5 present-day underrated German footballers

Rudy is just entering his prime

When you think of the German national team you think of players such as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller – but often the ones that go under the radar perhaps play some of the best football in their leagues.

Perhaps a late-bloomer in the international setup in comparison to England, Spain and Italy, Germany only had their nationwide league established in 1963 – which has since provided fans with some of the greatest football.

The 2014 Brazil World Cup saw Germany win the tournament for the fourth time, whilst it didn’t come as a surprise given the focus at international level on youth academies.

While they’ve provided us with plenty of world class players, there’s many out there that perhaps go unnoticed, that could quite easily represent their nation on more occasions. Here’s a look at five of them.

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#1 Sebastian Rudy

After joining TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in 2010, Sebastian Rudy has since gone on to play more than 200 games for the Sinsheim club – helping to establish them as a Bundesliga team since their promotion in 2009.

At just 27, the versatile midfielder is just entering his prime, with plenty of years ahead of him. Rudy has agreed to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich when his contract expires in the summer and whilst he may not see as much game time, he’ll certainly be an asset to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.

This season has seen Rudy play in 23 out of 25 Bundesliga games, helping Julian Nagelsmann’s side to fourth in the table and in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.