Roy Makaay, Bayern Munich striker
Not really. The Bundesliga season began with Bayern shutting out Dortmund 2-0, with Roy Makaay (another player that Van Basten spurned in the Dutch squad) scoring the first goal and then Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is our Michael Ballack for the moment finishing off Dortmund with the second goal.
We might not miss Michael Ballack but Dortmund looked like it was missing Jan Koller and Tomas Rosicky.
The Bundesliga has had a hard time attracting overseas talent in the last few seasons. Big signings include, Rafael Van Der Vaart, and more recently Alexander Frei. The Bundesliga was hoping to get Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Milan Baros but the deals fell through and Ruud signed with Real while Baros remains with Aston Villa. It is too early to tell but the positive changes of the World Cup will probably be felt next season in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Beckham’s retirement from international football is being viewed with great interest. Many see him not lasting long in the top drawer La Liga. Speculation that he might land up in Germany, Japan, or the USA, and finish of his career there grows.