# The 23 Greatest Bayer Leverkusen Players of All Time

> Homegrown talents, Brazilian imports and the unbeaten-season heroes all have a claim on the shirt.

*By YPB Team · Published October 20, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-23-greatest-bayer-leverkusen-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Michael Ballack** — score 1000/1000
   Midfield engine of the side that finished runner-up in the Bundesliga and Champions League in 2002.
2. **Jonathan Tah** — score 999/1000
   German centre-back who spent a decade in the club's defence and won the 2024 title.
3. **Florian Wirtz** — score 999/1000
   Teenage sensation and 2024 double winner who became one of the league's best playmakers.
4. **Karim Bellarabi** — score 961/1000
   Pacey winger who scored the fastest goal in Bundesliga history in 2014.
5. **Hakan Çalhanoğlu** — score 961/1000
   Turkish playmaker known for free kicks during his Leverkusen years.
6. **Arturo Vidal** — score 944/1000
   Chilean midfielder who developed in Leverkusen before moving to Juventus.
7. **Sven Bender** — score 713/1000
   Lars's twin, a defensive midfielder who returned to Leverkusen for his final seasons.
8. **Granit Xhaka** — score 713/1000
   Swiss midfielder who captained Leverkusen to its first Bundesliga title in 2024.
9. **Jens Nowotny** — score 629/1000
   German defender who anchored the back line in the early 2000s.
10. **Oliver Neuville** — score 533/1000
   German striker who scored regularly in Leverkusen's 2002 run to three finals.
11. **Rudi Völler** — score 533/1000
   Striker who played for Leverkusen late in his career and later became its sporting director.
12. **Zé Roberto** — score 533/1000
   Brazilian midfielder who was a key creative piece of the 2002 side.
13. **Bernd Leno** — score 420/1000
   German goalkeeper who spent seven seasons in goal before joining Arsenal.
14. **Kai Havertz** — score 420/1000
   Academy product who became a Bundesliga star before moving to Chelsea in 2020.
15. **Alejandro Grimaldo** — score 420/1000
   Spanish left-back who scored and assisted at a high rate in the 2024 title run.
16. **Dimitar Berbatov** — score 420/1000
   Bulgarian forward who scored freely in Germany before moving to the Premier League.
17. **Lars Bender** — score 420/1000
   One of the Bender twins, a one-club midfielder who played a decade for the club.
18. **Son Heung-min** — score 420/1000
   South Korean forward who made his name in Leverkusen before joining Tottenham in 2015.
19. **Stefan Kießling** — score 420/1000
   Striker who spent a decade in Leverkusen's attack and won the 2013 Bundesliga top-scorer award.
20. **Ulf Kirsten** — score 286/1000
   Club record scorer who banged in goals for more than a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s.
21. **Lúcio** — score 286/1000
   Brazilian centre-back who was a pillar of the 2002 Champions League finalists.
22. **Jeremie Frimpong** — score 0/1000
   Dutch wing-back whose pace and goals powered the unbeaten 2023-24 season.
23. **Victor Boniface** — score 0/1000
   Nigerian striker whose goals helped win the 2024 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.

Tags: germany, football, players, bundesliga, bayer leverkusen