At the end of the day, a standard of a league comes down to it’s star players, the ones that really define the style of play and create the league’s greatest moments. La Liga has Messi, Ronaldo, and Sergio Ramos. The Premier League has Van Persie, Rooney and Kompany.
The Bundesliga is also very much at the level of Spain’s and England’s elite leagues. But who are the best Bundesliga stars? Here’s my Bundesliga team to rival the best from all around the world.
Goalkeeper – Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich’s big German stopper has a claim to be the best keeper in the world. His shot stopping is tremendous and it is rare that the ball goes past him without it being a quite spectacular goal.
Right Back – Lukasz Piszczek
Dortmund’s Polish right back impressed me particularly with his impressive performances for his country at Euro 2012, and his performances at Dortmund over the last year have been even more sensational. A marauding right back who can make goals and stop them, he would fall straight into most La Liga and Premier League sides.
Center Back – Mat Hummels
This is possibly one of the easiest choices to make. Hummels is one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the world at the moment. Big teams will certainly have their eye on this man.
Center Back – Benedikt Howedes
Howedes is an underrated defender. Big and strong, Schalke’s main man at the back was one of the reasons they have been so impressive in the Champions League this season.
Left Back – Philip Lahm
Another easy choice. Lahm has been top of the full back game for many years now, and whether he’s in Bayern Munich colors or German national team colors, the versatile full back always comes good when needed.
Defensive Midfield – Bastian Schweinsteiger
It doesn’t matter where this German midfielder is playing, he always runs the game. His composure on the ball and range of passing make him a valuable asset to Bayern and Germany.
Central Midfield – Rafael Van Der Vaart
Having only recently moved back to Germany from the Premier League, Van Der Vaart is still readjusting to life back in the country’s top division. His playmaking skills and powerful shots have already proved valuable this year, with the Dutchman scoring some impressive goals in the process.
Center Midfield – Juan Arango
This final central midfield spot was incredibly difficult to call. Gotze, Kroos and many more could have gone into this slot, but from what I’ve seen of Juan Arango this year, he is placed into the squad on a sort of wildcard calling. Gotze and Kroos may be better overall players, younger and more exciting, but Arango’s range of passing and incredible technique is undeniable. His shooting powers are second to none, with him scoring some quite sensational goals this year. All of the central three in the midfield have the ability to blast the ball in from range or pick a fantastic pass, making this team very dangerous when the midfield moves forward.
Right Winger – Arjen Robben
The Bayern Munich and Holland winger has been criticised for being a bit of a diver over his career, but without his injury problems I truly believe he’d be up there with Messi and Ronaldo. A dazzling left foot combined with amazing pace and dribbling skill makes him a defender’s worst nightmare.
Left Winger – Frank Ribery
Ribery is the other Bayern Munich winger and has similar traits to Robben. The Frenchman’s lightning pace and dangerous right foot make him a problem for left backs all around the world.
Striker – Klaas Jan Huntelaar
This was the hardest pick of all of the positions: Huntelaar or Lewandowski. I chose Huntelaar because of his tremendous season last campaign. 48 goals during the previous season was a tremendously impressive record and his competition for the starting striker spot in the Dutch team with Robin Van Persie is tantalising to watch.
Other names I wish I could include:
- Mario Gomez
- Thomas Muller
- Robert Lewandowski
- Marco Reus
- Toni Kroos
- Mario Gotze
- Mario Mandzukic
- Jefferson Farfan
- Neven Subotic
Written by RematchoftheDay