Below is a list of the 273 players who played for the East Germany national team from its foundation in 1952, until 1990 when it was merged with the West Germany team after German reunification.
Played in East Germany's first official game, against Poland in 1952.
Member of East Germany's squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the only major tournament the team ever qualified for.
Played in East Germany's last game, against Belgium in 1990.
Played for the Germany national team, after reunification.
Franz Anton Beckenbauer was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed der Kaiser, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper.
The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.
Lothar Herbert Matthäus is a German football pundit and former professional player and manager. He captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award. He was also included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.
The German Football Association is the governing body of football, futsal, and beach soccer in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main. Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League, organising the professional Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.
The East Germany national football team, recognised as Germany DR by FIFA, represented East Germany in men's international football, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany.
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga his whole professional club career and won the FIFA World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed the national teams of Germany, Scotland, Nigeria and Azerbaijan.
Guido Ulrich Buchwald is a German former professional football player. Throughout his career he played as a defender. He is currently director of football of Stuttgarter Kickers.
Ulf Kirsten is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed Der Schwatte, he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps playing with two different national teams. Kirsten's biggest success was the victory of the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal.
1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the sports club SC Magdeburg and has been one of the top teams in the DDR-Oberliga, winning three championships and seven cup titles. By winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, the club became the only East German club to win a European trophy and also achieved the greatest success in its history. After German reunification, the club fell on hard times but returned to professional football in 2015 with the promotion to the 3. Liga. Afterwards the team managed in 2018 to climb up to the second division, in which the team plays today.
Rainer Bonhof is a German former professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder or wing-back. He was known for his occasional bursts upfield and his fierce shot. He was a key player for the 1974 West Germany national team that won the World Cup. Bonhof was one of the stars for his club side, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and won numerous domestic league and cup titles.
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. Founded in 1903 it was initially associated with the company Carl Zeiss. From the 1960s to the 1980s it was one of the top-ranked clubs in East Germany, won the DDR-Oberliga and the FDGB-Pokal three times each and reached the 1981 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. Since the German reunification in 1990, the club has competed no higher than the second tier. Since the 2021–22 season, Jena is playing in the Regionalliga Nordost.
Football is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 31,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga on top. The winner of the Bundesliga is crowned the German football champion. Additionally, there are national cup competitions, most notably the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.
The East Germany national football team represented the former state of East Germany from 1952 until the German reunification in 1990. The team was governed by the Deutscher Fußball-Verband, and was a part of the UEFA confederation.
The Germany national football team has represented Germany in men's international football since 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Ever since the DFB was reinaugurated in 1949 the team has represented the Federal Republic of Germany. Under Allied occupation and division, two other separate national teams were also recognised by FIFA: the Saarland team representing the Saarland (1950–1956) and the East German team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). Both have been absorbed along with their records by the current national team. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following the reunification in 1990.
The rivalry between football teams from East Germany and West Germany lasted from 1949 to 1990.
The Germany national football team has represented Germany in men's international football since 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Ever since the DFB was reinaugurated in 1949 the team has represented the Federal Republic of Germany. Under Allied occupation and division, two other separate national teams were also recognised by FIFA: the Saarland team representing the Saarland (1950–1956) and the East German team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). Both have been absorbed along with their records by the current national team. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following the reunification in 1990.
This is a list of international football matches of the Germany national football team during its period as West Germany from 1950 until 1990.
This is a list of international football matches of the Germany national football team between 1990 and 1999.