The Bundesliga was formed in 1963 by unifying several regional leagues in Germany. The unification was done with a view to make German football an attractive entity for viewers. After 57 years, It must be said that the league has delivered on its promise massively. Very few leagues can claim to be as entertaining as Bundesliga. When it comes to the number of goals scored per game, Bundesliga has been the leader among the top five European footballing nations for the past few years. The higher goals tally is a direct consequence of the fearless brand of football that every German club plays irrespective of the opposition. Naturally, Germany has been a dreamland for strikers and has been home to several great goalscorers. In this article, we will look at the five most prolific goalscorers in the history of Bundesliga,
5. Manfred Burgsmuller
Burgsmuller was a versatile attacker who initially played for teams in regional leagues of Germany. His move to Dortmund and subsequent success earned him a lot of recognition in Germany.
Mostly, he played as a midfielder for Dortmund but remained prolific in front of the goal, scoring 135 goals in 224 appearances. After a brief spell in the second division, Burgsmuller returned to the Bundesliga and played a pivotal role in Werder Bremen’s 1987-88 title-winning campaign.
4. Jupp Heynckes
A universally respected footballing figure, Heynckes’ accomplishments as a player and a manager remain unparalleled in Germany. During his playing career, he was a ruthless centre forward who played for Hannover 96 and Borussia Monchengladbach. As a teenager, he netted 23 times to earn Gladbach promotion to the Bundesliga and represented them for two seasons in the Bundesliga before joining Hannover 96.
Heynckes returned to Borussia in 1970 and enjoyed the best phase of his career in the early ’70s as he fought with Gerd Muller for the top scorer award. He scored 220 goals in 369 Bundesliga games and became a manager after his retirement, famously winning the treble in 2013 with Bayern Munich.
3. Klaus Fischer
Known for his incredible bicycle kicks, Fischer was a scorer of great goals throughout his Bundesliga career. He appeared in 535 Bundesliga games and netted 268 times in his career.
Fischer started his professional career playing for TSV 1860 Munich, but he reached his peak while playing for Schalke 04. He scored 182 goals in 295 appearances for Schalke 04, still a club record. Fischer played for FC Koln and VFL Blochum before retiring in 1988.
2. Robert Lewandowski
One of the greatest strikers of his generation, Lewandowski is playing the best football of his career at the age of 32. Lewandowski’s first Bundesliga season was 2010-11 in which he netted just eight times but soon became a star in Dortmund with memorable individual performances.
In his next three seasons at Dortmund, Lewandowski scored over 60 Bundesliga goals before joining rivals Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014. At Bayern Munich, he continues to break several league records and has cemented his place among all-time great centre forwards.
1. Gerd Muller
Arguably the most potent striker in the history of football, Muller made goal scoring look so easy throughout his career. He played in the Bundesliga for fourteen seasons starting from 1965 and scored 398 goals in 453 appearances. His best individual season was 1971-72 in which he scored 40 goals in 34 appearances.
He won three consecutive Bundesliga trophies with Bayern Munich starting from 1971-72 and was the League top scorer in all three seasons. Only Robert Lewandowski has a realistic chance of breaking his all-time record and single-season record of 40 goals.
