Borussia Dortmund XI if they hadn't sold their best players
Borussia Dortmund's rise to European prominence in recent times has largely been down to the club's highly successful transfer strategy that has seen them scout some of the most talented players from across the globe.
However, one reason why Borussia Dortmund haven't been able to challenge for trophies on a consistent basis is their inability to hold on to these talents, who end up moving to bigger clubs.
Borussia Dortmund XI if they hadn't sold their best players
There has been an exodus of many great players from the Westfalonstadion over the years, who then went on to accomplish tremendous success elsewhere. Here, we club the best XI of such players in a 4-1-3-2 formation.
Let us get started.
Goalkeeper: Mitchell Langerak (Nagoya Grampus)
Borussia Dortmund's goalkeeping departures have been nowhere near as painful as that of their outfield players, partly because Roman Weidenfeller was the undisputed choice in goal in the last decade before he was succeeded by Roman Burki, who's now one of the best custodians in the Bundesliga.
That leaves us with Mitchell Langerak, the lanky Australian, who showed great promise in his bit-part role but could never establish himself as the first-choice under Jurgen Klopp.
Despite being named in almost every matchday squad, Mitchell Langerak only appeared on the field in a few Cup games or when Weidenfeller was out injured.
Signed from A-League side Melbourne Victory, Langerak made only 35 appearances for Borussia Dortmund between 2010 and 2015, with 19 of them coming in the top-flight. Yet, he managed to keep 13 clean sheets overall, including one against Bayern Munich in the 2014 DFL Supercup and another against Marseille in the Champions League.
After leaving the Signal Iduna Park, Langerak joined VfB Stuttgart, where he enjoyed moderate success. The player now plies his trade with Nagoya Grampus in Japan's top division.