Founded in 1963, the Bundesliga has featured some of the most prolific scorers in European soccer history. The German Football Association (DFB) officially ranks Gerd Müller first with 365 goals, followed by Robert Lewandowski with 312 and Klaus Fischer with 268. They are the only three players to have surpassed 250 goals in Germany's top division.
Who are the Bundesliga's all-time leading scorers?
Gerd Müller remains at the top of the Bundesliga's historic scoring chart, while Robert Lewandowski is the only other player to have surpassed 300 goals. Klaus Fischer completes the podium.
Gerd Müller's record still stands
Gerd Müller remains the Bundesliga's all-time leading scorer. The legendary striker scored 365 goals in 427 appearances, all for Bayern Munich, a mark that has remained untouched since his retirement. That works out to an extraordinary average of approximately 0.85 goals per game.
Robert Lewandowski is the only player who seriously approached that total. The Polish striker scored 312 Bundesliga goals in 384 matches across spells with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. He is also the competition's highest-scoring non-German player and owns the single-season record after scoring 41 goals in 2020-21, breaking the previous mark of 40 set by Müller in 1971-72.
Klaus Fischer completes the podium
Third place belongs to Klaus Fischer, who scored 268 goals in 535 Bundesliga appearances. The striker represented 1860 Munich, Schalke, 1. FC Köln and Bochum during a remarkably long career in Germany's top flight.
Jupp Heynckes is fourth, long before he became one of Germany's most celebrated coaches. The former Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hannover forward scored 220 times in 369 Bundesliga games. Manfred Burgsmüller completes the group of players to have reached 200 goals, with 213 in 447 appearances.
Pizarro leads the South American presence
Claudio Pizarro sits sixth with 197 goals in 490 appearances. The Peruvian, who played for Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and 1. FC Köln, is the highest-scoring South American in Bundesliga history. He also remains the oldest player ever to score in the competition.
The top 10 is completed by Ulf Kirsten, who scored 182 goals in 350 matches for Bayer Leverkusen; Stefan Kuntz, with 179 in 449; and Dieter Müller and Klaus Allofs, tied on 177. Dieter Müller reached that total in 303 games, while Allofs played 424.
Müller and Lewandowski therefore remain in a class of their own as the only two players to exceed 300 Bundesliga goals. Fischer completes a historic top three that remains unchanged.
