talent for scoring goals.

And he elevated his trade to the brink of perfection. The way he took his chances has been described as unforgettable, and soon a new verb entered the language: to müller. Gerd Müller became a synonym for the ideal penalty-box striker, enough to give opposing goalkeepers everywhere a panic attack. In 427 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern he scored 365 goals - a record that, to this day, no one anywhere in the world has been able to match. Muller's goals were largely responsible for Bayern's golden years at the end of the Sixties and in the Seventies.

The 'Bomber' won the championship with Bayern on four occasions (1969, 1972-1974), the German Cup a similar number of times (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971), collected three European Cup winners' medals (1974-1976), one Cup Winners' Cup (1967) and the World Club Cup (1976). 'If it hadn't been for him we might still be living in the old wood shed!' Franz Beckenbauer said of his team-mate, who always remained modest and honest.

Gerd Müller left Munich in 1979 and played a final season with Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the USA before bringing down the curtain on his outstanding career. He returned to Bayern in 1992 and has been employed as a youth and amateur coach since that time. He wasalways happiest in the penalty area, but his true home is at Bayern.

[Lance Knight]

3) Sepp Maier The 'Cat from Anzing'

Is he the best-known Bayern star in the world? Perhaps - but whatever the case, Josef-Dieter Maier, known the world over as 'Sepp' Maier, was one of the finest goalkeepers the world has ever seen. As a player, his knee-length shorts became his trademark,while nowadays it is the snuff-box he carries with him everywhere. What has not changed at all is Sepp Maier's reputation as a joker: 'I have a very positive attitude towards life, happiness and humour are the most important things to me. I soon manage to rid myself of anger,' he has said.

This attitude hepled him to bounce back quickly from the lowest point of his life in football, when a serious road accident ended his playing career in 1979 at the age of 35. He had already won practically everything there was to win in the game: the Bundesliga title (1969, 1972-1974), the DFB Cup (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971), the European Cup (1967, 1974-76) and the World Club Cup (1976). The crowning glory was a World Cup winners' medal in 1974.

The 'Cat from Anzing', as Maier was known, first stood between the sticks for Bayern in 1958. He completed a total of 473 Bundesliga appearances for the Munich club, including a run of 422 in a row, which is naturally a record. His performances were recognised with a number of honours: he was German Footballer of the year three times (1975, 1977, 1978), was awarded the national service medal in 1978, and is recognised as Germany's 'Keeper of the century'.

Maier never contemplated leaving Bayern. 'We were sucha strong team, perhaps the best Bayern side ever - why would I have wanted to move on? And we Bavarians are very firmly rooted, it's not easy to re-plant us elsewhere,' he said. True to his word, it is still possible to run across Maier at Bayern: he is a goalkeeping and youth coach at the club, passing on both his experience and his Bavarian sense of fun to a younger generation.

[Lance Knight]

4) Uli Hoeneß The 'Man of Action'

'To me, this isn't a job, it's a passion!' Only one man at Bayern could be responsible for such a statement: Uli Hoeneß. In 1979, at the tender age of 27, he became the club's general manager.

Hoeneß, born on 5 January 1952, played eight seasons for the club as a striker (1970-1978). He collected championship (1972-74), European Cup (1974-1976) and World Club Cup (1976) honours during this time. With the German national side, he won the European Championship in 1972, and the World Cup in 1974. In 1978 he moved to 1. FC Nuremberg.

Hoeneß scored 86 goals in 239 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern. He was always top fit, and was known as a mazy dribbler. And even as a player, he demonstrated his now characteristic ambition. Injury ended his playing career in 1979 at the age of 27, and he stepped up to the management team at Bayern.

In over 20 years as general manager, and as deputy chairman after Bayern converted to a limited company, Hoeneß has made the club one of the most successful in the world, in both sporting and financial terms. Bayern has become a worldwide brand, with Hoeneß the club's 'Action Man'. in 1999, his performance earned him the title 'Manager of the year.' At the present time, Bayern without Hoeneß is an unimaginableconcept, as he embodies the spirit of the club like no other.

But he has already announced he will quit the job in 2006. He says the decision is irreversible, 'because that will definitely be it for me.' Hoeneß has put on record his annoyance at being asked about the subject every two years, 'and now everybody knows I'm giving up after the World Cup - or maybe half a year later, so I can help my successor get to grips with the job.'

Until then, he has one overriding wish: 'That I still get up in the morning happy with the fact that I am who I am. That my dog jumps up onto my stomach. That I can help a few people to enjoy life a bit more, in that FC Bayern functions properly.'

[Lance Knight]

5) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge The 'Visionary'

With the benefit of hindsight, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described his decision to join Bayern in 1974 as an 'exercise in harikari.' The club had just won the German championship three times in a row: how should an unknown 18 year-old striker from Borussia Lippstadt possibly make the breakthrough? But Rummenigge did break through. By the time of his second season at the club (1975-76) he had secured a regular berth, and on 6 October 1976 he won his first full international cap. His dynamism, pace and decisiveness marked him out on the field. On top of this, he was an incredibly prolific scorer: in statistical terms, he scored approximately every other game, finishing with 162 goals in 310 Bundesliga appearances, placing him behind only Gerd Müller in Bayern's all-time scoring list.

Rummenigge won honours aplenty with the club: leading scorer in the Bundesliga (1980, 1981, 1984), German Footballer of the year (1980) and European Footballer of the year (1980, 1981), the World Club Cup (1976), the European Cup (1975, 1976), the DFB Cup (1982, 1984), and the Bundesliga title (1980, 1981). With the national side, he won the European championship in 1980.

The player nicknamed 'Kalle' left Bayern for Inter Milan in 1984, for the then record fee of almost 6 million Euro. He played in Italy until 1987, before winding down his career with Servette Geneva from 1987 to 1989. 'I'm glad to be taking my leave, as I've given my all and enjoyed my job 15 long years in total,' he said on his retirement. Ever themodel professional, Rummenigge only ever created headlines with his doings on the pitch. He always steered well clear of scandal, and to this day lays great emphasis on correct behaviour in public.

'Kalle' returned to Bayern in 1991, after the club had experienced a less than successful season. Alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeneß, the newly-installed vice president returned the club to winning ways, even then being described as a 'football visionary'. His skills have been in demand outside the Bayern world too: he is not known as the club's 'Foreign Minister' for nothing. Rummenigge holds a variety of positions on a number of UEFA club committees, and is deputy president of the G-14 group of leading clubs.

After Bayern converted to alimited company in 2002, he took over the reins from Franz Beckenbauer in the role of chairman. Now it is his responsibility to ensure the club itself does not indulge in any 'exercise in harikari.'

[Lance Knight]

6) Lothar Matthäus The 'Leader of the pack'

8 March 2000, 10.37 pm: it was one of those moments guaranteed to bring out goose bumps on the skin. In front of a capacity crowd at the Munich Olympic stadium, the player wearing the No. 10 jersey left the field in the 90th minute of the Champions' League encounter between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid with the score standing 4-1 to the home team. The fans rose to give a standing ovation. Banners bearing slogans such as 'Thanks Lothar' and 'It's been an honour and a privilege' were held high amidst a storm of flashbulbs. It was Lothar Matthäus' last competitive home game for Bayern.

The player, who completed an apprenticeship as an interior designer, enjoyed 12 seasons with Germany's leading club - 12 successful seasons. He began his career with FC Herzogenaurach, before Jupp Heynckes brought the 18 year-old to Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979. In 1984 he joined Bayern.

Matthäus evolved into one of the most successful footballers in history. With Bayern, he won the championship seven times(1985 - 87, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000), the DFB Cup three times (1986, 1998, 2000) and the Uefa Cup once, in 1996. 'There are very few players in the history of Bayern who have done so much for the club,' Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in praise of Matthäus' efforts.

The successful Matthäus - Bayern partnership was only interrupted by the player's four year spell with Inter Milan (1988 - 1992), with whom he won the Italian title in 1989 and the Uefa Cup in 1991. But the crowning glory in Matthäus' careerwas lifting the World Cup in 1990.

Matthäus won 150 caps for Germany, more than any before him, and a record likely to stand for a long time yet. For Bayern, he made 302 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 85 goals. In 1990 and 1999 he was German footballer of the year, also collecting the European version of this honour in 1990. Still in 1990, and again in 1991, he was named World footballer of the year. He is one of only two players to have appeared in five World Cup finals.

Matthäus' undoubted strengths as a footballer were his stamina, vision, precise passing, battling spirit and powerful shooting. He always looked for, and took over responsibility within the team. He was 'Leader of the pack' in the Bayern side for years. At the beginningof 2000, he left the club, but refused to rule out a return in the future. 'I'm going to wait and see what happens. Perhaps one day I would enjoy being Bayern coach,' he declared.

[Lance Knight]

7) Stefan Effenberg The 'Boss'

The name Stefan Effenberg is synonymous with one of the most glorious periods in the club's history as this natural leader strode the international stage.

Midfielder Stefan Effenberg, a natural-born leader if ever there was one, possessed an extraordinary ability to drive and inspire his team-mates in the most tense and challenging circumstances. 'Effe' soon earned the nickname 'Cheffe', an endearing term for the Big Boss.

He arrived at Bayern from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1990 aged just 22, but his first spell in Bavaria ended without honours and he moved on after two seasons. His return in 1998 coincided with a period of success in which he was to play a starring role.

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld had made Effenberg one of his priority targets and put complete faith in the number 11 from the very first day. The player repaid that trust with outstanding performances and a superb track record, including the Bundesliga title in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and the German Cup in 2000. His career at Bayern reached a climax with the Champions League trophy in 2001 and the World Club Cup the following autumn.

Effenberg appeared for the Reds on 160 occasions, scoring 35 goals. He also earned 35 international caps (five goals) and won a runners-up medal at the 1992 European Championships in Sweden.

Hitzfeld never made a secret of his admiration for the on-field boss. "Stefan Effenberg leads this team, many of my players come to life when he's around. He goes up to his team-mates and instil confidence. When others are looking for a hiding place, that's when Effenberg steps forward," the coach enthused.

On 5 May 2002 ahead of the last match of the season against Hansa Rostock, a capacity 63,000 crowd at the Olympic Stadium gave Effe a standing ovation as he officially took his leave from the club. "Milan 2001, we'll never forget! Thanks Effe!" stood in huge letters on a 20 metre placard.

"Stefan has been outstanding in the four seasons he's spent with us, it's been one of the most successful periods in Bayern's history, and a lot of it is down to him," President Franz Beckenbauer said as he bade farewell to the team captain. Hitzfeld echoed the Kaiser's comments: "Stefan is a marvellous player who's had a huge role in Bayern winning so many honours."

Alas, there was to be no fourth domestic title in a row by way of a leaving present, and injury kept the midfielder below peak form in the last few months of his Munich career, "which was very unfortunate," new captain Oliver Kahn commented.

"He's had a worthy send-off from the fans, and he's deserved it," general manager Uli Hoeneß commented, "he's been a huge figure at Bayern over the last few years, and much of what we've achieved together is down to him, so I'm extremely grateful to him for that."

And what did the 'Boss' have to say? "I've had four wonderful seasons," he agreed, "everything, the whole A-Z, worked together perfectly."

[Lance Knight]

8) Giovane Elber The 'Samba Striker'

Brazilian wizard Giovane Elber conquered hearts and the record books as he created an unforgettable legacy both at the club and among the fans.

Giovane Elber, the 'Samba Striker' whose goals propelled Bayern to a string of domestic and international titles, awarded himself the perfect send-off from the club with 21 goals in the 2002-3 season to finish leading scorer in the Bundesliga for the first time.

"It's incredible that I've done it now after almost a decade in the Bundesliga," the then 30 year-old said after seeing a dream come true, "I'm the leading foreign goalscorer in the league's history with 132 goals in 252 games, but that's of no interest to anyone back home in Brazil. But when I go home as leading scorer, they'll call me a hero."

There were honours aplenty in his last full season at the club: the championship, the German Cup and the 'Outfield Player of the Year' accolade from his fellow pros, before the Bayern fans voted him 'Player of the Month' for May and then, for the first time in his career, 'Player of the Season'.

"The double, finishing leading scorer and then 'Player of the Season' from the fans - it's all wonderful and makes me very proud. I'm delighted so many fans chose to vote for me," Elber commented with his trademark broad grin. The poll result came as no surprise to Uli Hoeneß: "He's a fabulous lad, a super chap with a healthy dose of cunning. The folk out there love him," the general manager smiled.

Giovane's record at the club from July 1997 to August 2003 explains why he is one of the best-loved and most successful players ever pull on the red jersey. The Brazilian appeared 256 times in the Bundesliga and scored 133 goals, 92 of them in 169 matches for Bayern where he won four league titles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003), four German Cups (1997, 1998, 2000, 2003), the 2001 Champions League and finally the World Club Cup.

"Giovane's one of my most important players," coach Ottmar Hitzfeld observed. When Elber showed off his superb technique, fantastic pace, ability to make use of the last inch of space and killer instinct in front of goal, a unique and unforgettable Samba rhythm pulsed through the forward line.

Elber earned a certain amount of fame as the master of the witty one-liner with no-one considered out of range. Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque felt the force of the Elber tongue in February 2000: "The Real coach, Camacho or whatever his name is, said the Germans can't pass, they can only fight, but he's learned something today. Next time he should shut his gob," the Brazilian quipped after Madrid fell 4-2 at home against Bayern.

Giovane moved on to Olympique Lyon in August 2003 and there was no hiding the sadness at the Säbener Strasse. "Parting definitely hurts, just knowing he won't be there in the morning any more," Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "He's been a marvellous player for Bayern," chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agreed, while general manager Uli Hoeneß promised a special farewell: "He's earned the kind of send-off no-one who's gone on to play for another club has ever had."

In a classic twist of fate, Elber did return to Munich just a few months after his departure. Lyon arrived at the Olympic stadium for a Champions League tie in November 2003 - and who else but Elber popped up to score the winner for his new club, only to reap the applause from the still-adoring Bayern fans.

[Lance Knight]

9) Roland Wohlfarth 'Mr Consistency'

Bayern bought Roland Wohlfahrt as a fall-back option, but the striker eventually left with a reputation as one of the club's most prolific goalscorers.

Bayern really only bought Roland Wohlfahrt as an emergency fall-back option should one of the regular strikers pick up an injury. But the new front man seized his chance and swiftly made his mark on the club.

He arrived in Bavaria in the summer of 1984 from second-division MSV Duisburg after scoring 30 goals in 35 matches the previous season. His run of form continued at the illustrious Munich club: he lies third in Bayern's all-time Bundesliga goalscoring roll of honour, behind only Gerd Müller and Karl Heinz Rummenigge on 119 goals in 254 appearances, twice finishing as the league's leading scorer (17 goals in 1988-9 and 21 in 1990-91).

However, the season 1988-89 represented the high point in the player's career. The 31st matchday took place on a sunny Thursday in mid-May, and all eyes were on the Müngersdorfer stadium in Cologne where the home side entertained Bayern in a duel between second and first, a true showdown for the championship title.

But to the dismay of most of a 60,000 crowd Bayern won 3-1 thanks to a Wohlfahrt hat-trick on 25, 85 and 89 minutes. He scored another three against Bochum on the last day to seal the leading scorer accolade for himself and the title for his club.

Curiously, Wohlfahrt never achieved or indeed aspired to superstar status, despite defending his regular place in the team against all-comers for a full nine seasons and winning the championship with Munich five times (1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990), the 1986 German Cup and a 1987 European Champions Cup runners-up medal. He appeared twice for Germany.

Wohlfahrt left Munich in 1993 and finished his playing career with VfL Bochum in 1998.

[Lance Knight]

10) Klaus Augenthaler The 'Record-breaker'

No-one has yet to match Klaus Augenthaler's record, with its seven championship and three German Cup triumphs at Bayern and a 1990 World Cup winners' medal.

Klaus Augenthaler pursued and harvested honours like no other player, making him the most successful individual in Bundesliga history. At Bayern, 'Auge' won the championship seven times (1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990), the DFB German Cup three times (1982, 1984, 1986), and was twice a European Champions Cup losing finalist (1982, 1987).

However, the year 1990 was to prove the most glorious in an already illustrious playing career. Augenthaler added spine to the Germany side which doggedly stuck to the task and sealed a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup Final in Rome, just a few weeks after he had hoisted the Bundesliga shield into the Bavarian sky for a record seventh time. "I do admit to a certain pride at being the player with the most championship medals," he confesses nowadays.

'Auge' made 404 appearances for Bayern and 27 for Germany, scoring 52 top flight goals. Easily the most famous of these came on 19 August 1989 when he fired Munich's winner in a 1-0 away victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. The player, captain from 1984 to 1991 and filling the libero position at the time, beat Frankfurt keeper Uli Stein with a shot from the halfway line, earning the "Goal of the Season" and "Goal of the Decade" accolades.

His nickname 'Auge', derived from his surname but meaning "the eye" in German, merely hinted at his ability to read the action and control a match from the back, initially as a centre-half and later in his career as a classic libero.

Augenthaler hung up his boots in 1991 and became assistant coach in Munich, winning the Uefa Cup and finishing Bundesliga runner-up in 1996. From 1991-1997 he worked as assistant to Jupp Heynckes, Sören Lerby, Erich Ribbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Giovanni Trapattoni and Otto Rehhagel.

When Ottmar Hitzfeld arrived on 1 July 1998 he brought Michael Henke with him and the Bayern board persuaded Augenthaler to take up a head coach position elsewhere. But parting was still a wrench: "Bayern has always been everything to me, I even think in red-and-white," the Record-breaker admitted.

[Lance Knight]

11) Dieter Hoeneß 'Mr Europe'

Dieter Hoeneß' massive frame was just one reason why the battling, never-say-die forward came to be regarded as one of Bayern's 'big' players.

In eight seasons as Bayern centre-forward from 1979 to 1987, Dieter Hoeneß never gave anything less than 100 percent and was unflinchingly prepared to do battle until he dropped. "My aim was always to do a good, honest job," he recalls.

Hoeneß stepped up to the professional ranks with VfB Stuttgart in 1975 before switching to Bayern four years later for a fixed fee of 175,000 DM. The transfer was arranged by Dieter's elder brother and Bayern general manager Uli Hoeneß.

The 1.88 metre tall aerial powerhouse went through a tough settling-in period as he found himself eclipsed by superstars Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and became the target for hefty criticism from the fans. "They turned me into an anti-star, because there wasn't room for a third star alongside Rummenigge and Breitner," the striker reflected later.

However, once Breitner and Rummenigge had moved on, Hoeneß took over as the key personality in the Bayern side of the mid-Eighties, and despite a playing style short on elegance, he emerged as one of the most feared strikers in German football.

He scored 102 goals in 224 games for Bayern, firing 21 in 33 appearances in his best season, 1981-2. While at Bayern he won five championships (1980, 1981, 1985, 1986 and 1987) and three German Cups (1982, 1984 and 1986), and he scored four times in six appearances for his country.

Frustratingly, Hoeneß was to see one of his greatest dreams never come to fruition. Despite 28 goals in 58 European appearances, earning himself the nickname 'Mr Europe', he never claimed a winners' medal on the European stage, ending up a losing Champions Cup finalist in both 1982 and 1987. The 1987 final against Porto should have been the crowning glory of his career, but Bayern's unlucky 2-1 defeat instead counts as the player's greatest sporting disappointment.

Hoeneß had intended to end his Bundesliga career in 1985 but was persuaded to continue playing, celebrating a sensational comeback for Germany the following year with his World Cup finals debut in Mexico at the age of 33 and winning a runners-up medal.

His final match for Bayern was his farewell game in June 1987 against Liverpool.

[Lance Knight]

12) Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck The 'Kaiser's Bodyguard'

Every successful side needs unsung heroes like Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, an ultra-loyal servant who put in years of tireless effort on Bayern's behalf.

Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck was that rarity among footballers, a loyalist who spent his entire career at one club. The player appeared for Bayern between 1966 and 1982, an unsung hero usually found in the long shadow thrown by his "boss" Franz Beckenbauer.

The tactics of the era called for a midfield ball-winner, and Schwarzenbeck was a shining example of the craft. The "Kaiser's Bodyguard" harried, tackled and hoofed clear whatever the opposition sent in the direction of the goal he was defending, a role never likely to earn stardom but which he carried out with tireless efficiency.

Schwarzenbeck made his Bayern debut in the 1967 German Cup final against Hamburg. "It went well for me, but I honestly can't remember any of the details, I'm afraid I've just played too many finals," he said later. Bayern won 4-0 that day.

He made 416 Bundesliga appearances, 70 in Europe and earned 44 Germany caps. He scored a total of 21 goals as a professional. Schwarzenbeck collected six German championships (1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981), a European Cup Winners' Cup medal in 1967, and the Champions' Cup three times in succession from 1974 to 1976. With Germany, he was European Champion in 1972, World Champion in 1974 and European Championship runner-up in 1976.

The most spectacular triumph was the duel with Atletico Madrid in the 1974 Champions' Cup final in Brussels. The game ended goalless after 90 minutes, and little happened in extra time until the 114th minute, when Schwarzenbeck upended his opponent on the edge of the box. Luis blasted an unstoppable free-kick past Sepp Maier for what looked like the deciding goal.

But Schwarzenbeck was determined to make good his error, blasting an equaliser from 25 metres in the proverbial last seconds to set up the first and only reply in the history of European finals. "Even Pele wouldn't have scored that one," he rejoiced afterwards. Munich powered to a 4-0 victory in the replay two days later, earning rave notices from the global sports press as they heralded the arrival of a side which would dominate European club football for the next two seasons.

Pride of place in Schwarzenbeck's impressive medal collection goes to his 1972 European Championship honour and 1974 World Cup winners' medal. If there was an accolade for combining success with unassuming modesty, the former Bayern defender would be first in line.

[nachi88]

Nice work Lance.. :thumbsup:

Just a correction- Scholl has also won the bundesliga championship 7 times, matching Augenthalers record.

[Lance Knight]

yea but Augenthalers also won three German Cup and a 1990 World Cup winners' medal. lol

[ballack_fanatka]

:) i agree...... but i think u miss some..... lol ;)

[cris_cris15]

http://www.best-ranks.com/Michael_Ballack.htm

Michael Ballack (born September 26, 1976 in Görlitz, East Germany) is a German football player.
He is the current captain of the German national team,
and plays club football for Chelsea F.C. in the English
FA Premier League.
Ballack is known for being a versatile and
well-conditioned player, equally at home in
attack and defence, able to play in almost
any position in midfield. He made his name
as an attacking midfielder with an eye for
goal, but Bayern have recently employed him
in a deeper role, where he has been able to
direct play.He also has a first class
free-kick-taking ability which in many
cases has been proven unbeatable for
international keepers. He is regarded
as one of the most lethal headers in the world
but is equally competent with his powerful left
and right feet. These attributes have earned him
the German player of the year award on three
occasions (2002, 2003, 2005), a feat surpassed
only by German legend Franz Beckenbauer, who won
the award four times. Some experts consider him
the most complete footballer in the world today.
Since 2004, he has been one of Germany's leading
sports icons and the captain of the German national
team, which is seeking World Cup glory on home soil.
http://www.best-ranks.com/Michael_Ballack.htm
Ballack started his career with BSG Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt. His parents
sent him to train with the side when he was seven years old. He later
moved on to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt (renamed Chemnitzer FC in 1990). His
father had played second-division football himself in Germany. Unusual
for his early age was Ballack's ability to use both feet with equal authority.
In 1995, Ballack was given his first professional contract, thanks to his
impressive performances in the role of central midfielder. He was dubbed
the "Little Kaiser", in reference to Franz Beckenbauer, who was nicknamed
"The Kaiser". His professional debut came on 4 August 1995, on the first
day of the new Second Bundesliga season. Chemnitz lost the game 2-1,
against VfB Leipzig.
http://www.best-ranks.com/Michael_Ballack.htm