Borussia Dortmund's top 10 No.10s as Julian Brandt takes over 'mystical' shirt number
Julian Brandt is Borussia Dortmund’s new no.10 - an honour well deserved after a fine campaign last time out, with the playmaker taking over a number that’s extra special when it’s printed in black onto yellow.
In a move he also made at former club Bayer Leverkusen, Brandt hands back his old No.19 shirt to become a No.10 and it comes after a career-best 2023/24 season where he amassed 10 goals and 14 assists in all competitions.
Discussing the honour with Sky Germany, the 28-year-old said: "I think that when a shirt number changes, it shows that you have plans for the season. I have now underlined that again with the back of my shirt. But I think that the number ten has something mystical about it, I actually still feel that. For me it is something special. All of the players who I admired or looked up to in the past have worn this number.”
From Diego Maradona and Pele to Lionel Messi and Luka Modrić, the No.10 has legendary status across the globe and it's just as significant at the Signal Iduna Park.
A total of 33 different players have worn the two digits that Brandt will now look to proudly honour. Here, bundesliga.com takes a look at 10 No.10s who will never be forgotten in Dortmund.
Götze wore the number on two separate occasions, at the end of his first stint in 2012/13, and during his second spell from 2016/17. During his time with BVB, the diminutive attacker became a household name, later joining Bayern Munich and in 2014 scoring a World Cup-winning goal in the final against Argentina.
Watch: All of Mario Götze’s Bundesliga goals
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Much of his best work was in Westphalia, though, winning two Bundesliga titles and a DFB Cup under Jürgen Klopp as he became a key part of Dortmund returning to the very top of the game. In his second stint he added another DFB Cup, showing that the shirt still had magical powers for him.
Konietzka was the third wearer of the number for Dortmund, and he did so from 1962 to 1965, becoming a club legend as he racked up 163 appearances, a huge number at the time, while he bagged a whopping 121 goals.
The Swiss-born German international won a league and cup title with BVB, and has the honour of scoring the first-ever Bundesliga goal on August 24, 1963 against Werder Bremen.
Watch: The first ever Bundesliga goal
Tomáš Rosický
It seems crazy with today’s figures, but Rosický was the most expensive player in Bundesliga history when he joined BVB for a reported £8million from Sparta Prague in 2001.
The pressure of such a tag didn’t get to the Czech legend, though, who won the Bundesliga in his first full season in 2002. He notched a career-best five goals and nine assists to achieve legendary status at the club as a league champion, later joining Arsenal in 2006.
Andreas Möller
One of football’s ultimate winners, Möller lifted every trophy possible during an iconic career with Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Schalke, Eintracht Frankfurt and Germany.
A World Cup and Champions League winner, the attacking midfielder lifted the latter with Dortmund in 1997, but that was just one of eight trophies he claimed as their No.10. In two stints, Möller made 228 appearances and was so loved that even a final move to rivals Schalke didn’t ruin his legacy.
Having worn the No.7 on his first Dortmund stint where he became one of the world’s premier young talents, Sancho returned on loan from Manchester United during the 2023/24 season and donned the No.10.
After a difficult time back in England, he regained his form for BVB, and helped them on their way to a third Champions League final in their storied history.
Watch: the best of Jadon Sancho
Patrick Berger
Berger’s time at Dortmund was short but sweet, signing from Slavia Prague and playing just one season in 1995/96 before being sold for a hefty profit to Liverpool. Joining as an attacking midfielder and given the No.10, Berger was employed further back, but still shone.
With four goals and six assists in 37 games across all competitions, BVB fans will forever be indebted as he helped the team win back-to-back Bundesliga titles for the first time since the 1960s.
Michael Rummenigge
One of those players to make the controversial trip between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Rummenigge came out the other side relatively unscathed with over 150 appearances for both teams.
The younger brother of Bayern icon Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Westphalian local made a name for himself with a DFB Cup and Supercup win, as well as leading the side to the 1993 UEFA Cup final.
Marcel Răducanu
Răducanu may not have won any trophies at Dortmund, but he earned cult hero status for his six seasons as their No.10 after fleeing from his native Romania. One of his nation’s most technically gifted playmakers, he entertained in every match he played during an iconic career.
He left BVB in 1988 for a short stint at FC Zurich, but later returned and found a home in north-west Germany. The former midfielder even started a football school in Dortmund in 1994, and it’s one that boasts fellow BVB No.10 Götze among its alumni.
Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk by Jürgen Klopp in 2013 for a club record fee, Mkhitaryan may not have winners' medals aplenty to boast at Dortmund with just a DFL Supercup triumph to his name, but he certainly entertained.
In his final season in 2015/16 he racked up a mammoth 40 goal contributions in all competitions (18 goals, 22 assists) and provided BVB fans with some moments to savour before heading to the Premier League.
One of the longest occupants of the No.10 shirt at Dortmund, Hazard starred with the number from 2019 until 2023, winning the DFB Cup in 2021.
Watch: Mkhitaryan's 2015/16 magic
The younger brother of Chelsea legend Eden Hazard, Thorgan often showed glimpses of his sibling's talent, registering 18 goals and 20 assists in 123 games.
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