Top 20 Bundesliga League Players and Records Statistics in 2024

Football is the top-rated sport globally and is no less in Germany. 

With 60 seasons in its books, the Bundesliga has given fans the greatest fixtures the world has seen. From Robert Lewandowski’s record-breaking goals to Bayern Munich’s dominance, Bundesliga is Europe’s best-attended league.

Read the full article for more records of these top German football league players and teams.

Which Team Holds the Most Bundesliga Titles?

Since its founding, 56 teams have competed in Bundesliga, and 12 have championed the league. 

With 32 of 60, Bayern Munich set a European record with the most collected titles, winning the last eleven. Other title-holder teams include:

• Dortmund & Borussia Mönchengladbach: 5
• Werder: 4
• Hamburg & Stuttgart: 3
• Cologne & Kaiserslautern: 2

Let’s get to know the teams who keep the season running from August to May.

Bundesliga Team Statistics

Dubbed as football king of Germany, Bayern Munich is a household name in Bundesliga. The 121-year-old Munich-based club dominated the 18 teams in the league. 

Bayern’s 91-point haul in 2012-2013 is the most of any club in a single season, and Tasmania Berlin’s eight-point return in 1965-1966 is the lowest.

While Union Berlin recently debuted in 2019-2020, let’s explore more of the teams’ standings in the league.

1. FC Köln won the first Bundesliga championship in the league’s inaugural season.

(Bundesliga)

FC Köln was among the 16 founding Bundesliga teams. They made history by winning the first Bundesliga title in 1963-1964. Their second win came in the 1977-1978 seasons.

Each season in the league is different. Apart from the team’s two titles, they were runner-ups five times, from 1964-1965 to 1989-1990.

2. Borussia Dortmund had the second most Bundesliga titles and second place in the league.

(BVB 09)

After Bayern Munich, the 111-year-old Dortmund-based club has won five Bundesliga championships and ranked second place seven times in the league.

The team won the championship in the following years: 

• 1994-1995
• 1995-1996
• 2001-2002
• 2010-2011
• 2011-2012

3. Bayer Leverkusen has yet to win a championship since joining the league in 1979. 

(Football History)

Bayer Leverkusen has set a record in German football. Although unsuccessful in winning a title, they finished five times as runner-up in the Bundesliga.

The team has been seeking their first trophy for more than 30 years, having them dubbed ‘Neverkusen’ for their numerous near misses. The record gave the team its title of being perennial runners-up.

4. VfB Stuttgart has never won consecutive championships in the league.

(Bundesliga)

VfB Stuttgart has won three titles in 1983-1984, 1991-1992, and 2006-2007. They also placed second in the 1978-1979 and 2002-2003. 

Teams earn their position in the league. Although they were among the founding teams, they were demoted three times but were able to bounce back the following year.

5. Hamburger SV was demoted from the league after 55 years.

(The Athletic)

After three titles and five runners-up, Hamburger SV lost its residency in the league. It was in 2017-2018 when the team could not stand its ground and was demoted to Bundesliga 2, proving the league’s unpredictability.

Here are the incredible seasons worth reminiscing about for the team:

• 1978-1979
• 1981-1982
• 1982-1983

6. It took over 10 years for Werder Bremen to win their four titles.

(Football History)

Werder Bremen had 20 years gap for their first and second title, while their 3rd and 4th title had 10 years of difference. Here are the winning seasons of the team:

• Vs. FC Köln in 1964-1965 (20 goals)
• Vs. Bayern Munich in 1987-1988 (19 goals)
• Vs. Bayern Munich in 1992-1993 (20 goals)
• Vs. Bayern Munich in 2003–2004 (28 goals)

Werder Bremen’s four championships have never come after another, showing that a team might take years of hard work and sacrifices to win the league.

7. Borussia Monchengladbach’s 3 consecutive wins put them closest to Bayern Munich.

(Bundesliga)

Of Borussia Monchengladbach’s 5 Bundesliga championships, 3 occurred between 1974 and 1977. The other two also came in consecutive years from 1969-1971. 

They also placed second twice in the league, in the 1973-1974 and 1977-1978 seasons. The results showed that the ball is round, and a team may be on top or runner-up.

8. Two teams held the largest comeback in Bundesliga from four goals down.

(Bundesliga)

Bayern Munich was four goals behind Bochum during their match in 1976. Schalke faced the same fate in 2017 as they came from behind against Borussia Dortmund.

While the Royal Blues had drawn the game at 4-4, the Bavarians won at 6-5, with Uli Hoeneß’s 89th-minute winning strike.

9. Bayern Munich had the longest winning and unbeaten streaks, with 19 and 53 wins respectively. 

(Bundesliga)

Bayern Munich won 19 consecutive games from Matchday 9 to 27 in 2013-2014. The team had also not lost in 53 games from Matchday 10 of 2012-2013 and Matchday 28 of 2013-2014.

As Bayern was in dreamland with their unbeatable record, Tasmania Berlin had the longest losing streak by 31 games. The latter failed to win from Matchday 2 to 32 in 1965-1966.

10. Coaching for almost 16 years, Volker Finke was the longest-serving coach in Bundesliga.

(Bundesliga)

Volker Finke was one of the key figures who laid the foundation of SC Freiburg, coaching from 1991 to 2007. Otto Rehhagel followed with 14 consecutive seasons of coaching for Werder Bremen.

Bundesliga Player Statistics

As Bayern Munich dominated the league, it’s no surprise that the team has well-represented the Bavarians with the most titles won by a player.

With 41 goals in a season, a 12-0 win, a goal in nine seconds of the game, and almost 900 minutes scoreless, Bundesliga players have set records that stood the test of time.

Here are the individual performances of the league’s playmakers.

11. Frenchman Franck Ribery was a German champion for the ninth time.

(Bundesliga)

Bayern Munich’s win in 2019 brought Franck Ribery the Bundesliga trophy home for the last time. This is after he ended his 12-year stint with the team.

He then joined two Italian football teams after ending his professional career in 2022. This shows the league’s inclusivity among international talents.

12. Charly Körbel has the most games played in the league, at 602 fixtures.

(Bundesliga)

Karl-Heinz “Charly” Korbel took the field 602 times in the Bundesliga from 1972 to 1991. He made all of his appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt.

The man’s tenacity rewarded him with an unrivaled collection of appearances, a record yet to be broken.

13. Youssoufa Moukoko is the youngest player to debut in Bundesliga history, debuting at 16 years and 1 day old.

(FC Bayern)

The league nurtures young players like Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko and Nuri Sahin. Moukoko broke Sahin’s record in debuting at 16 years and a day against Hertha Berlin on 22 November 2020.

Moukoko got on the scoresheet a few games later and secured his first goal against Union Berlin in December 2020.

14. Klaus Fichtel was 43.5 years old when he played his last games in Bundesliga, the oldest player to appear in the league.

(Bundesliga)

At age 43-and-a-half, Fichtel is the oldest player in the league, giving the best and last years of his career to Schalke.

Of the 552 Bundesliga appearances, Fichtel joined in 1965 at age 20. He played for the Royal Blues and Werder Bremen

15. 11 titles make Thomas Müller the winningest Bundesliga champion in history.

(Guinness World Records)

Thomas Muller led the ranking of most Bundesliga championships, winning in 2009-2010 and 2012-2021. He’s only up by one title from former teammate David Alaba, with the latter having won the most titles as a foreign player.

Muller’s current teammates Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski joined Alaba with 10 titles.

16. Michael Spies joined 7 teams in his Bundesliga career, the most in the league’s history.

(Football Database)

The German footballer is not quite a one-club man. In 11 seasons, he represented the following seven clubs in the Bundesliga:

• VfB Stuttgart (1985-1986)
• Karlsruher SC (1987-1988)
• Borussia Mönchengladbach (1989-1990)
• Hansa Rostock (1991-1992)
• Hamburg SV (1992-1993)
• Dynamo Dresden (1994-1995)
• VfL Wolfsburg (1995-1996)

Of these clubs, Spies won a couple of games but not a title, indicating that winning a title is not based on the number of teams a player has joined.

17. Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi has the fastest speed in the Bundesliga record, at 22.77 mph.

(Bundesliga)

Karim Adeyemi’s 22.77 mph speed contributed to the team’s 5-1 win against Freiburg on Matchday 19 of the 2022-2023 season. 

It was a breakthrough for the 21-year-old, who set a speed record and scored his first home goal.

Here are the league’s five fastest players of all time:

• Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund): 22.77 mph
• Jeremiah St. Juste (Mainz): 22.76 mph
• Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen): 22.69 mph 
• Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich): 22.69 mph 
• Achraf Hakimi (Dortmund): 22.67 mph

Bundesliga Goals and Assist Statistics

It took 58 seconds for the first goal in the opening season of the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund’s Timo Konietzka etched his name in history after scoring a goal in less than a minute against Werder.

The Bundesliga housed some of Europe’s most goals scored by successful goalscorers like Gerd Muller and Robert Lewandowski.

Let’s find out the players’ goals and assists in the league.

18. Gerd Müller holds the record for most goals in Bundesliga history, with 566.

(FC Bayern, Bundesliga)

Of his 607 Bundesliga matches, Gerd Müller scored 566 goals for Bayern Munich from 1964-1979. Muller’s league records include the following:

• Scored more than once in 87 different games
• 32 hat tricks
• 10 four-goal games
• 4 five-goal games

With 312 goals, Robert Lewandowski is the all-time non-German goalscorer in Bayern’s Bundesliga record.

19. VfB Stuttgart’s Timo Hildebrand made the longest stretch without conceding, at 884 minutes.

(CNN)

Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand broke Oliver Kahn’s records for keeping a ball from the net for up to 884 minutes in the 2003-2004 season.

Werder Bremen’s Angelos Charisteas broke his streak on Matchday 9 when he finally fished a ball out of his net. Stuttgart still managed to win the game 3-1.

20. The most goals in a season went to Robert Lewandowski, with 41 in 2020-2021.

(Bundesliga)

Robert Lewandowski surpassed Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old’s 40 goals in a single season. He earned record-breaking goals despite his five-game misses. He lucked out in his last-minute goal against Augsburg on the final day.

Among Lewandowski’s top achievements include:

• Fastest five-goal performance in a game vs. Wolfsburg in 2015
• Fastest hat trick vs. RB Salzburg in 2021
• Fastest four-goal performance vs. Red Star Belgrade in 2019

21. Nine seconds is the fastest goal the Bundesliga league has ever recorded.

(Bundesliga)

It may take a few more minutes or games for some players to score a goal, but the two Leverkusen players didn’t have to wait long.

Karim Bellarbi scored a goal nine seconds after the whistle blew against Dortmund in 2014. Kevin Volland followed the same record a year later when he played for Hoffenheim against Bayern Munich.

22. Dieter Muller recorded the most goals in one game, with 6 made scores.

(Football Database)

Surpassing Lewandowski, Cologne’s Dieter Muller made the most goals in 1977 against Werder Bremen. 

He holds the only six-goal game in Bundesliga history, which happened between the 12th and 85th minute of a game.

23. Thomas Müller set 21 assists in a season, breaking the record in the 2019-2020 season.

(Mirror)

Bundesliga recorded Thomas Müller having the most assists in the league. His phenomenal performance setting 21 goals for his teammates in the 2019-2020 season, surpassed Kevin De Bruyne’s previous best.

The German international has unmatched chemistry with his teammates, a key in his incredible assist tally.

24. In 2015-2016, Manuel Neuer had the most clean sheets in the league, with 21 saves.

(Bundesliga)

Bayern Munich Goalkeeper and Captain Manuel Neuer did his job well when he managed 218 shut-outs in 478 matches. He’s also the only goalkeeper with over 100 appearances to have allowed fewer goals than he has played.

Of his 34 appearances in 2015-2016, he kept 21 for Bayern, having the most clean sheets in a season.

25. Jadon Sancho was the youngest and fastest player to reach 50 Bundesliga assists.

(Bulinews)

At age 20, Jadon Sancho achieved his 50th Bundesliga assist in his 99th appearance on 27 February 2021. He replaced Thomas Müller, who had his 50th assist at age 23.

The transfer rumors surrounding Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea could have positively affected Sancho’s performance. He brought his team’s victory and a personal best.

Wrap up

Winning a title in any league is always a moment of pride in a player’s career. It is no different in the Bundesliga, where teams play for one goal – the championship.

More than winning a title, the German football league has produced many top players over the years. It serves as the breeding ground for the young and a better place to leave a legacy.