Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were all asked who they think is the best German footballer ever, but there was one catch.
A clip on The Overlap’s TikTok showed the former Manchester United trio each giving their pick, though the question came with a twist.
This time, Scholes, Keane and Neville weren’t allowed to choose Franz Beckenbauer – a player who would normally be the easy answer for most people.
Beckenbauer is widely regarded as one of Germany’s greatest-ever players and was an obvious candidate for that kind of recognition. But by taking him out of the mix, it forced them to think about others who might not get mentioned as often.
The defender won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974 and picked up two Ballon d’Or awards along the way. In club football, he had three Bundesliga titles and three European Cups with Bayern Munich.
The list of German greats doesn’t end there though. Players like Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm and Mesut Özil have also left their mark on international football over different eras.
Scholes and Ian Wright bring different names into the debate
Paul Scholes, however, didn’t follow the same line. Instead, he highlighted Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, praising the former Bayern Munich forward’s scoring quality and presence at the heart of European football in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Rummenigge, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner himself, was a symbol of dominance and precision in attack, and Scholes leaned toward the value of a decisive forward rather than a midfield general.
Then, appearing later in the conversation, Ian Wright offered another perspective entirely, choosing Thomas Müller — a player he described as one of the most intelligent and adaptable of the modern era. Müller’s off-ball movement, durability and role in Germany’s 2014 World Cup win have made him a figure whose greatness is defined by subtlety rather than spectacle.
Who did Keane, Scholes and Neville select as their greatest-ever German player?
Neville was clear about his choice: “Lothar Matthaus.” Roy Keane agreed with him: “I’d go along with that. He’s gone under my radar for a while.”
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Matthäus captained West Germany to their 1990 World Cup triumph, won the Ballon d’Or that same year and enjoyed success in both the Bundesliga and Serie A with Bayern Munich and Inter. His career longevity and versatility have cemented him as one of the most complete midfielders the game has seen. With Beckenbauer unavailable, Matthäus felt like the natural successor in the hierarchy of German legends.
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