Gerd Müller
Centre-Forward · Bayern Munich · Germany
About Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller — "Der Bomber" — is the most prolific goalscorer in the history of German football. He scored 735 goals in 793 appearances across his career, including 68 goals in 62 West Germany appearances. He was the first player to score more than 40 goals in a Bundesliga season and won the 1970 World Cup Golden Boot, the 1972 European Championship, and the 1974 World Cup. He died in August 2021 after years battling Alzheimer's disease.
Gerd Müller's story
Nördlingen's Bomber
Müller was born in Nördlingen in Bavaria and initially worked as a weaver before football took over. When he first arrived at Bayern Munich (GER), the club president reportedly said: "What do I want with this little elephant?" Within three seasons he had broken every Bundesliga goalscoring record. His physique — stocky, low centre of gravity, explosive — made him seem an unlikely striker; his finishing made him unmatchable.
The Goals Machine
In the 1971–72 Bundesliga season, Müller scored 40 goals — a record that stood for 40 years until Robert Lewandowski scored 41 in 2020–21. His 68 goals in 62 international games remain a West Germany record. In the 1970 World Cup he scored 10 goals — a record for a single tournament. He scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final against Netherlands.
Later Life and Tragedy
Müller retired in 1979 and moved to the US to play in the NASL. He struggled with alcoholism in retirement. Bayern Munich (GER) brought him back as a youth coach and cared for him throughout his later years. He developed Alzheimer's disease and died in August 2021 in Kaufbeuren, where Bayern had placed him in a care home. His death was mourned across world football.
Did you know?
- ⚽ He scored 40 goals in the 1971-72 Bundesliga season — a record that stood for 40 years until Robert Lewandowski broke it in 2020-21 with 41.
- 🌍 His 10 goals at the 1970 World Cup — including a hat-trick in the quarter-final — set a record for a single tournament that stood for 52 years.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Uschi in 1967; they have a daughter, Nicole. He settled in Munich and worked for Bayern Munich's academy. He died in August 2021 after suffering from dementia.
- 📊 His 68 goals in 62 international appearances gives him a ratio of 1.10 goals per game — the highest of any player with more than 40 caps for a European nation.
- 🤝 Bayern Munich cared for Müller throughout his battles with alcoholism and Alzheimer's, providing housing, medical support, and emotional support across decades.
- 🦴 His low centre of gravity and explosive short movement made him unique — he could turn a defender in a half-yard of space and shoot before any reaction was possible.
- 🥅 He scored 564 goals for Bayern Munich — a record for any player at a single German club, surpassing records that have stood since the Bundesliga's foundation.
- 🌟 Robert Lewandowski — who broke his 40-goal Bundesliga record — said: "Gerd Müller is the reason I became a striker. He showed that you don't need to be tall or fast, just intelligent and deadly."
- 💔 He died in August 2021 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Franz Beckenbauer, his teammate on the 1974 World Cup winning side, said: "There will never be another Gerd Müller."
Honours
- FIFA World Cup: West Germany (1974) — scored the winner in the final
- UEFA Euro: West Germany (1972)
- Bundesliga x7: Bayern Munich (1969,1972,1973,1974,1980)
- European Cup x3: Bayern Munich (1974, 1975, 1976)
- Ballon d'Or: 1970
- World Cup Golden Boot x2: 1970 (10 goals) and 1974 (4 goals)
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