😍 Other Bundesliga clubs also have a Burke: The top XI of the resurrected | OneFootball

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Easter is just around the corner. And while some are searching for eggs, some Bundesliga players are celebrating their personal resurrection just in time for the holiday.

True to the motto: "The dead live longer," we've put together a Bundesliga top 11 for you today, featuring players who are currently fighting their way back into the starting lineup from the bench.

Goal

Michael Zetterer

It wasn't always a given that Zetterer would be Werder's number one goalkeeper. After the 29-year-old was the number one for 11 games in Werder's last second division season in 2021/22, former coach Markus Anfang banished him to the bench. In the course of the past season, Zetterer really established himself in the Werder goal.

Defense

Eric Dier

📸 Alex Grimm - 2025 Getty Images

Unlike his old/new teammate Harry Kane, things didn't always go smoothly for Eric Dier after his move to FC Bayern. Behind Kim and Upamecano, the Englishman often only had a reserve role. But after numerous injuries in the Bayern defense, Dier is more in demand than ever and is delivering as a starter.

Danny da Costa

Danny da Costa also knows the starting lineup very well this season. The former Frankfurt player has already started 17 times for Mainz 05 and is shining in both defense and offense. Curiously, Mainz wanted to get rid of him in the summer of 2024.

Felix Passlack

Bochum and Felix Passlack also considered an early separation – until Dieter Hecking took over at VfL in November. Since then, the outside defender has been indispensable to the team and has even collected the most minutes of all VfL pros under Hecking.

Kiliann Sildillia

Many minutes? Freiburg's Sildillia had hoped for that too. Instead, the Frenchman sat on the bench until the final whistle in the first half of the season. Veteran Lukas Kübler played, and even let the youngster consider a transfer. Four months later, everything is different from Sildillia's perspective. The right-back has won the competition and is again a regular first choice.

Midfield

Salih Özcan

Luck? Özcan had a lot of that in the winter. Due to personnel problems, Borussia Dortmund terminated the midfielder's loan at VfL Wolfsburg prematurely. After the 26-year-old played little at VfL, Kovač quickly took a liking to him. Since his return, Özcan has already started several times.

Leon Goretzka

That Leon Goretzka would appear in this team would have been thought by few a few years ago. But before the DFB player experienced his renaissance this season, things didn't look good for him at FC Bayern for a long time. For over two years, Goretzka mostly sat on the bench and was considered the number one transfer candidate. That's over now, the former Bochum player is playing – and may even stay with Bayern for the long term. "Why should we sell him? He's playing well," Hoeneß explained to the 'Welt am Sonntag' just yesterday.

Tim Skarke

Union Berlin and Tim Skarke? This relationship was almost doomed to fail. The winger didn't get any playing time in his first season and was loaned out twice – with success. Currently, the Köpenickers and Skarke are big in love again.

Attack

Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)

No joke: In the summer of 2024, Leverkusen seriously considered selling Schick. Today, you can say: Good thing he stayed. The Czech is scoring again like clockwork – 23 goals in 40 games speak for themselves.

Junior Adamu (SC Freiburg)

Freiburg wanted to get rid of Adamu in the summer – as quickly as possible to avoid losses. The deal fell through, and that was probably a stroke of luck. The 23-year-old took advantage of his second chance and is now an important building block in Schuster's system.

Oliver Burke (Werder Bremen)

Second chance? More like tenth. Since his signing in 2022, things just didn't work out for Burke at Werder. But currently, he's showing why he wasn't written off for good: He's getting starting lineup appearances – and scoring. Most recently, even twice in the 2-1 win against Stuttgart.

📸 Christian Kaspar-Bartke - 2025 Getty Images