If you count from the aftermath of World War II, the best team in international competitions is probably not five-star Brazil, but germany (including the previous Federal Republic of Germany) is even better. Compared to Brazil, who missed the Copa America title from 1949 to 1997, Germans are more stable.
They began to re-qualify for the World Cup in 1954, began to participate in the European Championship in 1968, and have since embarked on an incredible journey. In 1972, 1976 and 1980, three consecutive European Championships reached the final, 1982, 1986 and 1990 three consecutive World Cups reached the final, and 1992 and 1996 were two consecutive European Championship finals, even in the relatively low period, they still broke into the finals of the 2002 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship.
Such outstanding and continuous highlight performance has also given birth to countless superstars in German football, compared to England and Spain, their top five in history are more difficult to choose, to give up some of the superstars who led the times, the following is the author's choice:
1. Beckenbauer (active years 1966-1976)
2. Gad-Müller (active years 1968-1974)
3. Mateus (active years 1980-2000)
4. Helmut-Larne (active years 1950-1960)
5. Rummenigge (active years 1976-1986)
Franz Beckenbauer
There is no suspense in the top of the list, he is the eternal symbol of German football, as a post-war generation born in 1945, he not only experienced the rise of football in this country, but also witnessed the whole process of Germany from the fall to the rebirth.
World Cup champion + European Cup champion + Champions League three consecutive champions + 2 Ballon d'Or, Beckenbauer has won all the honors he can get as a professional player, and he is led by the number one star.
In his early years he was an all-round midfielder, some of whom became more and more backward with age, due to the decline in physical function, but Beckenbauer began to try to retreat to play the free man at the age of 25, which was also the iconic role of that era, not only as a defensive scavenger who did not stare at people, but also took on the responsibility of stabilizing the empty field, launching attacks and even completing the finish. In the eyes of many critics, Beckenbauer is the strongest free man in European history, and he and Chilean hero Figueroa are a temporary light.
Gad-Müller
There should be no controversy about Gad Muller's second place, as he is one of the best goalscorers in football history and has set numerous goalscoring records. As long as he has participated in heavyweight competitions, he has won the top scorer and scored in the final.
As the second-in-command of the Federal Republic of Germany and Bayern Munich during the Reign of the Bulge, he was a terrifying killer of the century on the front line. He doesn't have superior speed, the ability to crush ordinary people, and the delicate technical ability of South Americans, but with his excellent sense of smell and excellent ability to handle the ball, he can often score deadly goals in key moments.
There are a lot of people who say that the elder Mueller is "useless" except for scoring goals, and those who say this are most likely not to have seen his game. In fact, he has a certain ability to hold the ball, and he has also contributed to the retraction tandem and delivery organization, which was already the standard for all-around centers in the 1970s, and in the 1972 Euro 2072 final, he took his specialty to the extreme.
Lothar-Mateus
The position of Mateus's third elder is also very stable, from the status point of view, he is inferior to the two predecessors, but also created his own era legend.
The old horse career has two major characteristics, one is the peak period is very long, from the beginning of the European Championship in 1980 to the end of the European Championship as the main force in 2000, 20 years as active in mainstream football, which is very admirable. Second, like Bei Huang, he debuted as a midfielder, and then slowly found himself more suitable to be a leader, so he retreated to become a free man like Bei Huang, and winning the World Cup in 1990 was the biggest achievement of his career.
Helmut-Larne
Fourth-placed Larne may not be familiar to many fans, he was the de facto core of the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950s, and at the time of the 1954 World Cup, the veteran captain Fritz Walter was 37 years old, and he was more of a spiritual leader on the field, and Larne, who was the sharp knife in the front, was the real core.
He is a top forward killer, with balanced bipedal abilities and a stunning world wave in the era of old-fashioned boots + hard leather balls. In the 1954 World Cup final, it was his goal that helped West Germany beat Hungary and create the so-called "Bern miracle".
In the late 1950s, Larne was also a figure who could compete for the top three Of the Ballon d'Or, and would always be put together with Di Stefano, Puskas, Kopa and others, becoming the heroes of the era worshipped by fans.
Rummenigge
In fifth place is Rummenigge, who is familiar to many old fans, who is the top star of German football in the following decade after the end of the generation of Bei Huang. In the 1980s, the top attacking midfielders emerged, and Rummenigge was on a par with Maradona, Platini, Zico and Dagres, all of whom were emperor superstars who led the era.
It is worth mentioning that he is also the only person in the history of German football to win the European Ballon d'Or (1980 and 1981), and he has not been able to reach such heights as Beckenbauer. If you've been lucky enough to start watching football since the early 1980s, you'll never forget his great performances.
The above is the author's personal opinion, in fact, there are many outstanding figures in German football, such as Klinsmann, Ballack, Barak, these top stars, have been defeated in the fierce competition, but this does not prevent them from being the best in the hearts of some fans.