Gerhard Muller
Date Of Birth: 3 November, 1945
Place Of Birth: Nordlingen, Germany
Height: 1.76m
Playing Position: Striker
“Where it all started”
Muller joined the local team ‘1861 Nordlingen’ where he spent his youth and sometime later broke into the first team scoring a staggering 51 goals in 31 matches. Who wouldn’t kill for a striker with stats like that?!
“Bayern Calling”
Muller’s goalscoring exploits at his hometown club prompted Bavarian club Bayern Munich, who were then in the second tier of German football at the time, to view for his signature. Muller’s arrival signaled the start of a trophy windfall as he teamed up along with soon to be Bayern legends Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier who turned them into the most successful club in Germany. Nicknamed ‘The Nation’s Bomber’, Muller relied on his predatory instincts coupled with his short stature that enabled him to wriggle his way past opponents with ease. He racked up 13 titles in his 15 years at the club. His goal tally in 453 games for Bayern was an astounding 398. Bayern Munich had an eye for talent, something which they live up to even today and in Muller they had unearthed a gem that would go on to cement his place amongst the greats in the game
“The American Dream”
After 15 years of loyal service to the Bavarian giants, Muller moved to the United States, where the North American Soccer League, as it was known then, was slowly on the rise. It also had a reputation as the place for the ideal swansong for many players in the past like the great Pele. Muller joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. As they say, old habits don’t die quickly. Muller epitomized this fact as he banged in 38 goals in 71 matches for the club. Finally in 1982 Muller decided that he had had enough of troubling defences and embarrassing goalkeepers and called it a day. Thus the curtains came on the career of a legend of the game.
“West Germany”
Muller made his international debut in 1966 and scored his first international goal against Albania in a qualifying match for the 1968 European Championships and went on to score 3 more in the game. He scored 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup held in Mexico. This was followed by 4 goals in the 1972 European Championships which Germany won. Muller scored 2 of those goals in the final.
Gerhard Muller scored 68 times in his 62 appearances for West Germany
Muller’s high point was the 1974 World Cup held on home soil. He scored 3 goals on the way to the final where they faced Johann Cryuff’s ‘Total Football’ team that had taken the world by surprise with their scintillating football. Though Germany were level with the Dutch thanks to Paul Breitner’s penalty, it was the man from Nordlingen who would go on to create history as he scored the winning goal to condemn the Netherlands to a heart wrenching defeat. The world record for 14 World Cup goals stood for 32 years before Ronaldo of Brazil broke the record in the 2006 World Cup. Muller would have wanted a German to equal his record too and the answer came in the form of Miroslav Klose, who, like Muller, was a goalscorer who relied on instinct.
“Post Retirement”
Muller ended his career at the age of 28 and sunk into severe alcoholism. His friends from Bayern Munich notably Uli Hoeness helped him back onto his feet and offered him a contract at Bayern Munich where he was responsible for finding sponsors, scout, striking and goalkeeping coach. He progressed onto the role of a youth team coach and finally first team assistant. He now is the head coach of Bayern Munich II and stated “It does not get any better than being at Bayern”.
“Treasure Chest”
Bayern Munich
- Intercontinental Cup: 1976
- European Champions’ Cup: 1974, 1975, 1976
- European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1967
- Bundesliga: 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974
- German Cup: 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971
- Regionalliga Süd: 1965
West Germany
- World Cup: 1974, Third-Place: 1970
- European Championship: 1972
Personal honours
- European Footballer of the Year: 1970
- German Footballer of the Year: 1967, 1969
- Voted best Player 40 Years Bundesliga 1963–2003
- European top scorer: 1970, 1972
- German top scorer: 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978
- World Cup top scorer: 1970
- European Championship top scorer: 1972
- European Cup top scorer: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977
- World Football’s Greatest Goalscorer of All Time (awarded in 2000)
- Named to FIFA 100
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