The Bundesliga has housed some of football’s finest goal-scorers since its establishment in 1963.
Gerd Müller holds the record for the most goals scored in the league with an impressive 365, while Robert Lewandowski has come close during his ten-year stint in Germany.
Below are the top 5 all-time goal-scorers in the Bundesliga.
(1). Gerd Müller
Club: Bayern Munich
Goals: 365
Games: 427
Minutes per goal: 105
Known as ‘Der Bomber’, Gerd Müller made history with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. It’s likely that his impressive tally of 365 goals will remain unmatched indefinitely.
What’s even more remarkable is his consistent scoring rate over 14 seasons, averaging a goal every 105 minutes. Müller, a four-time Bundesliga champion, also clinched the prestigious Torjägerkanone award five times.
In the 1971/72 season, he set a record by scoring 40 goals, despite missing three penalty kicks.
Read More: Top 10 Scorers of All Time in La Liga
(2). Robert Lewandowski
Club: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich
Goals: 312
Games: 384
Minutes per goal: 100
Robert Lewandowski’s journey in the Bundesliga is marked by breaking numerous records, including some that had stood for decades.
As a Poland international, he has surpassed all other non-German players in Bundesliga history with his goal tally. Lewandowski is also the first player to secure five consecutive top scorer awards.
In the remarkable 2020/21 season, he made history by surpassing Gerd Müller’s 49-year-old single-season record of 40 league goals, reaching an impressive 41.
His achievement of surpassing Klaus Fischer’s 268-goal mark for Schalke during Bayern’s Matchday 26 victory over VfB Stuttgart elevated him to second place on the all-time goalscorers list.
Furthermore, his hat-trick against Cologne in early 2022 made him only the second player to reach the milestone of 300 Bundesliga goals.
Read More: The Premier League’s Top 5 All-Time Leading Goalscorers
(3). Klaus Fischer
Club: 1860 Munich, Schalke, Cologne, Bochum
Goals: 268
Games: 535
Minutes per goal: 173
Throughout his lengthy Bundesliga career, Klaus Fischer established himself as one of the select few players to participate in over 500 league matches across 19 years.
Despite being among the most prolific goal-scorers in this group, he only secured the league’s top scorer title once, in the 1975/76 season. Fischer showcased consistent scoring prowess by netting at least 20 goals in six separate seasons.
While he gained recognition for his spectacular overhead kicks, one of his most memorable performances occurred when he scored four goals in Schalke’s famous 7-0 victory over Bayern.
(4). Jupp Heynckes
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hannover
Goals: 220
Games: 369
Minutes per goal: 147
Jupp Heynckes, renowned for his coaching prowess in German football, initially made a mark as a prolific goal scorer in the Bundesliga.
Born and bred in Mönchengladbach, he dedicated his entire playing career to the club, except for a brief stint at Hannover. Heynckes played a crucial role in Mönchengladbach’s successful era, securing four Bundesliga titles in the 1970s.
He clinched the Torjägerkanone twice, along with triumphs in the DFB Cup (1973) and UEFA Cup (1975). Additionally, he earned accolades on the international stage, winning the FIFA World Cup (1974) and UEFA European Championship (1972) with Germany.
Read More: All-Time 14 World Cup Top Scorers You Need to Know!
(5). Manfred Burgsmüller
Club: Rot-Weiß Essen, Borussia Dortmund, Nuremberg, Werder Bremen
Goals: 213
Games: 447
Minutes per goal: 168
Manni Burgsmüller is often overlooked as one of the most prolific goal scorers in Bundesliga history. Despite spending over 30 years as the fourth highest scorer, his achievements were not widely recognized until recently.
Burgsmüller holds the record as Dortmund’s top scorer in the Bundesliga, with 135 goals. However, it wasn’t until 1988, 19 years after his debut, that he secured his first Bundesliga title with Werder Bremen.
