1. Franz Beckenbauer: Former footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Captained the West German national team to victory in the 1974 FIFA World Cup and won the European Football Championship in 1972.
2. Michael Schumacher: Former Formula One racing driver. Won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship seven times, a record shared with Lewis Hamilton.
3. Steffi Graf: Former professional tennis player. Won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by a German player and the second-most by any female player in the Open Era.
4. Boris Becker: Former professional tennis player. Won six Grand Slam singles titles, including three at Wimbledon.
5. Dirk Nowitzki: Former professional basketball player. Played for the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons, winning an NBA championship in 2011 and earning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007.
6. Maria Höfl-Riesch: Former alpine ski racer. Won three gold medals at the Winter Olympics and became the first female skier to win the overall World Cup title three times in a row.
7. Katarina Witt: Former figure skater. Won two Olympic gold medals and four world championships.
8. Uwe Seeler: Former footballer and manager. Played for Hamburger SV for most of his career and was captain of the West German national team.
9. Gerd Müller: Former footballer. Scored 68 goals for West Germany, making him the country's all-time top scorer.
10. Sebastian Vettel: Formula One racing driver. Has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championships, placing him among the most successful drivers in the history of the sport.