By Ben McFadyean.
With the Klassiker at the Dortmund Westfalenstadion imminently upon us, it’s time to look back at some of the players and coaches who made their mark in the Bundesliga era and some who continue to do so.
Among those who were active at both clubs were some outstanding coaches who led both clubs. Few are better remembered than Ottmar Hitzfeld, who achieved the ultimate Champions League glory with the Westfalian club in 1997 before going on to the same feat with the Rekordmeister in 2001.
Many of the players also achieved at the international level, but some are less well-known. Here are the top thirteen players and six coaches who crossed the divide from South to West:
Harald ‘Toni’ Schumacher (Active Bayern 1991-92, BVB 1995-6, goalkeeper coach Bayern 1993-4 and BVB 1995-8) Toni played eight games for Munich in his final season and went on to become goalkeeper coach. He came on as a substitute for 9 minutes in the final match of BVB’s title-winning season 1995-6.
Mats Hummels (Bayern 1995-09 and 2016-19, BVB 2008-9, 09-16, 19-24)
Mats Hummels started in Munich but could not win the competition in the starting line-up in central defense. He then moved to BVB, where he reached the Champions League final and returned to Munich. Dortmund signed back in 2019.
Jürgen Kohler (Bayern 1989-91, BVB 1995-02)
Jürgen played at FC Bayern for two years but was not well known. He won only the league title and was not very well known. He gained real recognition at BVB, where he won the Bundesliga twice and the Champions League once.
Robert Kovac (Bayern 01-05, BVB 07-08)
The Croatian played for FCB with his brother Niko for four years and played 94 games. That’s a lot more than Niko’s, but Robert didn’t manage to become a regular. After a short-term trip to Turin, he moved to BVB, where he stayed for just one season.
Burghart Segler (Bayern 1973-4, BVB 1973-79)
The attacking midfielder played for the Bavarians for one season before moving to BVB, where he was a leading player in the team promoted to the Bundesliga. The Oberhausen-born player made 285 professional appearances, scoring 81 goals.
Thomas Helmer (BVB 1986-92, Bayern, 1992-99)
Helmer is an outstanding center-back and defensive all-rounder who played extensively in Dortmund and Munich. He played 190 games for BVB and 191 games for Bayern. He won the DFB Pokal with BVB and numerous titles with FCB, including the UEFA Cup, DFB Pokal, and Meisterschaft.
Mathias Sammer (Active BVB 1993-98, Bayern sports director 2012-16)
The Dresden-born defensive midfielder played in Dortmund and then worked as a sports director in Munich. Sammer was part of the 1997 Champions League winning team Cup and made 291 professional appearances, including for Inter Milan in 1992/93.
Michael Rummenigge (Bayern 1982-88, BVB 1988-93)
Like his brother, he started his career in Munich. He spent six great years there and then moved to BVB for five seasons.
Stefan Reuter (Bayern 1988-91, BVB 1992-2004)
Reuter was born in Bavaria but did not start his career with the most extensive team in Germany but with the smaller 1. FC Nuremberg. Only then did he arouse the interest of FC Bayern, playing for three seasons. However, he didn’t play that much, unlike Borussia, where he played more than 300 games and was a leading player, winning all the major titles, DFB Pokal, Meisterschaft, Intercontinental Cup, and Champions League in an unforgettable era.
Mario Götze (BVB 2001-13, 2016-20, Bayern 2013-16)
Emanating from the ‘Hohenbuschei’ BVB academy, Mario was a shooting star at Dortmund; he controversially announced his transfer to FC Bayern just weeks before the 2013 Champions League final between the two clubs. However, the World Cup winner with Germany couldn’t establish himself and decided to return for a second spell to Dortmund in 2016.
Robert Lewandowski (2010-14 BVB, Bayern 2014-22)
BVB discovered the Poland international striker in 2010, and he was an instant success in a team that swept all before winning the title, a double of cup and title, and reaching the Champions League final. He repeated the success, and then some, with FC Bayern, scoring 238 goals in a seven-year period.
Jürgen Wegmann (1984-86, 1989-92 BVB, Bayern 1987-89)
Born in Essen, Jürgen moved to BVB in 1984 and stayed for two seasons before controversially moving to Schalke 04. He made his real breakthrough there and was picked up by Bayern Munich, where he remained for two seasons, scoring 26 goals. He was known as ‘Die Kobra’ Wegmann, but he returned to BVB and scored only seven goals in 47 games.
Raphael Guerreiro (BVB 2016-23, Bayern 2023-to date)
The Portugal international left-back, who could also play in midfield, joined Bayern in 2023 after seven seasons with Die Schwarz-Gelben. A famous player with BVB, he has yet to establish himself with FCB and has made only 29 appearances.
And the coaches:
Ottmar Hitzfeld coached BVB 1991-97 and Bayern 1998-2004, 2007-8.
Pal Csernai was in charge at Bayern 1978-83 and BVB 1985-6.
Branko Zebec managed Bayern 1969-70 and BVB 1981-2.
Udo Lattek was Bayern’s coach from 1970-75 and 1983-7 and led BVB twice (1979-81 and 2000/1).
Erich Ribbeck was head coach of BVB from 1984-5 and at Bayern for just one season, 1992-3.
Thomas Tuchel managed BVB 2015-17 and Bayern in season 23-4.
The 136th Klassiker of the Bundesliga era kicks off today, Saturday, 30 November, at 1830 CET.
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