Der Bomber — Germany's World Cup winner and Bayern Munich legend whose 365 Bundesliga goals were a record that stood for 49 years.
Gerd Müller was born in Nördlingen in 1945 and began at TSV Nördlingen (1963–64) before Bayern Munich (1964–1979) where he scored 565 goals in 607 appearances — a Bundesliga record that stood until Robert Lewandowski approached it. He earned 62 West Germany caps scoring 68 goals — then the international record. He won 3 consecutive European Cups (1974–76), 7 Bundesliga titles and 4 DFB-Pokals. He scored 735 career goals in 793 appearances — one of the highest ratios in professional football history. His top speed of 28.9 km/h was not exceptional but he was exceptionally quick in the penalty area — turning and shooting in the smallest of spaces faster than any goalkeeper could react. He scored 32 professional hat-tricks. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1970 and the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals. He scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final — a close-range turn and finish that epitomised his style. He won the European Championship in 1972. A brief spell at Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1979–81) closed his career. Known as Der Bomber der Nation, he died in August 2021 aged 75.
European Cup 1974, 1975, 1976 (Bayern)
Career Honours
- European Cup 1974, 1975, 1976 (Bayern)
- Bundesliga 7x
- DFB-Pokal 4x
- FIFA World Cup 1974 (West Germany)
- European Championship 1972
- Ballon d'Or 1970
- Golden Boot 1970 World Cup (10 goals)