Thomas Muller brought his glittering career at Bayern Munich to an end on May 17, 2025, with Vincent Kompany's side finishing their Bundesliga campaign against Hoffenheim.
The 35-year-old represented Bayern for the 751st and final time in the league affair, and he played 61 minutes of what proved to be a 4-0 victory for the Bundesliga giants.
Bayern have had some of the greatest players in the history of football represent them during a glittering history.
Die Roten are 34-time German champions, while they have lifted the DFB-Pokal 20 times, in addition to the European Cup on six occasions, with their last success in the Champions League coming in 2019-20.
Here, Sports Mole has taken on the difficult task of naming the top 10 greatest players to ever represent Bayern, and it was incredibly difficult due to the amount of influential figures to have turned out for the club.
10. Manuel Neuer
© Imago
One of two goalkeepers on this list, Neuer continues to feature between the sticks for Bayern, and he sits sixth on the all-time list in terms of appearances, representing the club on 555 occasions.
The 39-year-old has again been in excellent form during the 2024-25 campaign, keeping 19 clean sheets in 34 appearances, and he has a contract at Allianz Arena until the summer of 2026.
Neuer is viewed as one of the most influential goalkeepers in the history of football due to his role as a sweeper, and his ability on the ball has inspired many in his position.
He is also one of the most successful players in the history of Bayern in terms of trophies, having won 12 Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and two Champions League crowns.
9. Bastian Schweinsteiger
© Imago
Schweinsteiger came through the youth system at Bayern before progressing to first-team level in 2002, and he would go on to play for the Munich outfit 500 times, scoring 68 times in the process.
The German won eight Bundesliga titles, seven German Cups and the Champions League during his time with Bayern, and his influence during a successful period in Munich cannot be downplayed.
Schweinsteiger has held off competition from the likes of Klaus Augenthaler and Mehmet Scholl to make the top 10, and he is fully deserving of a position in this list despite the number of talented players who have missed out.
8. Lothar Matthaus
© Imago
Matthaus had two separate spells with Bayern, turning out for the club between 1984 and 1988, before returning in 1992, and he would then play another eight years for the German giants.
Capable of operating as a midfielder, centre-back and a sweeper, Matthaus enjoyed huge success for Bayern, scoring 69 times in 150 appearances during his first spell, before managing 31 in 256 appearances upon his return to Allianz Arena.
Matthaus won six Bundesliga titles and two German Cups, but he was one of the players to suffer heartache in the 1999 Champions League final, as Manchester United won the trophy in incredible circumstances.
7. Philipp Lahm
© Imago
Lahm represented Bayern between 2002 and 2017, making 517 appearances for the club, winning eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups and the Champions League, and he was an incredibly influential figure for the Munich outfit.
The long-serving captain was one of the most consistent full-backs in the modern era, and the quality of his play and influence on Bayern during such a successful period perhaps does not get the recognition that it deserves.
Some incredible players, including Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Uli Hoeness, Stefan Effenberg and Paul Breitner have missed out on spots in this list, but there simply had to be a position for Lahm.
6. Robert Lewandowski
© Imago
Lewandowski is still doing the business for Barcelona at the age of 36, and he will forever be remembered as one of the best forwards to ever take to the field in professional football.
Between 2014 and 2022, the Poland international scored 344 times in 375 appearances for Bayern, while he also came up with 73 assists, which is a staggering statistic for a player who was so focused on goals.
Lewandowski won eight Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and the Champions League, and the fact that he is still scoring regularly for Barcelona at this stage of his career is testament to his professionalism.
5. Oliver Kahn
© Imago
One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Kahn was Bayern's man between the sticks between 1994 and 2008, winning eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, the UEFA Cup, the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.
Kahn was a dominant force between the sticks, but he was also a dominant force in terms of the dressing room, with his winning mentality playing a leading role in Bayern enjoying so much success.
The German is third in the all-time list when it comes to appearances, representing the club on 632 occasions, with Thomas Muller and Sepp Maier, who is unfortunate to miss out on the top 10, the only two players to represent the club more times.
4. Thomas Muller
© Imago
Muller's career with Bayern, as mentioned, came to an end on May 17, 2025, and what a career it has been for him in Munich.
The 35-year-old is Bayern's all-time record appearance maker, turning out for the club on 751 occasions, while he is third in the all-time scoring list, finding the back of the net 248 times in all competitions.
Muller has won 13 Bundesliga titles, six German Cups and two Champions League titles during his time at Allianz Arena, and his contribution during a dominant period for the Munich team has been absolutely immense.
3. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
© Imago
Rummenigge won two European Cups, the Intercontinental Cup, two Bundesliga titles and two domestic cups during his time with Bayern, in addition to claiming two Ballon d'Or awards in 1980 and 1981.
The former forward turned out for the Munich giants between 1974 and 1984, scoring 217 times in all competitions, which places him fourth on the all-time scoring list behind Gerd Muller, Lewandowski and Thomas Muller.
A supremely-gifted technical player, he will forever be remembered when the history of Bayern is discussed, and he places high on this list due to his contribution for the Munich giants over the 10-year period.
2. Gerd Muller
© Imago
Muller just misses out on top spot, but that should take nothing away from his achievements, with the former striker regarded as one of the best goalscorers to ever take to the field.
He managed 565 goals in all competitions for Bayern, which is a record, helping the team to win three European Cups, the Intercontinental Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup, in addition to four Bundesliga titles.
Muller, who was the Ballon d'Or winner in 1970, also has the most Bundesliga goals for Bayern, scoring 398 times in the league between 1964 and 1979; he was a true penalty-box striker - something which is truly lacking now in the modern game.
1. Franz Beckenbauer
© Imago
Beckenbauer was always going to be at the top of this list, with the German, who passed away in 2024, a true Bayern legend, representing the club between 1964 and 1977, winning four Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, three European Cups, the Intercontinental Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.
The former defender, who was nicknamed 'Der Kaiser', is one of only nine players in the history of football to have won the World Cup, European Cup and Ballon d'Or.
Beckenbauer was a true force that inspired Bayern throughout the 1970s, and he must be considered as one of the finest players to have ever taken to the field in professional football, let alone Bayern.
He became the first player to win three European Cups as captain of his club, while he would later become manager and president of Bayern.
Matt Law
