Burgsmüller was born in Essen. He appeared in 447 Bundesliga games over the course of 17 seasons, scoring 213 goals. He played mainly for Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen. He also played Rot-Weiss Essen, Bayer Uerdingen, 1. FC Nürnberg and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. He also played three games for West Germany. After retirement, he played as a kicker in American football.