Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke: A Combined XI of Revierderby Icons

The Revierderby is part of 90min's 50 Biggest Derbies in the World Series.

Both Borussia Dortmund and Schalke have enjoyed spells of dominance in German football, despite having since surrendered their stranglehold to Bayern Munich. But regardless of where these teams may finish up year in and year out, they always boast some incredibly gifted players.

So, as we always like to give ourselves a challenge here at 90min, we've decided to create a combined all-time starting XI made up of former Dortmund and Schalke superstars.

GK - Jens Lehmann (Schalke & Dortmund)

While some of us may remember him more fondly for his time at Arsenal, Lehmann spent significantly more time at Schalke than at any other club, plying his trade for the Royal Blues for ten years. Having said that, the German shot-stopper did actually spend four years at rivals Dortmund, but Schalke fans can hardly hold anything against the club legend.

Lehmann's greatest Revierderby moment came with Schalke, however, when he actually scored a last-gasp equaliser at the Westfalenstadion. It's fair to say that Lehmann needed to do little else to become a cult hero at the club, while he also became the first goalkeeper to score from open play in the Bundesliga.

Honourable Mentions: Manuel Neuer (Schalke)

RB - Lukasz Piszczek (Dortmund)

Having now made 354 appearances for BVB over ten years, loyal servants don't come much greater than the Polish right-back. It's almost as if Piszczek isn't particularly brilliant at any one individual thing, but his intelligence, experience and work ethic have made him indispensable to Dortmund for almost a decade.

Considering Philipp Lahm exists, it's hardly surprising that Piszczek has only been named in the Bundesliga team of the season twice, but the 34-year-old is still going strong and aiming to add to his two league titles and DFB-Pokal trophies with the Black and Yellows.

Honourable Mentions: Stefan Reuter (Dortmund)

CB - Jurgen Kohler (Dortmund)

We had to put Kohler in this team simply because he'd probably break our legs if we didn't.

The Dortmund defender spent seven years with the club at the end of his career, winning two Bundesliga titles and BVB's only Champions League trophy ever. Having already made himself a national treasure following Germany's 1990 World Cup win, Kohler's 191 league outings and no-nonsense attitude with the Black and Yellows made him a hero at the Westfalenstadion as well.

Scary, reckless, bats*** crazy...exactly what a defender should be.

Honourable Mentions: Marcelo Bordon (Schalke)

CB - Mats Hummels (Dortmund)

Hummels could have perhaps built a greater rapport with the Yellow Wall if half his heart hadn't belonged to Bayern Munich throughout his career, but the German's time with Dortmund has still been littered with success.

Two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal trophy and a Champions League final appearance with BVB, the 31-year-old is one of the best defenders of the modern era.

Honourable Mentions: Benedikt Howedes (Schalke)

LB - Klaus Fichtel (Schalke)

Dortmund's Dede may feel a little hard done by here, but to provide a little balance along the back line we've opted for Fichtel.

It's fair to say that the history books may not suggest Fichtel was a world-beating defender, but he was, providing a steady and unrivalled influence on Schalke's defence over the course of three separate decades.

Honourable Mentions: Dede (Dortmund)

RM - Ingo Anderbrugge (Schalke/Dortmund)

Not many players dare to play for both Dortmund and Schalke, but Ingo Anderbrugge did. Traditionally, the German played as an attacking-midfielder, but for formation sake he'll have to do his best on the right.

Having begun his career at Dortmund, the midfielder made a rather unusual straight swap for Schalke, going on to lift the UEFA Cup with the Royal Blues just under ten years later - Schalke's only major European trophy.

Not only was Anderbrugge a remarkable and nifty footballer, he eventually went on to play American football after his retirement as - you guessed it - a kicker.

Honourable Mentions: Andreas Moller (Dortmund)

CM - Michael Zorc (Dortmund)

Now enjoying question after question about Jadon Sancho's future, Dortmund's sporting director Zorc probably longs to return to simpler days when he donned the black and yellow of BVB for 17 years as a player.

The midfielder was the beating heart of Dortmund's golden generation of the 1990s, captaining the club to two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League trophy in 1997. The BVB legend knows a thing or two about the Revierderby as well, having made more appearances than any other player in the fixture's history (26).

Honourable Mentions: Marc Wilmots (Schalke)

CM - Matthias Sammer (Dortmund)

The 1996 Ballon d'Or winner remains one of the most underappreciated players of the 90s, yet still managed to win the Champions League, two Bundesliga titles and Euro 1996 with Germany. Featuring as a defensive-midfielder or sweeper, Sammer helped revolutionise BVB in the 1990s, and could do anything asked of him.

Score a goal? Easy.

Make a goal-line clearance? Easy.

Make a 60-yard cross-field pass? Easy.

Sammer even went on to become Dortmund manager for four years after his retirement and, as a result of his service to the club, is one of the most loved men in the Ruhr region.

Honourable Mentions: Gerald Asamoah (Schalke)

LM - Marco Reus (Dortmund)

Just imagine how good this man could have been without persistent injuries.

Reus - while all his other Dortmund pals fled to Bayern in a bid for more silverware - has committed the best years of his career to the Black and Yellows, hence why he is utterly adored by the club's supporters. The German has proved that loyalty isn't dead in modern football, and his 129 goals for Dortmund have also proved that he's a sensational player.

ST - Klaus Fischer (Schalke)

Above is perhaps the most breathtaking example of Fischer's signature bicycle kicks; just one of the many attributes that made the striker one of the greatest players of his generation. The German netted a simply astonishing 226 goals for the Royal Blues, making him the club's highest ever scorer by quite some margin.

Fischer was a prolific forward capable of scoring all manner of goals, from the simple to the sublime, and no other Schalke striker in history - and there have been many world-beaters - comes close to stealing his crown.

Honourable Mentions: Raul (Schalke), Ernst Kuzorra (Schalke)

ST - Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund)

As much as Lewandowski now enjoys scoring against Dortmund for Bayern, the Pole made his name on the world stage at the Westfalenstadion. And, regardless of any ill feelings towards the third-highest scorer in Bundesliga history, he simply has to be a part of this team.

It may have taken some time for us to appreciate just how unbelievably gifted the 31-year-old is at putting the ball in the back of the net, but we now know it all too well. While Dortmund fans may have wished he'd stuck around under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp longer than the four years he did, nobody can deny just how complete a striker this man is.

Sorry Stephane Chapuisat, it really was a close call, but there was simply no way we could leave out Lewandowski.

Honourable Mentions: Stephane Chapuisat (Dortmund), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke)