The top scorers from 60 years of the Bundesliga
The most important ingredient in football is goals. And the top scorers are often those most revered by fans. bundesliga.com takes a look at the previous top scorers in the 60 years of the German top fight.
Discover many more memorable moments and records in the Bundesliga's 60-year history!
1963/64: Uwe Seeler (Hamburg) - 30 goals
The first top scorer in Bundesliga history is none other than “Our Uwe.” The original Hamburger, who died last year at the age of 85, played 476 competitive matches for Hamburg and scored 404 goals. He got 137 of those in the Bundesliga and was known for his heading, despite standing at just 5'7". An honourary citizen of Hamburg's who was also a leader in the national team, Seeler was Bundesliga top scorer once, in the maiden campaign of 1963/64. He scored 30 times in 30 games that season, which included three hat-tricks and four braces.
1964/65: Rudolf Brunnenmeier (1860 Munich) - 24 goals
While the first top scorer was based in the north of the country, the second came from more southern regions. Rudolf “Rudi” Brunnenmeier, who was born in Munich, played 119 Bundesliga games — all for 1860 Munich. With Die Löwen, the centre-forward became a Bundesliga champion in 1966, and in 1963/64, Die Blauen won the DFB Cup with Brunnenmeier up front. Between that cup success and league title, the striker grabbed the Torjägerkanone in 1964/65, scoring 24 goals in total. Brunnenmeier tallied two braces and a hat-trick that season. He even netted five times in 1860's 9-0 win over Karlsruhe on Matchday 18. Brunnenmeier also contributed two assists in that game.
1965/66: Lothar Emmerich (Borussia Dortmund) - 31 goals
Lothar “Emma” Emmerich was the first player in Bundesliga history to break the 100-goal mark (17 February 1968 in Karlsruhe). Born in Dortmund, the left-footer scored 115 goals in 183 Bundesliga games. “Emma” bagged the most in 1965/66, scoring 31 times. Emmerich, who won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1966 with BVB, amassed five braces and three hat-tricks that year. Emmerich was also the top scorer the following season, but this time he shared the title with a certain Gerd Müller.
1966/67: Lothar Emmerich (Borussia Dortmund) and Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - both 28 goals
Müller remains the Bundesliga's all-time record goalscorer, netting 365 times in 427 games in the German top flight. The “Bomber der Nation” won the FIFA World Cup with Germany on home turf in 1974, and was also a European Championship winner two years earlier. In 62 international matches, “short, fat Müller,” as he was often called due to his muscular thighs and low centre of gravity, scored a whopping 68 times. Emmerich was only called up to the national team five times, meanwhile, making the 1966 World Cup final with Germany, which was lost to England. In 1966/67, the two strikers scored 28 times each in the Bundesliga. “Emma” bagged six braces and two hat-tricks, Müller came up with four braces, one hat-trick and one four-goal haul. At the age of 21, Müller was also the youngest top scorer in the Bundesliga so far.
1967/68: Johannes Löhr (Cologne) - 27 goals
Johannes “Hannes” Löhr, who became a European champion in 1972 together with Gerd Müller and Germany, won the Torjägerkanone in 1967/68. The Cologne idol, also known as “De Nas”, won the DFB Cup three times with the Billy Goats (1968, 1977 and 1978) and the Bundesliga once (1978). In 381 Bundesliga games, Löhr scored 166 times. In 1967/68, his 27 goals were distributed as follows: six braces and a hat-trick, as well as 12 games with one goal each.
Watch: The life and career of the greet Uwe Seeler
1968/69: Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - 30 goals
Müller broke the 30-goal mark for the first time with his second top-scorer cannon. And that despite the fact he missed four games due to a red card. The “Bomber” scored six braces, two hat-tricks and a four-goal haul in 1968/69. Müller scored 30 goals, although he only scored in 16 games that season.
1969/70: Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - 38 goals
In the following season, arguably the best centre-forward of all time once again surpassed his goal score enormously, netting 38 times. Müller bagged a hat-trick on the first matchday, and he also scored three times on Matchday 22. There were also two four-goal hauls for Der Bomber. One of them on Matchday 33 against Rot-Weiss Oberhausen, when a certain Lothar Kobluhn (see below) played in defensive midfield.
1970/71: Lothar Kobluhn (Rot-Weiss Oberhausen) - 24 goals
In fact, he became top scorer in the following season. Not bad for someone who primarily played as a defensive midfielder. Kobluhn netted in 24 times in 1970/71, including four braces and a hat-trick. Born in Oberhausen, he played in the Bundesliga for four years and scored 36 times in 107 appearances for Rot-Weiss.
1971/72: Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - 40 goals
After “only” 22 goals in the 1970/71 season, Müller hit back the next year with an incredible 40 goals. It was only 49 years later that this record was broken by Robert Lewandowski, when the Pole scored 41 times for Bayern in 2020/21. Müller netted five braces, four hat-tricks, one four-goal and one five-goal haul.
1972/73: Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - 36 goals
On the very first matchday after the record season, it “müllered” three times, again against Oberhausen and Kobluhn. Müller scored twice against them again in the reverse fixture, seemingly in revenge for the man who ruined his run of top scorer crowns. He ended with six braces and a hat-trick, four-goal and five-goal haul each for Bayern.
Watch: An ode to the great Gerd Müller
1973/74: Jupp Heynckes (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - both 30 goals
After Müller won the title for himself the previous two years, he had to share the cannon in 1973/74 with Jupp Heynckes. The Gladbach striker, who also won the World Cup and European Championship together with Müller, had scored 28 times the season before and was then improved again in 1973/74. The forward amassed six braces, as well as a hat-trick and four-goal haul. Müller came up with three braces, three hat-tricks and bagged four once.
1974/75: Jupp Heynckes (Borussia Mönchengladbach) - 27 goals
Heynckes' second cannon belonged all to himself after netted 27 times the year after. In his 369 Bundesliga games with Gladbach and Hannover, the later coach scored 220 times. In the 1970s, together with Günter Netzer, Berti Vogts and Rainer Bonhof, Heynckes was one of the most influential figures for the Foals, who won the Bundesliga four times and also lifted the UEFA Cup in 1974/75. In the Bundesliga, “Don Jupp,” as he was called in Spain during his time as coach at Real Madrid and several other clubs bagged seven braces and two hat-tricks in 1974/75.
1975/76: Klaus Fischer (Schalke) - 29 goals
The Schalke striker was famous for his numerous goals from overhead kicks and lifted the Torjägerkanone in 1975/76 with 29 goals that includes six braces and a four-goal salvo. Fischer scored the “Goal of the Century” in the 4-1 victory between Germany and Switzerland in 1977 - of course it was an overhead kick. The Schalke and later Cologne man got a total of 268 goals in 535 Bundesliga games, placing him third in the all-time standings after Gerd Müller (365) and Robert Lewandowski (312).
1976/77: Dieter Müller (Cologne) - 34 goals
A Müller once again finished as top scorer the next season, but it was not Gerd. Instead it was Dieter (no relation) with 34 goals, including four braces, two hat-tricks and a four-goal haul. Born in Offenbach, he scored 177 goals in 303 Bundesliga games and won the DFB Cup the same year with Cologne.
1977/78: Dieter Müller (Cologne) and Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich) - both 24 goals
Dieter retained his crown the following year but had to share it this time with namesake Gerd, who received his sixth and final Torjägerkanone. The Müllers scored 24 times each, with Dieter famously scoring six of those in a single game against Werder Bremen on Matchday 3 - the only time in Bundesliga history that a player has achieved the feat. Gerd bagged four braces and struck four once before moving to the USA with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Dieter also went abroad to join Bordeaux.
1978/79: Klaus Allofs (Fortuna Düsseldorf) - 22 goals
After the cannon went to a Cologne striker the previous two years, the trophy moved up the Rhine to Düsseldorf in 1978/79. Klaus Allofs was the recipient with 22 goals, while he also lifted the DFB Cup that season and the next. The current Fortuna sporting director won his biggest title in 1980 with the European Championship. He scored a total of 177 goals in 424 Bundesliga games to crack the all-time top 10.
1979/80: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich) - 26 goals
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also part of the Germany side that won the Euros in 1980. The Bayern attacker also lifted the Bundesliga twice (1980, 1981), the DFB Cup two times (1982, 1984), and the European Cup two years in a row (1975, 1976). On top of that, he finished as Bundesliga top scorer three times. His tally of 26 in 1979/80 includes four braces and a hat-trick
1980/81: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich) - 29 goals
Rummenigge improved on his 26 goals the following season with 29 goals. The Lippstadt native bagged six braces, two hat-tricks and a four-goal haul.
1981/82: Horst Hrubesch (Hamburg) - 27 goals
Another European champion from 1980 who can also call himself the top scorer in the Bundesliga was Horst Hrubesch. The HSV “header monster” scored many of his 136 goals (in 224 games) in the Bundesliga with his head and as a result of a cross from long-time companion Manfred Kaltz (also a Euro 1980 winner). Hrubesch got four braces, a hat-trick and netted four once in the league in 1981/82. In addition to the European Championship title, his major achievements as a player include three Bundesliga crowns (1979, 1982 and 1983) and winning the European Cup with HSV in 1983. As a coach, he led Germany's U19s to continental gold in 2008, the U21s to the title the year after and guided the country to silver at the 2016 Olympic Games.
1982/83: Rudi Völler (Werder Bremen) - 23 goals
Like Hrubesch, Rudolf “Rudi” Völler also holds a unique place in German football. Fans still sing “There's only one Rudi Völler” as soon as “Aunt Käthe” enters a room or stadium. Born in Hanau, Hesse, he was part of the Germany team who lifted the World Cup trophy in Italy in 1990. Although he never won the Bundesliga but did claim a top scorer crown with 23 goals in 1982/83. That included three braces and a hat-trick for the Bremen man. He beat his total two years later with 25, but missed out on the canon to Klaus Allofs.
1983/84: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich) - 26 goals
Rummenigge bagged four braces, a hat-trick and managed a four-goal salvo for his third Torjägerkanone before leaving for Inter Milan after a decade at Bayern.
1984/85: Klaus Allofs (Cologne) - 26 goals
After winning the cannon at Fortuna, Allofs followed suit at Cologne with a personal best haul of 26 that included five braces, a hat-trick and one four-goal haul.
1985/86: Stefan Kuntz (Bochum) - 22 goals
Kuntz was the first Bochum player to be a top scorer in the Bundesliga thanks to 22 goals in 1985/86. The later Germany U21s coach scored two hat-tricks that season. He would go on to score 179 goals in 449 Bundesliga games.
1986/87: Uwe Rahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) - 24 goals
Rahn became the second Gladbach player after Heynckes to be Bundesliga top scorer thanks to 24 goals in 1986/87. He bagged six braces and four goals once - against his boyhood club Waldhof Mannheim. Rahn managed 107 goals over 318 games in the Bundesliga for Gladbach, Cologne, Hertha Berlin, Düsseldorf and Eintracht Frankfurt.
1987/88: Jürgen Klinsmann (VfB Stuttgart) - 19 goals
Klinsmann's career encompassed 282 goals in 618 club appearances for VfB Stuttgart, Bayern, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria and Stuttgart Kickers. A league-topping 19 of those came for VfB in 1987/88, including four braces and a hat-trick. The later Germany, USA and now South Korea national team coach also won the Bundesliga once with Bayern in 1997 and the UEFA Cup twice (with Inter in 1991 and Bayern in 1996).
Watch: Happy 60th birthday, Bundesliga!
1988/89: Thomas Allofs (Cologne) and Roland Wohlfarth (Bayern Munich) - both 17 goals
After his brother Klaus claimed the Torjägerkanone twice, Thomas Allofs achieved the feat as well in 1988/89, making the Allofs brothers the first and so far only pair of brothers to be Bundesliga top scorers. Thomas shared the title in 1988/89 with Bayern's Roland Wohlfarth.
1989/90: Jörn Andersen (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 18 goals
The first non-German player to claim the honour of Bundesliga top scorer was Norwegian Jörn Andersen with 18 goals for Frankfurt in 1989/90. The striker would also play for Nuremberg, Düsseldorf, HSV and Dynamo Dresden in the Bundesliga.
1990/91: Roland Wohlfarth (Bayern Munich) - 21 goals
Wohlfarth won his second cannon just two years after his first - this time claiming it outright thanks to 21 goals that included four braces. The five-time Bundesliga champion ended his career with 121 goals in 287 Bundesliga games.
1991/92: Fritz Walter (VfB Stuttgart) - 22 goals
His name may be the same as Germany's 1954 World Cup-winning captain, but the two are by no means related. Stuttgart's Fritz Walter was an accomplished goalscorer, striking 157 times in 348 Bundesliga games. His 22 goals in 1991/92 earned him the Torjägerkanone and VfB the Meisterschale in 1991/92.
1992/93: Ulf Kirsten (Bayer Leverkusen) and Anthony Yeboah (Eintracht Frankfurt) - both 20 goals
While Kirsten was your typical poacher, Yeboah always made everything look so easy. But the pair shared the Torjägerkanone in 1992/93 with 20 goals apiece. It was the first of three canons for the Leverkusen man, while Frankfurt's Ghanaian striker won it one more time.
1993/94: Stefan Kuntz (Kaiserslautern) and Anthony Yeboah (Eintracht Frankfurt) - both 18 goals
Yeboah defended his crown as top scorer the following season but again had to share the honours, this time with Stefan, now of Kaiserslautern.
1994/95: Mario Basler (Werder Bremen) and Heiko Herrlich (Borussia Mönchengladbach) - both 20 goals
Bremen's Basler and Gladbach's Herrlich were the third successive joint winners of the Torjägerkanone. Both were among the Bundesliga's golden players of the 1990s. Basler bagged four braces and a hat-trick in 1994/95, and would go on to lift the Meisterschale three times. Herrlich only managed a single brace but scored in 19 games later won two Bundesliga titles and the UEFA Champions League with Borussia Dortmund.
1995/96: Fredi Bobic (VfB Stuttgart) - 17 goals
Seventeen goals were enough for Bobic to take home the canon in 1995/96 as part of Stuttgart's Magisches Dreieck (magic triangle) with Krassimir Balakov and Giovane Elber. Bobic got 19 the following season but it wasn't enough to be top scorer.
1996/97: Ulf Kirsten (Bayer Leverkusen) - 22 goals
It was Kirsten who took the crown for the second time thanks to three braces and a hat-trick for Leverkusen.
1997/98: Ulf Kirsten (Bayer Leverkusen) - 22 goals
The former Dynamo Dresden attacker retained his title the next year thanks to a barnstorming 22 goals in only 27 games. Two braces and a hat-trick helped him to a third and final Torjägerkanone.
1998/99: Michael Preetz (Hertha Berlin) - 23 goals
The first Berlin-based top scorer in Bundesliga was Hertha's Michael Preetz. He spent seven years as a player with the Old Lady before later becoming their sporting director. The striker netted three braces and a hat-trick in his 23 goals, with four goals over the final two matchdays helping keep him ahead of Kirsten (19) in the final standings.
1999/2000: Martin Max (1860 Munich) - 19 goals
A total of 35 years separated 1860 Munich's two top scorer winners. Max bagged a total of 126 goals in 396 Bundesliga appearances and was a Torjägerkanone winner twice. The first came across the turn of the millennium with 19 thanks to four braces and a hat-trick.
2000/01: Ebbe Sand (Schalke) and Sergej Barbarez (Hamburg) - both 22 goals
The 2000/01 season was dramatic in itself and also ended with a tie for the Torjägerkanone. Sand played a key part in Schalke's title push and goes down as one of the best strikers in their history. Barbarez's exploits were all the more remarkable given HSV's 13th-place finish. He too remains a legend at the Volksparkstadion - the site of the late drama that denied Schalke the title.
2001/02: Martin Max (1860 Munich) and Marcio Amoroso (Borussia Dortmund) - both 18 goals
The 2001/02 season saw Max win his second canon with 18 goals again for 1860. He had to share the crown with Dortmund's Amoroso - the first Brazilian to win the Torjägerkanone - as BVB won the title under Matthias Sammer.
2002/03: Giovane Elber (Bayern Munich) and Thomas Christiansen (Bochum) - both 21 goals
The cannon was again shared in 2002/03. In his last season at Bayern, Elber fired the Munich club to the title with 21 goals as part of a lethal partnership with Claudio Pizarro. The big surprise was from Bochum's Christiansen on their return to the top flight. The Danish-Spanish striker scored 34 goals in 101 Bundesliga games.
2003/04: Ailton (Werder Bremen) - 28 goals
Ailton Goncalves da Silva, better known simply as Ailton, helped Bremen to their historic Bundesliga and DFB Cup double thanks to 28 league goals. The Brazilian scored a total of 88 Bundesliga goals for Die Grünweißen and with a total of 106 goals is one of seven non-German players to have more than a century of goals in the Bundesliga. However, he never played a senior international match for his homeland.
2004/05: Marek Mintal (Nuremberg) - 24 goals
One of the most inconspicuous top scorers was Mintal in 2004/05. Known as the “Phantom”, Slovak striker scored 24 goals in his maiden season in the Bundesliga. He was often one step ahead of his opponent and proved to be a classic poacher as he claimed the Torjägerkanone - a year after lifting the Bundesliga 2 version with 18 goals on the way to promotion.
2005/06: Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen) - 25 goals
Klose is perhaps most famous for his international exploits with Germany at World Cups, but he was also no slouch at club level, winning the Torjägerkanone with 25 goals as Bremen came up just short in the 2005/06 title race. In total, Klose played 307 Bundesliga games for Kaiserslautern, Werder and Bayern. He remains the top scorer in the history of the Germany national team (71 goals) and World Cups (16 goals).
2006/07: Theofanis Gekas (Bochum) - 20 goals
As one of three promoted sides, Bochum impressed in 2006/07 and finished in eighth place. Not least thanks to the goals of Gekas, who finished as top scorer with 20 goals - the third Bochum player ever to win the Torjägerkanone. That included a run of scoring in eight straight games in the second half of the season.
2007/08: Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) - 24 goals
Toni's goal celebration quickly became a common sight in the Bundesliga as the Italian hit the ground running at Bayern with 24 goals in his maiden campaign. Add in seven assists and it was an excellent season.
2008/09: Graphite (Wolfsburg) - 28 goals
Grafite's back-heel against Bayern earned him worldwide fame, but his entire spell at Wolfsburg was a hit and made him a legend at the club. The Brazilian was top scorer in 2008/09 thanks to 28 goals - from only 25 appearances - as the Wolves stunned the footballing world by winning the Bundesliga. His partnership with Edin Dzeko was one of the most prolific in history as they scored a combined 54 goals to surpass the 53 netted in 1971/72 by Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeneß.
Watch: Grafite's famous back-heel
2009/10: Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg) - 22 goals
Dzeko had finished only two goals behind Gratire the year before, but he came out on top in 2009/10 with 22 goals, despite the champions finishing down in eighth place. The Bosnian remains Wolfsburg's all-time top scorer in the Bundesliga with 66 goals, followed closely behind by Grafite (59).
2010/11: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) - 28 goals
Although Gomez plundered a league-leading 28 goals in 2010/11, Bayern only finished third. Nevertheless, the Germany international came the sixth player for the club to win the Torjägerkanone. Add in eight Champions League goals and three more in the DFB Cup, and he finished the season with 39 goals from 45 competitive appearances.
2011/12: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) - 29 goals
Gomez came close to retaining the canon the following year but was pipped in the end by Huntelaar, whose 29 equalled Schalke's club record set by Fischer in 1975/76. He also became the first Dutchman to claim the Bundesliga Torjägerkanone. It was also a new record for a non-German at the time, breaking the 28-goal mark set by Ailton and Grafite.
2012/13: Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen) - 25 goals
When you think of 2012/13, you think of Bayern's treble, but it wasn't a player from Munich who finished as Bundesliga top scorer. That honour went to Leverkusen's Kießling, who just pipped Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski (24) to the canon. It was a new personal best for Kießling after 21 in 2009/10 and a new club record at the BayArena after Kirsten's 22 in 1996/97 and 1997/98.
2013/14: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund) - 20 goals
Not one for finishing second, Lewandowski earned his first Torjägerkanone the following season to kick off a new era in the Bundesliga. He got 20 goals in his final year at Dortmund before a move to Bayern and took his game to the next level...
2014/15: Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 19 goals
The Fußballgott, as he was known at Eintracht, was one of the few players to break the Lewandowski stranglehold on the Torjägerkanone - and even did so despite not playing after 14 April. He got his 19 goals in only 26 appearances to be named top scorer.
2015/16: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 30 goals
Lewandowski won the canon for the second time in 2015/16 - a season most famous for his historic five-goal haul off the bench against Wolfsburg on 22 September 2015. It took him just eight minutes and 59 seconds to get them all after coming on at half-time. It was the first time since 1976/77 that a player had broke the 30-goal mark in the Bundesliga and was the new record for a non-German player.
Watch: All 312 Lewandowski goals in the Bundesliga
2016/17: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) - 31 goals
That record was broken again the next year as Dortmund's Aubameyang came out ahead of Lewandowski thanks to a final-day brace. His 31 goals remains the most by an African player in the Bundesliga.
2017/18: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 29 goals
The Torjägerkanone race was all about Lewandowski from 2017/18. His 29 goals that season were almost double his closest challenger, Nils Petersen (15).
2018/19: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 22 goals
Lewandowski's goals that season were more important than ever for Bayern as the champions had battle till the final day to retain their crown. Things were less tense for the Polish striker, whose 22 goals placed him ahead of Dortmund's Paco Alcacer (18).
2019/20: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 34 goals
Lewandowski once again led the way as Bayern claimed their second treble in 2019/20. He netted in each of the first 11 league games of the season and joined Müllers Gerd and Dieter as the only players to score 34 goals or more in a Bundesliga campaign. He was also the top scorer in the Champions League with 15 goals in eleven games.
2020/21: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 41 goals
Lewandowski then threw the record book out the window in the following season, surpassing the 40-goal mark that Gerd Müller set 49 years earlier. It took him till the last minute of the season to bag his record-breaking 41st goal, which also saw him followe Der Bomber as the only Bundesliga player to win the European Golden Shoe. Eight straight away games with at least one goal was also a new Bundesliga record.
Watch: Lewandowski's record-breaking 41 goals
2021/22: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 35 goals
Lewandowski's final season in Germany saw him equal Müller's record of seven Torjägerkanone titles with another huge haul of 35 goals. He also broke Gerd's record for most goals in a calendar year, with 43 in 2021, while his run of 13 consecutive Bundesliga home games with a goal also went down in history. Lewandowski departed with 10 Bundesliga titles and 312 goals, placing him second on the all-time scoring chart behind Der Bomber.
2022/23: Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen) and Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - both 16 goals
Lewandowski's boots were always going to be hard to fill. In the end, it was Bremen's Füllkrug and Leipzig's Nkunku who shared the canon with 16 goals each - the lowest total ever to win the Torjägerkanone. Füllkrug's last goal came on Matchday 27 before injury curtailed the end of his campaign, while Nkunku - injured after the mid-season World Cup - caught up with three goals in the last two games.
Discover many more memorable moments and records in the Bundesliga's 60-year history!
