The AI has decided:
This is the most attractive team
in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga

Technical skill, physical fitness, tactical understanding, and mental strength—these are among the most important qualities a professional soccer player should possess. For soccer fans and many players themselves, however, one thing matters just as much as performance: which player looks good on the field. We’ve done the big comparison for you and looked at which squad in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga is the most attractive according to AI. To do this, we assigned a score between one and ten to a total of 517 players in the 1st Bundesliga and 512 players in the 2nd Bundesliga based on an AI model, and calculated the average score per team and position.

These Are the Most Attractive Teams in the Bundesliga

The most attractive players come from the north: With an average score of 7.61 out of a possible 10 points, SV Werder Bremen claims the title of most attractive team, followed by 1. FC Köln (7.34 points). By comparison, the league’s average score is 7.11. After a spectacular season that saw them qualify for the Champions League, 1. FC Union Berlin has been unable to replicate that success on the field. In the attractiveness rankings, however, Union can at least celebrate a third-place finish with an average score of 7.33. Borussia Dortmund’s first half of the season has been similarly mixed. Nevertheless, they’re still making a good impression—according to the AI: With 7.3 points, BVB ranks among the most attractive teams in the league. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim rounds out the top five most attractive teams with an average score of 7.2 out of a possible 10 points.

An overview of the average score per team can be found here:

These Bundesliga players are perceived as particularly attractive

No one is more attractive than Max Rosenfelder: The young talent from SC Freiburg, who missed the start of the season due to knee problems, is the clear leader in the ranking of the most attractive Bundesliga pros with a score of 9.54. This puts him ahead of Timo Werner, who scored 9.26 out of a possible 10 points, relegating him to second place. SV Darmstadt player Fraser Hornby has been playing in the Bundesliga since this season and has mostly come off the bench so far. According to AI, however, his looks put him right in the Champions League: Hornby can celebrate a score of 9.17 points and third place. He is followed by rising star Tom Bischof of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with 9.12 points. While Linton Maina isn’t scoring many goals for 1. FC Köln right now, he’s scoring big in the good looks rankings: The Köln pro ranks fifth with a score of 9.07.

Find out which pros are among the 50 most handsome in the 1. Bundesliga here:

These are the positions where the most handsome players in the Bundesliga play

According to the AI’s assessment, soccer fans get the best view of the action in central midfield: Players like Leon Goretzka, Florian Neuhaus, and Nadiem Amiri are perceived as particularly attractive, with an average score of 7.26. Bundesliga pros playing right wing achieve the same score. Keeping a clean sheet while looking good: Goalkeepers come in third place with 7.25 points. On offense, center forwards edge out attacking midfielders with 7.2 points to 7.18.

This overview reveals who made it into the 1. Bundesliga’s most attractive starting lineup:

These Are the Most Attractive Rosters in the 2. Bundesliga

With the clover comes luck—and beauty: Greuther Fürth is holding its own in the 2. Bundesliga with an average score of 7.51 against its rivals. Alongside Fürth, another former Bundesliga club ranks among the top: With an average of 7.4 out of a possible 10 points, FC Schalke 04 secures at least the runner-up title as the most attractive team in the 2. Bundesliga, despite a mixed season on the field. If you believe the AI, one thing in particular makes a club attractive: Alongside the “Royal Blues,” the 1. FC Magdeburg squad is also among the most attractive in the second division and lands a spot on the podium with an average score of 7.38. Unlucky on the field, lucky in looks: While VfL Osnabrück hasn’t managed to climb out of the bottom of the standings this season, the team ranks near the top in the attractiveness rankings with a score of 7.33. SV Wehen Wiesbaden rounds out the top five with an average score of 7.31.

This map shows how all 2. Bundesliga teams fare in the attractiveness ranking:

These 2. Bundesliga pros are perceived as particularly attractive

Two Schalke players lead the 2. Bundesliga rankings: Mohr wins the title of most attractive player with a score of 9.1. His teammate Kenan Karaman is rated similarly attractive by the AI: the Turkish national team player scores 8.87 out of a possible 10 points, placing him second behind Mohr. Fürth’s captain also cuts a fine figure both on and off the field: Branimir Hrgota ranks third with a score of 8.82. Jamie Lawrence has been on loan to 1. FC Magdeburg since the start of this season. While the German U-20 national team player scores rather rarely for Magdeburg, he holds his own in the attractiveness ranking with 7.71 points, placing him in fourth place. Hertha defender Agustín Rogel has the same score.

Find out which pros are among the 50 most attractive soccer players in the 2. Bundesliga here:

These are the positions where the most attractive players in the 2. Bundesliga play

In the 2. Bundesliga, the offense leads the way according to AI—players in the deep-lying forward position are the most attractive, with an average score of 7.34. The right-back position also features particularly attractive players (7.24). Robert Glatzel, Haris Tabaković, and Cedric Teuchert also cut a fine figure: the center forwards score an average of 7.20. The center backs and attacking midfielders are similarly attractive, with 7.19 and 7.18 out of a possible 10 points, respectively.

This overview reveals who makes up the most attractive starting lineup in the 2. Bundesliga:

What did we do?

For the comparison, images of all 517 and 512 players in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga, respectively, were collected and assigned a score on a scale from one to ten using a ResNet architecture based on an AI model. The average score was then calculated for each team and position. The ResNet architecture—short for Residual Network—is an artificial neural deep learning network used in image recognition and classification applications.

Our conclusion makes it clear:

Whether young athletes or seasoned veterans—soccer ensures that many professionals maintain exceptional fitness and attractive faces throughout their entire careers. Even faces contorted with pain due to injuries do nothing to detract from their beauty. However, we at BLACKROLL® want to proactively prevent this: Our products help professional soccer players recover from strained muscles. Thanks to our fascia treatment products, both body and face can relax until the next match day—ensuring that the athletes are once again a sight to behold on the field.