Gerd Müller, the world-renowned striker, dies today at 75. The prolific frontman represented West Germany 62 times, netting on 68 occasions, including the winning strike against Holland in the 1974 World Cup final. He also led West Germany to the famous Euros crown in 1972
Gerd Müller was a German footballing icon who created many records during his 15-year illustrious career with Bayern. He was Nicknamed “Der Bomber” (the nation’s Bomber) due to his prolificity and potency in and around the box. He was also a sharpshooter and an instinctive poacher.
Gerd Müller ended as Bayern’s all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 563 goals in just 605 appearances for the Bavarian club. He also holds the record for the all-time highest scorer in the Bundesliga, having scored a monstrous 398 goals in a measly 453 games.
Embed from Getty ImagesGerd Müller was vital in Bayern’s four Bundesliga titles, three UEFA Champions League crowns, and four German Cups or DFB Pokal. He was the all-time leading scorer for his country until Miroslav Klose overtook him, though Klose took almost double the appearances to break the record set by Muller.
Müller also held to score the highest no. of goals in a Bundesliga season, but that was too robbed of him by Robert Lewandowski, who scored 41 goals to break the 49-year standing record. Mülle has always been an inspiration for the Polish striker, and he has only admiration for Müller’s style of play and contributions to the Munchen club. Below is the short message from Lewandowski that he posted on Twitter:
Robert Lewandowski about Gerd Müller: “Master, you will always be an extraordinary inspiration for me.”
— BILD SPORT
In an official statement, current Bayern President Herbert Hainer expressed his grief and recognize Muller’s contributions to the club:
“Today is a sad, dark day for FC Bayern and all its fans. Gerd Müller was the greatest striker there’s ever been and a fine person and character of world football. We’re all united in deep mourning with his wife, Uschi, as well as his family. FC Bayern wouldn’t be the club we all love today without Gerd Müller. His name and memory will live on forever.”
— Bayern President Herbert Hainer
Müller joined the TSV 1861 Nordlingen youth team as a 15-year-old. He was a different kind of player. He never looked like an athlete, struggled with weight issues, and possessed flashy quickness. Although he was of a diminutive size, the little player was very potent aerially and was a serious threat.
Despite his youth, Müller became a prominent first-team member due to his prolific goal-scoring record. He was a wonder inside the box, creating scoring opportunities out of nowhere and scoring nearly all of them.
His form prompted the football giants to act and secure one of the promising strikers of the era, Bayern Munchen, and TSV 1860 Munich pounced upon the chance that 1860 Munich was a very big club full of stars, so to have more game time, he chose Bayern Munich instead and as you say the rest is history, he helped Bayern establish themselves in German football.
Gerd netted 33 goals in his debut season for Bayern, helping the team achieve promotion to the Topflight in 1965. Bayern won the German Cup in their first campaign with Müller on their side. Over Müller’s stay, the squad lifted the Cup 3 times in 1967, 1969, and 1971 respectively. Bayern subsequently wins the Bundesliga crown on four occasions, notably in 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, and 1973–74.
In his fifteen-year stint at Bayern, Muller ended as Bundesliga’s top goalscorer on seven occasions. He won the German Football Player two times and was the 1970 Ballon d’Or recipient. He departed to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the extravagant American Soccer League, following the footsteps of George Best and Pele, he only lasted for three seasons before making a comeback to Bayern but this time as a coach.
The Bayern Munich CEO, O. Kahn, also paid tribute:
“The news of Gerd Müller’s death deeply saddens us all. He’s one of the greatest legends in the history of FC Bayern. His achievements are unrivalled to this day, and he will forever be a part of the great history of FC Bayern and all of German football. As a player and a person, Gerd Müller stands for FC Bayern and its development into one of the biggest clubs in the world like no other. Gerd will forever be in our hearts.”
Gerd Müller will always be remembered in the hearts of loyal German fans, and the fairytale will pass from generation to generation.
Image Credit: Bert Verhoeff for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons
He was an impressive player in his time.