No European nation has enjoyed more success at major tournaments than Germany.
While Italy can boast a 4-3 advantage where World Cup victories are concerned, Germany have won three European Championship titles to the Italians' one.
This summer they head to Brazil regarded by many to be among the favourites to triumph, with a large majority of the starting lineup coming from the successful Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund squads of recent seasons.
Here, to continue our countdown to the World Cup, Sports Mole looks at the top 10 players in the history of German football.
10. Miroslav Klose (2001-present, 131 caps, 68 goals)
© Getty Images
Such was the ease that Gerd Muller seemed to find the back of the net for Germany, it appeared that no player was ever going to get close to his 68-goal record. Klose, though, has blown that theory out of the water in recent years and going into this World Cup, the Lazio centre-forward needs just one goal to become Germany's leading goalscorer of all time.
What's even more remarkable is the number of important goals that he has scored. Again like Muller, he has found the net 14 times at World Cups - only the Brazilian Ronaldo has more goals to his name. However, Klose is the only player to have scored four or more goals in three tournaments.
Trophies may have eluded him at international level, but he has tasted success with Bayern Munich, winning both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal on two occasions. Among his individual honours, Klose was named the German Footballer of the Year in 2006.
9. Paul Breitner (1971-1982, 48 caps, 10 goals)
© Getty Images
Despite playing primarily as a defender, Breitner had the welcome knack of weighing in with important goals. He equalised against the Netherlands in the final of the 1974 World Cup from the penalty spot, which set the Germans on their way to a 2-1 victory.
He also found the net eight years later against Italy, becoming only the fourth player alongside Pele, Vava and Zinedine Zidane to score in two World Cup finals, although it couldn't prevent Germany from losing 3-1.
On the club scene, Breitner is one of Germany's most decorated players. He won five Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal and one European Cup with Bayern Munich, as well as two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey during his three-year stint in Spain with Real Madrid.
8. Jurgen Klinsmann (1987-1998, 108 caps, 47 goals)
© Getty Images
The centre-forward played in six major tournaments between Euro '88 and France '98 and he scored at least one goal in each of them. In fact, he scored three or more times in four of those competitions.
Perhaps he was most influential during Germany's triumph at Italia '90, where he scored three goals during their run to the final. It was he who was fouled by Pedro Monzon during that showpiece contest, which reduced the Argentines to 10 men.
As well as shining for Germany, Klinsmann also turned out for some of Europe's biggest clubs. He was a part of the German trio, along with Lothar Matthaus and Andreas Brehme, that helped Inter Milan to win the UEFA Cup in 1991, as well as finding the net as Bayern Munich won the same competition five years later. He also had two spells with Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he scored 29 goals in 56 outings.
7. Uwe Seeler (1954-1970, 72 caps, 43 goals)
One-club man Seeler spent his entire career playing for his hometown club Hamburg. His loyalty was rewarded by lifting the German Championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal in 1963. During that final against Borussia Dortmund, Seeler scored all three of his team's goals.
What's more, during the inaugural Bundesliga season in 1963-64, Seeler was the leading goalscorer, scoring 30 goals in as many games.
Despite lending his clinical touch to the German national team, Die Mannschaft failed to win any of the four World Cups that he played in. The closest he came was in 1966 when he captained the West Germans to the final, but they were beaten by hosts England after extra time.
6. Fritz Walter (1940-1958, 61 caps, 33 goals)
Like Seeler, Walter spent his entire career in the city of his birth, which in his case was Kaiserslautern. His goals went a long way to helping Die Roten Teufel win the German Championships in 1951 and 1953.
Yet his finest achievement came at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, where he captained the West Germans to their first title. Playing up front with his brother Ottmar, they became the first siblings to ever win the tournament.
His contribution to German football was rewarded in 2004 at the UEFA Jubilee Awards when he was recognised as his nation's single most outstanding player of the past 50 years.
5. Sepp Maier (1966-1979, 95 caps, no goals)
© Getty Images
Nicknamed 'The Cat', Maier was regarded by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world during the 1970s. At the 1974 World Cup, he kept four clean sheets as the hosts lifted the trophy for a second time at the expense of a Johan Cruyff-inspired Dutch side.
He also kept goal two years earlier as the Germans won the European Championships for the first time in their history in Belgium, where his contribution included a shutout during the 3-0 victory in the final over the Soviet Union.
German Footballer of the Year three times, the now 70-year-old spent his entire professional club career with Bayern Munich. Over the course of his 19 years with the club he amassed almost 400 successive appearances, as well as winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal four times. The keeper also got his hands on the European Cup on three occasions.
4. Lothar Matthaus (1980-2002, 150 caps, 23 goals)
© Getty Images
During the 1986 World Cup final, Matthaus was instructed to carry out a man-marking job on Diego Maradona, but he was ultimately given the runaround by the Argentine maestro, who would go on to inspire his country to the trophy.
Four years later in Italy, though, Matthaus got his revenge. Germany again met the Argentines in the final, but this time they came out on top thanks to a 1-0 victory. Throughout the tournament, midfielder Matthaus scored four goals, as well as converting his penalty during the semi-final shootout against England.
The record appearance-maker for Germany also enjoyed a wealth of success at club level, winning trophies with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and the Metrostars in the USA.
3. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1976-1986, 95 caps, 45 goals)
© Getty Images
Following in the footsteps of Walter, Seeler and Muller, Rummenigge ensured that Germany's clinical instincts in attack were continued throughout his decade at international level.
The 58-year-old scored a total of nine goals during the three World Cup tournaments that he featured in - a haul that included a hat-trick against South American outfit Chile in 1982.
Having given up his job in a bank to sign for Bayern Munich in 1974, he'd go on to become the club's second leading goalscorer of all time behind Muller. His performances for club and country saw him win the coveted Ballon d'Or in 1980 and 1981.
2. Gerd Muller (1966-1974, 62 caps, 68 goals)
There are not many goalscoring records that Muller doesn't currently hold. The notorious goal-poacher shares Germany's record with Klose, although he reached that milestone in considerably fewer appearances.
What's more, his return of 566 goals makes him Bayern Munich's leading goalscorer of all time, while he has the best goals-to-games ratio in the history of the European Cup, having scored 35 times in the same number of outings.
During the 1970 World Cup, the stocky centre-forward scored 10 goals - a return that included hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru. Those exploits earned him the Ballon d'Or award that year, before he helped the Germans to win Euro 72, scoring a brace in both the semi-finals and final. He then rounded off his international career by scoring four times (once in the final) as West Germany won the 1974 World Cup.
1. Franz Beckenbauer (1965-1977, 103 caps, 14 goals)
© Getty Images
Ordinarily, a player with Muller's goalscoring record would top this selection, but it goes to a man that mastered the sweeper position - Beckenbauer. Tactically aware and comfortable in possession, there are few that would argue against the 78-year-old being branded the best defender to have ever played the game.
Having been a part of the German side that finished second and third at World Cups in 1966 and 1970 respectively, 'The Kaiser' finally got his hands on the trophy in 1974. Then, in 1990, he became only the second man to win the World Cup as both a player and manager when he guided the Germans to success in Italy.
Like many Germans of that period, the majority of his success came with Bayern Munich, who won four Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals and three European Cups during his time with the club.
Germany will face Portugal, Ghana and the USA in the group stages of this summer's World Cup, and you can follow every match live with Sports Mole.
Continuing our 50-day countdown to the tournament, we will be looking at the greatest players in Ghana's history tomorrow. You can also see all of the World Cup top 10 lists so far by clicking here.
