In brackets the player's position in the previous ranking (Winter 2021/22)


--

Goalkeepers


Weltklasse (World Class)

None


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Kevin Trapp / GER / Eintracht Frankfurt (NK-9)
2. Manuel Neuer / GER / Bayern München (IK-1)
3. Yann Sommer / SUI / Mönchengladbach (IK-4)
4. Gregor Kobel / SUI / Borussia Dortmund) (IK-3)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

5. Marvin Schwäbe / GER / 1. FC Köln (-)
6. Stefan Ortega / GER / Arminia Bielefeld (NK-5)
7. Péter Gulácsi / HUN / RB Leipzig (NK-8)
8. Manuel Riemann / GER / VfL Bochum (NK-6)
9. Lukas Hradecky / FIN / Bayer Leverkusen (-)
10. Robin Zentner / GER / FSV Mainz 05 (-)


Freiburg's Mark Flekken went from unranked to International Class
back to unranked. Riemann could have been listed higher, he was a big
reason for Bochum's good season.


--

Central Defenders


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Nico Schlotterbeck / GER / SC Freiburg (will transfer to Boruusia Dortmund) (IK-1)
2. Willi Orbán / HUN / RB Leipzig (-)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

3. Joško Gvardiol / CRO / RB Leipzig (NK-16)
4. Jonathan Tah / GER / Bayer Leverkusen (NK-11)
5. Timo Hübers / GER / 1. FC Köln (-)
6. Niklas Süle / GER / Bayern München (will transfer to Borussia Dortmund) (IK-2)
7. Mohamed Simakan / FRA / RB Leipzig (-)
8. Philipp Lienhart / AUT / SC Freiburg (NK-7)
9. Edmond Tapsoba / BFA / Bayer Leverkusen (-)
10. Evan N'Dicka / FRA / Eintracht Frankfurt (NK-6)
11. Timo Baumgartl / GER / Union Berlin (on loan from PSV) (-)
12. Lukas Klostermann / GER / RB Leipzig (NK-12)
13. Tuta / BRA / Eintracht Frankfurt (-)
14. Piero Hincapié / ECU / Bayer Leverkusen (NK-10 Fullbacks)
15. Martin Hinteregger / AUT / Eintracht Frankfurt (-)


No more Jesse Marsch means that Orban is back near the top of the list.
No Akanji, Upamecano, or Lucas Hernández.


--

Fullbacks ('defensive laterals')


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. David Raum / GER / Hoffenheim (NK-4)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

2. Jonas Hector / GER / 1. FC Köln (NK-3)
3. Christian Günter / GER / SC Freiburg (NK-2)
4. Christopher Trimmel / AUT / Union Berlin (-)
5. Marvin Plattenhardt / GER / Hertha BSC (-)
6. Angeliño / ESP / RB Leipzig (NK-8)
7. Danilo / BRA / VfL Bochum (-)
8. Jeremie Frimpong / NED / Bayer Leverkusen (NK-5)
9. Benjamin Henrichs / GER / RB Leipzig (-)
10. Borna Sosa / CRO / VfB Stuttgart (-)
11. Cristian Gamboa / CRC / VfL Bochum (-)
12. Benno Schmitz / GER / 1. FC Köln (NK-6)


Alphonso Davies's COVID struggles have cost him a place on the list.


--

Defensive Midfielders


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Robert Andrich / GER / Bayer Leverkusen (NK-6)
2. Salih Özcan / GER / 1. FC Köln (will transfer to Borussia Dortmund) (NK-10)
3. Konrad Laimer / AUT / RB Leipzig (-)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

4. Djibril Sow / SUI / Eintracht Frankfurt (NK-5)
5. Sebastian Rode / GER / Eintracht Frankfurt (-)
6. Jude Bellingham / ENG / Borussia Dortmund (IK-4 Off. MF)
7. Charles Aránguiz / CHI / Bayer Leverkusen (-)
8. Anton Stach / GER / FSV Mainz 05 (-)
9. Jamal Musiala / GER / Bayern München (IK-5 Wingers)
10. Anthony Losilla / FRA / VfL Bochum (-)
11. Joshua Kimmich / GER / Bayern München (IK-1)
12. Nicolas Höfler / GER / SC Freiburg (NK-4)
13. Wataru Endō / JAP / VfB Stuttgart (-)
14. Ellyes Skhiri / TUN / 1. FC Köln (IK-3)


When I heard Laimer had (deservedly) been ranked third-best defensive midfielder in the league (go to the Premier League, boy!), my first impulse
was to assume Kimmich and Goretzka in front of him, but due to his hip
injury Goretzka hasn't made the necessary number of games, and Kimmich certainly hasn't been up to his usual standards, although to rank him on 11
is typical Kicker 'edginess'.

It's notable that with Schlotterbeck, Süle, and Özcan Dortmund have already signed three top performers from their competitors.


--

Offensive Midfielders


Weltklasse (World Class)

None


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Florian Wirtz / GER / Bayer Leverkusen (IK-2)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

2. Jonas Hofmann / GER / Mönchengladbach (IK-5)
3. Mark Uth / GER / 1. FC Köln (NK-9)
4. Dani Olmo / ESP / RB Leipzig (-)
5. Alassane Pléa / FRA / Mönchengladbach (-)
6. Thomas Müller / GER / Bayern München (WK-1)
7. Marco Reus / GER / Borussia Dortmund (IK-6)
8. Daichi Kamada / JAP / Eintracht Frankfurt (-)
9. Dominik Szoboszlai / HUN / RB Leipzig (-)
10. Grischa Prömel / GER / Union Berlin (will transfer to Hoffenheim) (-)
11. Christoph Baumgartner / AUT / Hoffenheim (-)
12. Julian Brandt / GER / Borussia Dortmund (-)
13. Jesper Lindstrøm / DEN / Eintracht Frankfurt


I'm beginning to see a theme - Kicker not really knowing how to deal with Eintracht players (so-so in the league, but won a European trophy).


--

Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 10:30:52 PM UTC+2, Werner Pichler wrote:

In brackets the player's position in the previous ranking (Winter 2021/22)

--

Wingers ('offensive laterals')


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Filip Kostić / SRB / Eintracht Frankfurt (IK-6)
2. Moussa Diaby / FRA / Bayer Leverkusen (IK-7)
3. Kingsley Coman / FRA / Bayern München (IK-2)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

4. Vincenzo Grifo / ITA / SC Freiburg (NK-4)
5. Ansgar Knauff / GER / Eintracht Frankfurt (on loan from Borussia Dortmund) (-)
6. Roland Sallai / HUN / SC Freiburg (-)
7. Paulinho / BRA / Bayer Leverkusen (-)
8. Dejan Ljubičić / AUT / 1. FC Köln (-)
9. Serge Gnabry / GER / Bayern München (IK-3)


Kicker are of one mind with Binder. No Sané.


--

Strikers


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

1. Robert Lewandowski / POL / Bayern München (will transfer?) (WK-1)
2. Christopher Nkunku / FRA / RB Leipzig (IK-3 Off. MF)
3. Patrik Schick / CZE / Bayer Leverkusen (IK-3)
4. Erling Braut Haaland / NOR / Borussia Dortmund (will transfer to Manchester City) (WK-2)
5. Anthony Modeste / FRA / 1. FC Köln (NK-4)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

6. Sheraldo Becker / SUR / Union Berlin (-)
7. Michael Gregoritsch / AUT / FC Augsburg (-)
8. Donyell Malen / NED / Borussia Dortmund (-)
9. Andrej Kramarić / CRO / Hoffenheim (NK-9)
10. Saša Kalajdžić / AUT / VfB Stuttgart (will transfer?) (-)
11. Taiwo Awoniyi / NGA / Union Berlin (NK-5)
12. André Silva / POR / RB Leipzig (-)
13. Rafael Borré / COL / Eintracht Frankfurt (-)
14. Karim Onisiwo / AUT / FSV Mainz 05 (NK-12)
15. Breel Embolo / SUI / Mönchengladbach (-)


I kind of get where Kicker are going with this, but Modeste in the same tier as Lewandowski and Haaland looks
simply wrong. Love to see Gregerl being listed as seventh-best striker in the league, but if that's not an indictment
on the current state of Bundesliga I don't know what is.


--

Germans Abroad


Top Leagues


Weltklasse (World Class)

none


Internationale Klasse (International Class)

Marc-André Ter Stegen / Barcelona (NK)
Antonio Rüdiger / Chelsea (IK)
Toni Kroos / Real Madrid (IK)
İlkay Gündoğan / Manchester City (IK)
Kai Havertz / Chelsea (NK)


Nationale Klasse (National Class)

Alexander Nübel / AS Monaco (-)
Vitaly Janelt / Brentford (NK)
Timo Werner / Chelsea (-)
Kevin Volland / AS Monaco (NK)


So no World Class player either in the league, or among the Germans abroad, for the first time since
Summer 2019. Back then Neuer and Lewandowski made the Weltklasse grade in the following ranking,
but with Lewa possibly gone (or demotivated) and Neuer pushing on 37, it's a bit unclear to me where
the next World Class player is supposed to come from. Perhaps Ter Stegen can carry the torch for a while.


--

Average Leagues


Herausragend ('Excellent')

Lars Unnerstall / Twente (A)
Mario Götze / PSV (A)
Deniz Undav / Union Saint-Gilloise (H)


Auffällig ('Conspicuous')

Patrick Bauer / Preston North End (A)
Philipp Max / PSV (-)
Kai Wagner / Philadelphia Union (-)
Julian Weigl / Benfica (H)
Lukas Görtler / FC St. Gallen (-)
Hany Mukhtar / Nashville SC (A)
Lukas Podolski / Górnik Zabrze (A)
Karim Adeyemi / Salzburg (A)


Özil is gone from the list for obvious reasons, but
Podolski just extended his contract in Silesia.

Dortmund almost certainly overpaid for Adeyemi, but who am I to complain.



Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)