Bundesliga: From Keegan to Van der Vaart: Hamburg’s international stars

Few footballers enjoyed the unconditional love of the HSV fans the way Rafael van der Vaart did. The Dutchman first touched down on the Hanseatic shores in 2005 and played an integral role in clinching European qualification in all three seasons of his first stint at the club. The second came after he'd spent time on the books at Real Madrid and Tottenham - when Hamburg were desperate for heroics.

Like van der Vaart, Kevin Keegan was also brought in during a time of need when the club stumped up a substantial sum to sign him from Liverpool in 1977. A rocky start that saw him banned for eight weeks after knocking out an opponent soon gave way to strong form and success. "Mächtig Maus" (Mighty Mouse) as he was affectionately known, went on to win the Ballon d’Or twice in three seasons.

David Jarolim took to the field 344 times in all competitions during a nine-year spell in the northern port city - more than any other non-German player. The Czech international joined in 2003 and experienced both highs and lows at the club. From finishing as high as third in 2006 and qualifying for Europe four years running to the club’s downward spiral following the turn of the decade.

Not many footballers can claim to have a street named after them. Barbarez can. The three-time Bosnia-Herzegovnian footballer of the year received the honor in his native Mostar. Barbarez is the club’s record foreign scorer with 76 goals in all competitions, which included a 22-goal haul in the Bundesliga that secured him the scoring title in 2001.

This list would not be complete without the player who scored Hamburg’s first-ever natural hat trick – three unanswered, consecutive goals in one half. Olic achieved the feat in a 4-1 win over Stuttgart in 2007, but will be remembered for much more having spent a combined three-and-a-half seasons in Hamburg over the course of two stints at the club.

Ze Roberto is a Bundesliga legend who left an impression on every club he played for during an illustrious career. Like at Leverkusen and Bayern Munich before, the Brazilian was a first-team regular during his time at Hamburg. Having been a winger in his early career, at HSV he played the role of midfield general whose calm presence balanced out the egocentric wannabes in the team.

One of the most memorable Middle Eastern footballers of his generation, Mehdi Mahdavikia's 263 outings in all competitions only fall short only of Jarolim's on the list of Hamburg’s foreign appearance makers. The Iranian saw a loan deal made permanent by HSV as he went on to be named the club’s 'player of the year’ two years running in 2003 and 2004.

Son has a special place on this list given that he’s the only player to have come through Hamburg’s youth academy. The South Korean megastar moved from Seoul in 2008 and went onto become one of the club’s biggest talents of recent years. Unfortunately for the club, his rise to prominence coincided with a string of poor finishes that prevented HSV from holding onto his services for longer.

The imprint that Vincent Kompany left on Hamburg looks somewhat like two feet planted on a springboard. The Belgian only made 51 appearances for HSV in all competitions, but still has kind words for the club that gave him his big break on the European circuit. The now three-time Premier League champion helped the club secure European qualification in his first season as a 20-year-old.

With a left-foot that boasted as much finesse as it did raw power, Petric scored some of the most memorable goals in Hamburg history during a four-year stint in the port city. Stunning free-kicks and first-time volleys were commonplace among the 61 goals he scored in 136 games in all competitions. The Croatian almost single-handedly fired HSV to the Europa League final in 2010.