Between 1964 and 1978, Bella played for MSV Duisburg in the Bundesliga, playing 405 games, a record for the club. He scored 13 goals in this time. He also stood with Duisburg in the German Cup finals of 1966 and 1975, however both finals were lost. Between 1968 and 1971, Bella played four times in the West German team. He was an unused member of the title winning DFB squad for Euro 72.