The Bundesliga is one of the most competitive football leagues in the world, known for its fast-paced and high-intensity matches. It has attracted some of the most talented footballers from across the globe, including many Spanish players. In this post, we’ll cover the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
During recent years, there has been a surge of Spanish talent in the league. Several players from the country have been making a name for themselves in Germany’s top-flight football competition.
In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the best Spanish players who are currently playing in the Bundesliga.
These players have showcased their exceptional skills and talent on the field. They also have played a crucial role in leading their respective teams to victory.
From midfield greats to lethal strikers, Spanish players have made their presence felt in the Bundesliga.
We will be examining the careers of these players, highlighting their accomplishments and contributions to their teams. We will also explore the challenges they faced to establish themselves in one of the world’s toughest football leagues.
Whether they are experienced veterans or up-and-coming talents, these players have proved themselves on the field.
So, if you’re a fan of Spanish football or simply enjoy watching top-class footballers in action, this article is for you.
Top Spanish Players in Bundesliga
It is worth noting that in this article, where we talk about the greatest Spanish players in Bundesliga in 2023, two of the players mentioned, Angelino and Aaron Martin, no longer play for the Spanish national team, yet they are of Spanish origins, and they do play in the Bundesliga.
Also, two of the players in this list are on loan from Bundesliga teams, namely Iker Bravo and Hugo Novoa.
What is Bundesliga?
Before jumping into our list of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga, we should learn about the League itself. The primary professional association football league in Germany, known as the Bundesliga, is comprised of 18 teams. It follows a promotion and relegation system with the 2. Bundesliga.
Seasons typically run from August to May, and matches are typically played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. All Bundesliga teams compete in the DFB-Pokal Cup competition, and the winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup.
Since its inception, 56 clubs have competed in the Bundesliga, with Bayern Munich having won the most titles at 31.
However, other clubs have also been prominent champions. Clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, Borussia Monchengladbach, and VfB Stuttgart .
The Bundesliga is ranked third in Europe based on UEFA’s league coefficient ranking for the current 2022-23 season. It has produced seven of the continent’s top-rated clubs. Additionally, Bundesliga clubs have won numerous European titles and individual awards.
Broadcasting rights for the Bundesliga are held by numerous broadcasters, with matches being televised in over 200 countries. The league was founded in 1962 in Dortmund and was initially operated by the German Football Association. It is now run by the German Football League.
The Bundesliga is comprised of two divisions: The 1. Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. The former is the top-tier professional league in Germany, while the latter has been the second-tier league since 1974.
Both leagues are governed by the German Football League (DFL), which is responsible for their operation. In contrast, the 3. Liga, which has been a professional league since 2008, is not considered a part of the Bundesliga. That’s because it is run by the German Football Association (DFB).
More about its History
The lower leagues differ depending on the region. The league structure has changed frequently in response to the level of participation in the sport in various parts of the country.
In the early 1990s, the reunification of Germany and the integration of the national league of East Germany were the major drivers of change.
To play in the Bundesliga, teams must obtain a license. To get that, teams need financial stability and adherence to specific standards of conduct. If a team fails to secure a license, they will be relegated to the regional leagues.
The 1. Bundesliga is financially stable, and the 2. Bundesliga is also moving towards greater stability both organizationally and financially, with an improving level of professional play.
Between 1992 and 2008, the system for promotion and relegation was different. The bottom three teams from the Bundesliga were automatically relegated, and the top three from the 2. Bundesliga were promoted.
Previously, between 1963 and 1981, either two or three teams were relegated from the Bundesliga automatically. The promotion was decided in promotion play-offs.
The season runs from early August to late May. There is also a six-week winter break from mid-December to the end of January.
From the 2021-22 season, kick-off times have been modified with Friday matches starting at 8:30 pm, Saturdays at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and 7:30 pm. The first Bundesliga games were played on August 24, 1963.
The first Bundesliga champion was 1. FC Koln, who won with 45:15 points, beating Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt, who both had 39:21 points.
Now that we know a good deal about the League, let’s start talking about the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
Iker Bravo, On Loan From Bayer Leverkusen
Iker Bravo Solanilla, who was born on January 13, 2005, is a professional football player from Spain. He currently plays as a forward for Real Madrid Castilla, a Spanish club. He is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, a Bundesliga club. Iker is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
At the age of five, he was discovered by Barcelona while playing for CFA Espluguenc. He subsequently joined their youth academy, La Masia.
However, on July 28, 2021, he signed with Bayer Leverkusen and made his professional debut for the club on October 27, 2021. He appeared as a substitute in a DFB-Pokal game against Karlsruher SC.
He became Leverkusen’s youngest debutant at the age of 16 years, 9 months, and 15 days, breaking Florian Wirtz’s record.
On August 29, 2022, he was loaned to Real Madrid Castilla for one year, and on September 4, he was called up for Real Madrid’s squad for the UEFA Champions League match against Celtic.
On September 17, he scored his first goal for Real Madrid Castilla. It was during a match against San Sebastian de los Reyes, winning the game 5-1. Bravo has represented Spain’s U15s and U17s as a youth international.
Hugo Novoa, On Loan From RB Leipzig
Hugo Novoa Ramos is a professional footballer from Spain who currently serves as a winger for Basel. Basel is a Swiss Super League club and he is on loan from RB Leipzig, the Bundesliga team. Hugo is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga. He was born on January 24, 2003, in the village of Bertamirans, Ames, Galicia.
Novoa was trained at Bertamirans FC and Deportivo de La Coruna. Despite receiving offers from Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Valencia CF, he declined them to sign with RB Leipzig in 2019.
Novoa played for Leipzig’s under-17 team, where he had five goals and eight assists in 18 games. Then he was promoted to first-team training for the next season in May 2020. He received his first call-up to the first team under manager Julian Nagelsmann on August 13.
However, he did not play in the match against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. His team won 2-1.
Leipzig’s Youngest Goalscorer
In August 2021, Novoa made his first appearance in the Bundesliga as a substitute for Christopher Nkunku in the 85th minute. With his first touch in professional football, he scored the last goal of a 4-1 win over SpVgg Greuther Furth. That made him Leipzig’s youngest goalscorer, beating Joshua Kimmich’s record by a month.
He is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
On January 21, 2022, he extended his contract with the club until 2024. Two days later, he made his first start for Leipzig in a 2-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg. On January 4, 2023, he extended his contract with Leipzig until 2025. After that he joined Swiss club Basel on loan until the end of the 2023-24 season.
During the winter break of Basel’s 2022-23 season, he joined the first team under head coach Alex Frei. After playing in two test games, he made his debut in the Swiss Super League as a substitute in the 71st minute of an away game against St. Gallen, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Dani Olmo, RB Leipzig
Daniel Olmo Carvajal is a Spanish professional football player. He currently plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and the Spanish national team. Daniel is versatile and can play as an attacking midfielder or a winger. He is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
Although he initially joined FC Barcelona’s youth academy when he was nine years old, Olmo later made his professional debut with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia in 2015.
He spent five seasons with the club, scoring 34 goals and winning five league titles and three cups. He then moved to RB Leipzig in 2020 and helped the team win the DFB-Pokal in 2022.
Olmo has had success with the Spanish national team as well. He won the UEFA European Championship with the Spain U21 team in 2019 and a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics. He made his senior international debut in 2019 and was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2020.
Olmo was born in Terrassa, Barcelona, Catalonia, and joined FC Barcelona’s youth academy when he was nine years old. However, he surprised many by joining Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 16 in 2014.
He quickly became an important player for the club and signed a new four-year contract in 2016. Olmo continued to impress, providing an assist and scoring a goal in a Europa League match against Fenerbahce in 2018 and being named the best player in Prva HNL for 2018.
He also scored his first Champions League goal in 2019 during a 2-2 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.
In January 2020, Olmo transferred to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, where he signed a four-year contract. He debuted a week later in a 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, replacing Tyler Adams in the 69th minute.
Impressing at Leipzig
Olmo scored his first goal for the club on February 4th in a 3-1 DFB-Pokal loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, after coming on for Amadou Haidara at halftime.
In his first start against Bayern Munich on February 9th, the game ended as a goalless draw, and he was subbed off for Patrik Schick in the 69th minute.
On June 12th, he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over 1899 Hoffenheim. On August 13th, he scored the opening goal in a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid at Estadio Jose Alvalade, which helped Leipzig reach their first-ever Champions League semi-final.
Olmo played in four games during RB Leipzig’s 2021-22 DFB-Pokal triumph and scored the final goal in a 2-0 home win over Hansa Rostock in the round of 16 on January 19th.
In the final on May 21st, he came on as a 69th-minute substitute for Kevin Kampl and scored in the penalty shootout victory after a 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg.
He also scored a consolation goal in a 5-3 loss to Bayern Munich in the 2022 DFL Supercup on July 30th, again coming on for Kampl. He is considered to be one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
Olmo was part of Spain’s squad that won the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and was called up to the senior team in November 2019.
He scored on his debut and was included in Spain’s squad for Euro 2020, where he provided two assists in the round of 16 fixture against Croatia and successfully converted his penalty in the quarter-final against Switzerland, but missed in the semi-final shoot-out against Italy.
Olmo was also included in Spain’s squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics and contributed an assist and a goal in their games.
Best Spanish Players in Bundesliga Who No Longer Play for Spain
These two players are from Spanish origins and are currently playing for Bundesliga teams in Germany, but no longer play for the Spain national team.
Angelino, 1899 Hoffenheim
Angelino, whose full name is Jose Angel Esmoris Tasende, is a Spanish professional footballer who can play as a left-back or left midfielder. He currently plays for 1899 Hoffenheim, a Bundesliga club, on loan from RB Leipzig and is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
He was born on January 4, 1997, in Coristanco, Galicia, and started playing football at EF Luis Calvo Sanz, the youth setup of Bergantinos FC, before joining Deportivo La Coruna’s youth team in 2007, where he spent six years.
In 2012, Angelino signed a four-year contract with Manchester City, which became effective in January of the following year. He initially played for the under-18s and regularly appeared with the reserves.
He made his debut for Manchester City’s first team on January 30, 2016, coming on as a substitute for Gael Clichy in an FA Cup match against Aston Villa, which Manchester City won 4-0.
In the 2016-17 season, he played twice for Manchester City, making his debut in the Champions League as a substitute in a 1-0 victory over Steaua Bucuresti on August 24, 2016, and starting in a 2-1 win over Swansea City in the EFL Cup on September 21.
In 2015, Angelino joined New York City on loan and made his professional debut for the club in a 4-4 draw against Toronto on July 12th. He came on as a substitute in the 46th minute and played the entire second half of the match.
He also had his first interview for the club on July 16th and made his first start in a 1-0 defeat to New England Revolution, playing the full 90 minutes.
Switching Between The German Teams
In 2016, Angelino was loaned to Girona from January to the end of the season, but having not made an appearance for them, he was instead loaned to Mallorca in January. He made his debut for Mallorca in February as a substitute in a 2-1 loss to Real Oviedo.
In 2017, Angelino was loaned to NAC Breda for the season. During this time, he won four Rookie of the Month awards, scored three goals, and provided seven assists.
Angelino was loaned to RB Leipzig from Manchester City on 31 January 2020 for the remainder of the season, having played 12 matches for Manchester City. During his time at RB Leipzig, he played in 13 league matches, scored one goal, and provided three assists.
On 13 August, Angelino helped RB Leipzig secure their first-ever Champions League semi-final by providing the assist for the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final.
On 8 September 2020, Manchester City announced that Angelino’s loan to RB Leipzig would be extended for the entire 2020-21 season. He scored two goals in a 2-0 win over Istanbul Basaksehir in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League on 20 October 2020.
In the final group stage match on 8 December, he scored the first goal in a 3-2 win over Manchester United, Manchester City’s rivals, which knocked them out of the competition.
On 12 February 2021, Angelino signed a four-year contract with RB Leipzig for an undisclosed fee, making his loan to the club permanent. He is recognized as one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
In August 2022, He joined 1899 Hoffenheim on loan from RB Leipzig for supposedly an entire season.
Aaron Martin, Mainz 05
Aaron Martin is a professional footballer from Spain, who currently serves as a left-back for the German club, 1. FSV Mainz 05 and is one of the best Spanish players in Bundesliga.
He was born on 22 April 1997 in Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, and joined RCD Espanyol’s youth team in 2005.
Despite being a junior, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 29 March 2015, starting in a 1-0 away loss against Gimnastic de Tarragona in Segunda Division B.
Martin scored his first senior goal on 16 January 2016 in a 2-0 home win against CF Reus Deportiu, and on 13 June of the same year, he renewed his contract until 2020.
Martin made his first appearance for the first team and La Liga on 2 October 2016, coming on as a substitute for Diego Reyes in a 0-0 home draw against Villarreal CF.
He signed an extension until 2022 on 28 January of the following year and was officially promoted to the first team three days later.
Aaron Martin joined 1. FSV Mainz 05 on loan for the 2018-2019 season on August 6, 2018. His debut in the Bundesliga was on August 26, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory against VfB Stuttgart. He is considered one of the best foreign players in Bundesliga.
He signed a permanent contract with 1. FSV Mainz 05 on November 5, 2018, which was effective from July 1, 2019. On December 31, 2020, he was loaned to RC Celta de Vigo for the remainder of the season with an option to buy.
Martin scored his first professional goal on February 18, 2022, which helped the team win 3-2 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
