There are many foreign football players in the German professional football leagues. As of November 2009, there are 249 foreign players in the Bundesliga, resulting in a foreigner ratio of 45%. In the 2. Bundesliga, there are 145 foreign players – a ratio of 31%.1. Fragen zum Thema Spielbetrieb DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, 2010 In the 3. Liga, the foreigner ratio is 15%.Kicker Sonderheft Saison 2009/10
Rulings For the 2006–07 season, the limits on foreign (non-EU) players were lifted, based on a decision of the German Football Association (DFB) and Deutsche Fußball Liga made on 21 December 2005. At the same time, the UEFA local player ruling was introduced. This ruling stipulates, that a certain number of locally produced players must be enrolled at each club. For the 2006–07 season, this was at least four such players, for the 2007–08 season six players and for the 2008–09 season eight such players.
A locally produced player is a player who, during the age of 15–21 years, was licensed to play for the club for three different seasons or years.
Ratio of foreign players Data from season 2009–10.
LigaPlayersRatio 1. Bundesliga 249 45% 2. Bundesliga 145 31% 3. Bundesliga 15%
Countries With 42 players, Brazil is the country with the most nationals playing in the German professional football leagues. Thirty of them played for clubs in the highest level in 2009–10. Only four clubs in the 1. Bundesliga were totally without Brazilian players: VfL Bochum, SC Freiburg, 1. FSV Mainz 05 and 1. FC Nürnberg. Below the highest league level, the number of Brazilians drops rapidly: ten Brazilians play in the 2. Bundesliga, and only two in the 3. Liga. In recent years, the Turks have been 43 players.
The following table lists the nationality of players in the three professional football leagues of Germany.Gürtler, Detlef: Wirtschaftsatlas Deutschland. Rowohlt Berlin, 2010. . pp. 162–163
Americas Country Players Brazil 42 Canada 8 USA 7 Trinidad and Tobago 1 Venezuela 2 Colombia 3 Ecuador 2 Peru 5 Bolivia 1 Chile 1 Paraguay 2 Uruguay 2 Argentina 8 Mexico 1
Europe Country Players Belgium 9 Hungary 9 Bulgaria 6 Romania 6 Serbia 6 Slovakia 6 Slovenia 6 Macedonia 4 Montenegro 4 Lithuania 2 Bosnia 19 Czech Republic 19 Croatia 18 Austria 17 Netherlands 14 Switzerland 14 Denmark 10 Poland 10 Finland 7 Sweden 4 Scotland 1 Ireland 1 France 19 Spain 4 Italy 12 Portugal 4 Greece 9 Turkey 43 Georgia 6 Ukraine 3 Belarus 1 Russia 1
Africa Country Players Tunisia 6 Algeria 4 Morocco 4 Mali 1 Burkina Faso 5 Senegal 1 Gambia 2 Liberia 2 Ivory Coast 5 Togo 1 Ghana 8 Nigeria 7 Cameroon 9 Congo DR 4 Angola 1 Sambia 2 Namibia 1 South Africa 2 Egypt 2Seychelles1
Middle East Country Players Israel 2 Iran 2 Lebanon 5
Asia and Oceania Country Players China 1 South Korea 5 Japan 4 Australia 3 Philippines 1
See also List of foreign Bundesliga players List of foreign 2. Bundesliga players
References