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Bayern Munich are one of the most successful sides in all of Europe. Their supremacy in Germany has been unparalleled and the Bundesliga giants are among the best-run clubs in Europe's top five leagues. As a result, they have collected several pieces of silverware with impressive frequency in the last few decades.
The Bavarians have recruited shrewdly throughout the years and have mostly had a smooth transition from one generation to the other. The club has allowed their veterans to stay and impart their experience to young guns and new players and help them understand what Bayern Munich stands for.
Bayern Munich's oldest goalscorers include some of the best players to ever play for them
They have had some exceptional players who have exhibited impressive longetivity. The veterans aged like a fine whine and worked hard to match the levels of the evolving game. Some of them, in their twilight years, were successful in showing that anything a young pair of legs can do, they can do just as well.
Here are the five oldest goalscorers for Bayern Munich.
#5 Daniel van Buyten - 35 years 10 months 0 days
Very few people know it, but Daniel van Buyten began his career as a striker for Belgian side Charleroi. He then quickly transitioned into a centre-back, a switch that was aided by his 6ft 6in frame and which ultimately proved a good decision. Aerially, he was one of the toughest players to compete with in Europe.
The Belgian defender had an eye for goals and throughout his career, he remained an active goal threat. van Buyten's first big club in Europe was Olympique Marseille, where he stayed from 2001 to 2004.
He then moved to Hamburger SV in the German Bundesliga, where his performances convinced Bayern Munich to sign him. The centre-back stayed with the Bavarians until 2014 after joining in 2006 and ultimately retired after making 239 appearances.
van Buyten found the back of the net 28 times for the German giants and is the fifth oldest goalscorer in their history. He was an imposing figure and one of the toughest to go shoulder-to-shoulder with when the age was on his side.
#4 Claudio Pizarro - 35 years 10 months 14 days
Widely considered by many as the best South American to play in the Bundesliga, Claudio Pizarro was an important part of Bayern Munich's history. He was the highest scoring foreigner in the German top-flight until 2019, but has since been overtaken by Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish striker not only broke his record of 195 goals but left it behind by a big margin with his current tally standing at 305. Pizarro's logetivity will be talked about in the years to come as the striker boasts a 22-year career at the top.
In Europe, he has played for several clubs like Werder Bremen, Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Although he could not do much in England, he was a big superstar in Germany. The Peruvian scored just six minutes into his debut in Bavarian colors back in 2001.
He went on to win six Bundesliga titles, five Dfb-Pokal trophies and one Champions League trophy in his two stints with the German giants. Pizarro was a clever poacher who made it difficult for any defense to trace his movements. When he found space, which he almost certainly did, he buried the ball in the back of the net without fail.
Apart from being Bayern Munich's fourth oldest goalscorer, he is the Bundesliga's oldest goalscorer at 40 years and 227 days old. The striker retired in 2020 playing for Werder Bremen and is the second top goal-getter in their history. Pizarro also holds the record for being the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the German top-flight.
A special player indeed!
#3 Franck Ribery - 36 years 1 month 11 days
Franck Ribery spent 12 glorious years at Bayern Munich and won several prestigious trophies with the club. He arrived from Olympique Marseille in 2007 for a then-club-record fee of €30 million. He not only established himself as one of the best wingers in Europe, but also became an institution with the Bavarians.
The Frenchman formed a venomeous partnership with Arjen Robben and the two dubbed "Robbery" ran defenses ragged in Germany and Europe. The left-winger made 425 appearances for Bayern Munich and produced prolific numbers of 124 goals and 182 assists across all competitions.
Ribery finished on the podium of the 2013 Ballon d'Or in third place, but it is still believed that he deserved to win the laurel that year. The former France international won a grand total of 24 titles during his time with the German giants.
He said goodbye to the club in style by scoring his last goal in his last Bundesliga appearance, which was against Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
#2 Mehmet Scholl - 36 years 7 months 3 days
Before Franck Ribery arrived and made the No. 7 jersey his own identity, Mehmet Scholl was the one carrying the burden of that number. A cultured attacking midfielder, Scholl was a crowd favorite at Allianz Arena. He was impressively two-footed and an admirable dribbler with great ball control.
He spent 15 years at Bayern Munich and made 469 appearances for the club. The former Germany international won eight Bundesliga titles with the German giants, scoring 117 goals and providing 105 assists in his illustrious career. Apart from being the most creative player in the squad, he was a free-kick specialist and a regular threat from dead-ball situations.
In 2005, fans voted him one of the greatest players to ever play for Bayern Munich on a list composed of 11 players. Scholl was an instigator of attacks from the middle of the park. He was an orchestrator-in-chief who was indeed capable of finishing big chances himself with utmost efficiency.
#1 Lothar Matthaus - 38 years 7 months 30 days
It comes as little surprise that Lothar Matthaus is the oldest goalscorer in Bayern Munich history. After all, he was renowned for his longetivity and boasted a senior career that spanned over 22 long years. He is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders of all time.
When Diego Maradona described him as the "best rival I ever had," it really uplifted his already uplifted reputation. There was no shortage of personal laurels for Matthaus. He won the inaugural edition of the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1991, just one year after winning the Ballon d'Or in 1990.
He represented Germany at five World Cups while helping them lift the 1990 World Cup. He also played his part in Germany's 1980 Euro Championship triumph. It's a shame that such a decorated player never won the Champions League and could only finish as the runner-up in 1987 and 1999.
The German legend was an exceptional footballer, a complete midfielder whose work ethic and professionalism were simply amazing. Matthaus was a natural leader, an assuring presence whose presence automatically got the best out of others playing around him.
His great engine, coupled with his incredible passing vision and range, made him one of the best. He had a peach of a right foot with which he scored some absolute screamers. The Bayern Munich legend also played for Inter Milan from 1988 to 1992, and represented the Bavarians on either side of that period.
He scored his last goal in a 6-1 thumping of Frieburg in the Bundesliga back in 1999.
