The stars of the Bundesliga

The Hamburg striker had already made a name for himself even before the Bundesliga kicked off in 1963. The diminutive player, who had played in the German national team since 1954 had another 239 appearances in the Bundesliga and scored 137 goals, securing a place in the hearts and minds of German football fans.

Bayern striker Gerd Müller (left) managed to score an astounding 365 goals in 427 matches. Together with goalkeeper Sepp Maier (middle) and legendary midfielder Franz Beckenbauer (left), who won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as coach in 1990, the three were the backbone of Bayern and the German national squad.

Netzer (L) and Overath came up as players during the Bundesliga's infancy. They were key to the early success of Borussia Mönchengladbach and Cologne - Netzer won two titles, Overath one. The two paired together in midfield during West Germany's triumphant 1974 World Cup campaign. Netzer went on to play for Real Madrid and Swiss club Grasshoppers, Overath spent his entire career with Cologne.

The English player, who came to Hamburg from Liverpool in 1977, was extremely popular in Germany. Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" because of his stature, he even made it into the top ten of the German pop charts with the song "Head over Heels in Love."

Often times derided by German fans for his propensity to say more than he should, on the field Matthäus was a star. After starting his career with Borussia Mönchengladbach, he won seven Bundesliga and two German Cup titles with Bayern Munich in the 1980s and 90s. He is Germany's record-holder in national team appearances, and won Euro 1980 and the 1990 World Cup.

The South Korean attacker came to Germany in 1978 at age 25. He played in Darmstadt briefly before moving on to Eintracht Frankfurt and later to Bayer Leverkusen winning the UEFA cup with both teams. He retired in 1989 having played 308 Bundesliga games in which he scored 98 goals - then the highest for a foreign player. He only received one yellow card throughout his entire career.

One of the league's most likeable players, the Hesse-born striker began his career with Kickers Offenbach before moving to 1860 Munich and then Werder Bremen, where he would spend his best Bundesliga years. Völler later moved abroad for stints with Roma and Marseille. Playing for Germany he won the World Cup in 1990 and later coached the team to the final in 2002.

The German striker with a wealth of international experience. He managed to score a total of 110 goals playing for teams in Italy, Monaco, England and the United States. He later coached the German national team when they hosted the World Cup in 2006 and now coaches the United States squad.

So good they named him twice. The Nigerian midfielder, known as one of the best dribblers in the history of the game, made his name with Eintracht Frankfurt in the early 1990s. Okocha's most memorable moment was his incredible "goal of the season" against Kalrsuhe, where he beat several defenders and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn multiple times in the box in a masterful dribbling display.

The Bayern and Germany goalkeeper won eight German championships - more than any other Bundesliga player. He was famous for his fierce posturing and dramatic gestures - which often saw fans of opposing teams pelt him with bananas on the pitch.

One of the star players in the first decade of this century, Michael Ballack was key to the success first of Leverkusen and then Bayern before moving on to Chelsea. The end of his career was overshadowed by arguments with the national team coach, Joachim Löw, who had unceremoniously sidelined the squad's former captain.

The French and the Dutch nationals are Bayern stars who don't always get along - Robben once once returned from the halftime dressing room with a black eye. But when they are clicking, they are the key cogs in a powerful machine. They're pace, dribbling and attacking prowess from the wings has made Bayern into a virtually unstoppable force.

He played just two season with Schalke from 2010 to 2012, but the former Real Madrid star left an unforgetable mark. Raul led the Royal Blues to the German Cup title and quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2011 before leaving for the Middle East.