Most Bundesliga appearances per country

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Bundesliga

·21 marzo 2025

Most Bundesliga appearances per country

Who are the Bundesliga's top appearance-makers from each country?

Since the Bundesliga was founded in 1962, players from all over the world have come to Germany to grace football fans with their gifts. bundesliga.com takes a look at the league's top appearance-makers from every nation...

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*Data correct as of 20 March 2025

Germany: Charly Körbel – 602 Bundesliga appearances

In over 60 years of the Bundesliga’s existence, no player of any nationality has graced the field more times than German Karl-Heinz “Charly” Körbel. The former defender racked up over six centuries of top-flight appearances between 1972 and 1991. What’s more, he made every single one of them for just one club – his beloved Eintracht Frankfurt. Köbel won six DFB Cups and one UEFA Cup during his mammoth stretch with the Eagles, but never managed to get his hands on the Meisterschale. His highest finish in the division was third, in his penultimate season at the club.

Peru: Claudio Pizarro – 490

South American striker Claudio Pizzaro fell just short of 500 Bundesliga appearances across spells with Werder Bremen (250), Bayern Munich (224) and Cologne (16). His 197 total goals make him the most prolific South American ever to grace Germany’s top flight. He was also the most successful in terms of silverware, with six Bundesliga titles, six DFB Cups and the UEFA Champions League hoovered up over two separate spells in Bavaria. Hanging up his boots at the age of 41, to this day, Pizarro holds the record for being the Bundesliga's oldest goalscorer.

Poland: Robert Lewandowski – 384

Quite simply, a Bundesliga icon. Robert Lewandowski arrived at Borussia Dortmund from Polish club Lech Poznań as a promising youngster in 2010, and quickly developed into one of the greatest strikers in history. After 131 appearances (and 74 goals) for Jürgen Klopp’s Black-Yellows, he switched to rivals Bayern, where he added another 253 outings (and 238 goals). The big Pole famously broke Gerd Müller's 40-goal single-season record in the Bundesliga with 41 of his own during the 2020/21 campaign, and is the only player other than 'Der Bomber' to have surpassed the 300-goal milestone in Germany's top flight. Ten Bundesliga titles, four DFB Cups, six Supercups and a Champions League aren’t a bad return, either.

Watch: All 312 of Robert Lewandowski's Bundesliga goals

Lukas Hradecky and his Bayer Leverkusen teammates celebrate with the 2023/24 Bundesliga title. (IMAGO)

Japan: Makoto Hasebe – 384

Tying with Lewandowksi is tireless Japanese midfielder Makoto Hasebe, who represented Wolfsburg, Nuremberg and Frankfurt with distinction between 2007 and 2024. His trophy haul in Germany includes a Bundesliga title with the Wolves in 2008/09, and DFB Cup and UEFA Europa League titles with Frankfurt.

Brazil: Naldo – 358

Centre-back Naldo first rocked up in Germany in 2006 with Bremen, for whom he made 173 appearances before joining Wolfsburg in 2012 and adding another 125. The Brazilian won a DFB Cup at each of his first two Bundesliga clubs before a third and final stop in Germany with Schalke. While he didn’t win any silverware with the Royal Blues he will forever hold a place in supporters’ hearts for his 94th-minute equaliser away to bitter rivals Dortmund in the 2017/18 season – his side having trailed 4-0 at the break.

Georgia: Levan Kobiashvili – 351

Turkey: Halil Alintop – 351

Bosnia: Vedad Ibišević – 351

Denmark: Ole Björnmose – 323

Czech Republic: David Jarolím – 318Finland: Lukas Hradecky – 318

One of the most consistent goalkeepers of the modern era, Lukas Hradecky has been a pillar of reliability between the posts across spells at Frankfurt, whom he joined a decade ago, and Bayer Leverkusen, where he’s played his football since 2018. The Finn has barely missed a game over that period. Highlights have included winning the DFB Cup in his final season with the Eagles and leading Leverkusen to a sensational double, as part of an unbeaten domestic season, in 2024/25.

Pál Dárdai represented Hertha Berlin as both a payer and a coach. (Boris Streubel/Bundesliga/DFL via Getty Images)

Guinea: Pablo Thiam – 311

South Korea: Bum-kun Cha – 308

USA: Steven Cherundolo – 302

Croatia: Zvonimir Soldo – 301

France: Jonathan Schmid – 301

Austria: David Alaba – 298

Bayern plucked versatile defender David Alaba from Austria Wien’s academy in 2008 before slowly blooding him into the first team, via a loan spell at Hoffenheim (where he made 17 of his top-flight appearances in 2010/11). Many Austrians have played their football in neighbouring Germany, though few as successfully. Alaba pocketed 10 Bundesliga winner’s medals, six DFB-Cups and two Champions Leagues before hot-footing it to Real Madrid in 2021.

Cameroon: Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting – 292

Switzerland: Yann Sommer – 291

One of the best goalkeepers to have graced the Bundesliga in recent memory, Sommer made 272 of his 291 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach. After eight and a half years at Borussia Park, the Swiss joined Bayern in January 2023 for six months before transferring to Inter Milan in the summer. All in all, he kept a very impressive 77 clean sheets during his time in Germany.

Hungary: Pál Dárdai – 286

Given Dárdai’s long-standing association with Hertha Berlin – where he made all 286 of his Bundesliga appearances as a player and oversaw a further 186 as coach – you'd be forgiven for thinking he’s as German as currywurst but, in fact, he was born and raised in Hungary, whom he also represented as both a player and a coach.

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw has been key to Augsburg's push for European qualification this season. (imago images / Bernd König)

Belgium: Koen Casteels – 283

Serbia: Miroslav Stevic – 271

Sweden: Ronnie Hellström – 266

Italy: Vincenzo Grifo – 265

Born in Pforzheim in Germany, winger Vincenzo Grifo has represented Italy on nine occasions, scoring four goals for the Azzurri. Known as a free-kick specialist with arguably the sweetest right foot in Germany’s top-flight, Grifo has starred for three Bundesliga clubs – Hoffenheim, Borussia Mönchengladbach and current employers Freiburg, where he long ago cemented his status as a club legend.

Tony Yeboah was known for possessing a thunderous shot with either foot during his playing career. (imago sportfotodienst)

Slovenia: Kevin Kampl – 264

Whilst he is now assuredly Mr. Leipzig, not all of Kampl's 264 Bundesliga appearances have come for Die Roten Bullen. Making his Bundesliga debut in 2015 for Borussia Dortmund, the young Kampl appeared sporadically for BVB (14 appearances) before switching to Bayer Leverkusen (making 53 appearances) ahead of joining Leipzig. German born to Slovenian parents, Kampl had the option of representing both countries, but elected from an early age to fly the Slovenian flag.

North Macedonia: Nikolce Noveski – 256

Iran: Mehdi Mahdavikia – 255

Togo: Bachirou Salou – 253

Iceland: Eyjólfur Sverrisson – 251

Netherlands: Jeffrey Gouweleeuw – 250

Countless greats from just across the border have plied their trade in Germany’s top flight, but it isn’t Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar or Roy Makaay that carry the flag for the Netherlands, but current Augsburg skipper Gouweleeuw. He reached the impressive 250 appearances milestone against Wolsfburg on Matchday 26.

Elvis Rexhbecaj has been helping to inspire Augsburg to a wonderful 2024/25 season. (IMAGO/kolbert-press/Christian Kolbert)

Russia: Konstantin Rausch – 246

Norway: Jörn Andersen – 243

Slovakia: Peter Pekarík – 243

Bulgaria: Krasimir Balakov – 236

Egypt: Hany Ramzy – 228

Romania: Ioan Lupescu – 227

DR Congo: Cédric Makiadi – 225

Ghana: Tony Yeboah – 223

Known for his thunderous shot, Ghanaian striker Tony Yeboah struck fear into opponents across spells at Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg, smashing in (he always smashed them) 96 goals either side of a spell at English Premier League club Leeds United, where he was also a huge favorite among supporters.