Bayern Munich remain one of the greatest clubs in world football. Throughout its history, the team had a number of iconic players don their jersey. In this particular article, we will honour the top five Bayern Munich appearance leaders.
Top Five Bayern Munich Appearance Leaders
5. Franz Beckenbauer 584
” Kaiser Franz” was not only one of the top five Bayern Munich appearance leaders, he was also one of the club’s most loyal servants. Beckenbauer served the club as coach, president and honorary president after his playing career. He played for the first-team of the Bavarians from 1964-1977.
Read More: Top 5 Franz Beckenbauer Accomplishments
Like the majority of players on this list, he played for the club during its “Golden Age” from the Bundesliga promotion in 1965 to the hattrick of consecutive European Cup wins in the mid-1970s. The Kaiser’s list of accomplishments as a player includes four Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, the just-mentioned three European Cups, the 1967 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup as well as the 1976 Intercontinental Cup.
4. Gerd Müller 613
“The Bomber” is not only one of the top five Bayern Munich appearance leaders, he is also the club’s all-time top scorer with 570 strikes. He wore the red jersey from 1964 to 1979 with the same trophies won with the side as Beckenbauer.
3. Oliver Kahn 632
“The Titan” also served the club as CEO for a couple of seasons until 2023. But it was during his playing career that this legendary goalkeeper really made a reputation for himself.
Read More: ‘Insane Professional’: The Three Greatest Bayern Munich Goalkeepers
He played for Bayern from his arrival in 1994 to his retirement in 2008. Kahn’s trophy cabinet speaks for itself. With the Bavarians, he won eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, as well as triumphing six times in the now defunct German League Cup.
Kahn was one of the top performers when the team won the 1996 UEFA Cup, but the highlight of his career at club level was without a doubt winning the 2001 Champions League, where he saved no less than three penalties in the shootout of the final against CF Valencia. Kahn and his teammates also went on to win the 2001 Intercontinental Cup.
2. Thomas Müller 707
The only current player on this list of top five Bayern Munich appearance leaders is this generation’s “Mr. Bayern Munich” himself. He has never played for a different club and is set to break the Bavarians’ all-time appearance record in the early parts of next season.
Müller has been on the books of the Bayern Munich first team since 2009 and has won 12 Bundesliga titles, eight German Super Cups, six German Cups, two UEFA Champions League trophies, two UEFA Super Cup titles, as well as two FIFA Club World Cubs.
1. Sepp Maier 709
The club’s current appearance record holder has had that honour for decades. Maier had been the goalkeeper at Bayern’s first team from 1962 until his retirement in December of 1980. He won four Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, three European Cups, the 1967 European Cup Winners’ Cup as well as the 1976 Intercontinental Cup.
These top five Bayern Munich appearance leaders have all accomplished great things with this legendary club and they deserve their place in history.
