Gerd Müller
Prolific striker, record Bundesliga scorer, World Cup winner.
Gerhard Müller, born 3 November 1945 in Nördlingen, Bavaria to Johann Heinrich Müller and Christina Carolina Jung, was a German professional footballer. Known as a striker who thrived inside the six-yard box, he is considered one of the sport's finest goalscorers and players. He belongs to a select group of eleven footballers who have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or.
Müller started his youth career at TSV 1861 Nördlingen in 1958, moving up to the senior side in 1963 and netting 51 league goals in 31 appearances in the Bayernliga. That same year, at age 18, he joined Bayern Munich, then playing in the Regionalliga Süd, one tier below the Bundesliga. There he played alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier. After one season, Bayern advanced to the Bundesliga and began a period of dominance. With the club, Müller won four German championships, four DFB-Pokals, three consecutive European Cups (the first West German team to do so, with Müller scoring in the 1974 final replay and the 1975 final), one Intercontinental Cup, and one European Cup Winners' Cup. He was German top scorer seven times and European top scorer twice. In 427 Bundesliga matches for Bayern, he scored 365 goals, a record that still stands, 53 more than the next-highest scorer, Robert Lewandowski, as of 2022. His single-season Bundesliga record of 40 goals in 1971–72 held until Lewandowski scored 41 in 2020–21. Müller also set a record for most club goals in all European competitions in a season, with 67 in 1972–73, and 85 total goals (72 for Bayern, 13 for West Germany) in the calendar year 1972; both marks were later surpassed by Lionel Messi in 2011–12 and 2012, respectively. In 1979, Müller moved to the United States to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL, scoring 38 goals over three seasons and reaching the league final in 1980, which his team lost.
For West Germany, Müller scored 68 goals in 62 appearances. He was the nation's all-time leading scorer for nearly 40 years until Miroslav Klose passed him in 2014, though Klose needed 132 caps to reach 69 goals. Müller is one of six players to reach 50 international goals in fewer than 50 games, doing so in 41 matches. His international career began in 1966 and ended on 7 July 1974 with West Germany's World Cup victory in Munich. In the final, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 defeat of
- born
- 3 November 1945 in Nördlingen, Bavaria, Germany
- died
- 15 August 2021 in a nursing home in Wolfratshausen, aged 75
- field
- Professional footballer (striker)
- nationality
- German (West Germany)
- known_for
- Prolific goalscoring, record 365 Bundesliga goals, 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 14 FIFA World Cup goals (record for 32 years)
Lore & Background
Müller began his football career at his hometown club TSV 1861 Nördlingen youth ranks in 1958. In 1963 he was promoted to the first team and scored 51 league goals in 31 appearances in his first season in the Bayernliga. That same year, aged 18, he joined Bayern Munich, where he teamed up with future stars Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier. With Bayern, he won the German Championship four times, the DFB-Pokal four times, the European Cup three consecutive years, the Intercontinental Cup once, and the European Cup Winners' Cup once. He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches, becoming and still remaining the record holder of that league.
At international level with West Germany, Müller scored 68 goals in 62 appearances. He scored ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, receiving the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, and won the 1970 Ballon d'Or. In 1972, he won the UEFA European Championship and was the top goalscorer, scoring two goals in the final. Two years later, he scored four goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, including the winning goal in the final. His 14 World Cup goals held the all-time record for 32 years. After his career in the Bundesliga, he played three seasons with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League, scoring 38 goals.
After Müller ended his career in 1981, he fell into a slump and suffered from alcoholism. His former companions at Bayern Munich convinced him to go through alcohol rehabilitation, and they gave him a job as a coach at Bayern Munich II, a position he held from 1992 until he retired in 2014 due to health problems. In October 2015, it was announced that Müller was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died on 15 August 2021.
Reader's Guide
Gerd Müller is widely considered one of the greatest strikers and goalscorers in the history of football. His record of 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches remains unmatched, and he held the all-time World Cup goalscoring record with 14 goals for 32 years. He is one of only two players, alongside Lionel Messi, to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Ballon d'Or and the European Golden Shoe. Müller's style of play was characterized by lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts. Despite being short, squat, and not notably fast, he used extreme acceleration, agility, and deceptive changes of pace to get to loose balls first and bypass defenders. His teammate Franz Beckenbauer emphasized Müller's unusual speed, stating, 'His pace was incredible. In training I have played against him and I never had a chance.' Müller is seen as the greatest 'goal poacher' in history, with Gary Lineker calling him 'the ultimate goal poacher'. After his death, FC Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer declared that Müller was 'the greatest striker there's ever been', while Beckenbauer stated that Müller was 'the most important player in the history of Bayern Munich'.
Did You Know?
- Müller scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany, averaging over a goal per game.
- He held the single-season Bundesliga record with 40 goals in 1971–72, a record that stood until 2020–21.
- Müller is one of six players to reach 50 international goals in under 50 appearances, doing so in 41 games.
- The Rieser Sportpark in Nördlingen was renamed the Gerd-Müller-Stadion in his honour in July 2008.
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