Gerd Müller facts for kids
Müller with Bayern Munich in 1973
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gerhard Müller | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1945 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nördlingen, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 15 August 2021 (aged 75) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Wolfratshausen, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1963 | 1861 Nördlingen | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | 1861 Nördlingen | 31 | (51) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1979 | Bayern Munich | 453 | (398) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1981 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 71 | (38) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 555 | (487) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | West Germany U23 | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1974 | West Germany | 62 | (68) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (born November 3, 1945 – died August 15, 2021) was a famous German professional footballer. He was a striker, which means he played mostly to score goals. People remember him for being incredibly good at scoring, especially from close to the goal. Many consider him one of the best goalscorers in football history.
Gerd Müller achieved great success with his club team and his national team. He is one of only nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League (Europe's top club competition), and the Ballon d'Or (an award for the best player).
For West Germany, he scored an amazing 68 goals in just 62 games. For his club, Bayern Munich, he played for 15 years. During this time, he scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches. He still holds the record for the most goals in that league. In European club games, he scored 65 goals in 74 matches.
Müller was nicknamed "Bomber der Nation" (the nation's Bomber) or simply "Der Bomber". This was because of his incredible ability to score goals. In 1970, he was named European Footballer of the Year. He scored ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and won the Golden Boot as the top scorer. He also won the 1970 Ballon d'Or that year.
In 1972, Müller helped West Germany win the UEFA European Championship. He was the top scorer in that tournament, scoring two goals in the final game. Two years later, he scored four goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. This included the winning goal in the final match.
For 32 years, Müller held the record for the most goals scored in the FIFA World Cup with 14 goals. In 2004, the legendary footballer Pelé included Müller in his FIFA 100 list. This list featured the world's greatest living players.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting with Bayern Munich
Gerd Müller was born in Nördlingen, Germany. He began his football journey at his local club, TSV 1861 Nördlingen. In 1964, Müller joined Bayern Munich. There, he played alongside future football legends like Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier.
At that time, Bayern Munich was not yet the famous club it is today. It was in a lower league called the Regionalliga Süd. After just one season, Bayern Munich moved up to the top league, the Bundesliga. This marked the start of many successful years for the club.
With Bayern Munich, Müller won many titles in the 1960s and 1970s. He won the German Championship four times. He also won the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) four times. Bayern Munich also won the European Champions' Cup three times in a row. They were the first West German team to achieve this. Müller scored in two of those finals. He also won the Intercontinental Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup once.
Gerd Müller was known for being a great goal-scorer. He was the top scorer in Germany seven times. He was also the top scorer in Europe twice. He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich. This is 53 goals more than the second-highest scorer, Robert Lewandowski. Müller held the record for most goals in a single Bundesliga season with 40 goals in 1971–72. This record stood for almost 50 years.
He also held the record for most goals scored in a calendar year, with 85 goals in 1972. This record was broken 40 years later by Lionel Messi.
Playing in the United States
After his time in the Bundesliga, Müller moved to the United States. In 1979, he joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This team was part of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He played for three seasons with the Strikers. He scored 38 goals for them. In 1980, his team reached the league final but lost.
Playing for West Germany
Gerd Müller scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany. He was Germany's all-time leading scorer for nearly 40 years. In 2014, Miroslav Klose broke his record. However, Klose needed more than twice as many games to score his 69th goal.
Müller's international career began in 1966. It ended on July 7, 1974, with a victory at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. This final was played in his home stadium in Munich. He scored the winning goal in the 2–1 victory against the Netherlands.
His four goals in that tournament and ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup made him the highest World Cup goalscorer at the time. He had 14 goals in total. This record stood until the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when Brazilian striker Ronaldo broke it. Ronaldo also needed more matches than Müller to reach his total.
Müller also played in the 1972 European Championship. He was the top scorer with four goals, including two in the final. West Germany won the championship that year. Müller stopped playing for West Germany after the 1974 World Cup win. This was after a disagreement with the German Football Association.
Life After Football
After retiring from playing, Gerd Müller became a coach. His former teammates at Bayern Munich offered him a job. He coached the Bayern Munich II team from 1992 until 2014. He retired from coaching due to health problems.
The sports brand Adidas also released a collection of clothing under the Gerd Müller name. In July 2008, the sports park in Nördlingen, where Müller started his career, was renamed the Gerd-Müller-Stadion in his honor.
On October 6, 2015, it was announced that Müller was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He passed away on August 15, 2021, at the age of 75.
How He Played
Gerd Müller was not a typical-looking footballer. He was short, strong, and didn't look very fast. However, he had an amazing ability to speed up over short distances. He was also great at heading the ball. His short legs gave him a low center of gravity. This meant he could turn very quickly and keep his balance in small spaces. Other players would often fall over trying to do what he did.
His teammate Franz Beckenbauer once said about Müller's speed: "His pace was incredible. In training I have played against him and I never had a chance." Müller was very good at getting to loose balls first. He would also trick defenders with sudden changes in speed. He had a special talent for scoring goals in unexpected situations.
Honours and Awards
Gerd Müller won many important titles and awards throughout his career.
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74
- DFB-Pokal: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71
- Regionalliga Süd: 1964–65
- European Cup: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1966–67
- Intercontinental Cup: 1976
West Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 1974
- UEFA European Championship: 1972
Individual Awards
- Ballon d'Or: 1970 (best player in Europe)
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1967, 1969
- Bundesliga Top Scorer: 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978
- European Golden Shoe: 1969–70, 1971–72 (top scorer in European leagues)
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1970 (top scorer in the World Cup)
- UEFA European Championship Top Scorer: 1972
- European Cup Top Scorer: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977
- FIFA 100: 2004 (list of the greatest living players)
- Golden Foot: 2007 (as a football legend)
Images for kids
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Müller with Bayern Munich in 1973
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Müller autographing a football in 1967. To his left are Franz Beckenbauer and Werner Olk.
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Müller (right) celebrating after winning the 1974 FIFA World Cup. To his left is Wolfgang Overath.
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Müller in 2007
See also
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
In Spanish: Gerd Müller para niños
