Capital: | € 2 million |
---|---|
Age: | 74 |
Born: | 11/03/1945 |
Country of origin: | Germany |
Source of wealth: | Soccer player |
Last updated: | 2024 |
Short introduction
Gerd Müller earned the title “Bomber of the Nation” with his extraordinary skills as a striker. With 365 goals, he is still the most successful Bundesliga scorer ever.
In addition, he won numerous titles with FC Bayern Munich, including the German championship, the European Champion Clubs’ Cup and the World Cup. In addition, he became European and World Champion with the German national team.
After his career, the “bomber of the nation” had to deal with alcohol problems that brought him to the brink of financial ruin in the early 1990s. Müller only managed to get rid of alcohol thanks to the help of his old companions from FC Bayern Munich.
After a successful withdrawal treatment, the then Bayern manager Uli Hoeneß offered him a position as a striker and goalkeeper coach with the amateurs of FC Bayern Munich, which he only gave up in 2014 due to an Alzheimer’s disease.
Early life
Gerd Müller was born in 1945 to Christina Karoline and Johann Heinrich Müller in Nördlingen, Bavaria, where he grew up in simple circumstances.
Like so many professionals of his generation, he started his career as a street football player. However, Müller was so shy that he only joined his first club, TSV 1861 Nördlingen, at the age of twelve.
In the A-youth he was first appointed to the youth selection of the Bavarian Football Association after he scored 180 of his club’s 204 goals this season. After moving to the TSV men’s team, Müller made a significant contribution to promotion to the Landesliga with 47 goals in 28 games.
Off the field, Müller graduated from high school. He sacrificed an apprenticeship as a weaver for his career as a professional footballer.
Career
With his impressive hit rate, Müller finally attracted the interest of larger clubs. In 1964, at the age of just 18, he switched to FC Bayern Munich, which was still playing in the Regionalliga Süd. With Müller’s help, he was promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
In his first Bundesliga season, Müller scored 14 goals in 33 games and won the DFB Cup with his team.
In the 1966/67 season, Müller finally established himself as a regular striker in the FC Bayern team. His 28 goals made him not only the top scorer, but also the soccer player of the year. The season was crowned by winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
In the 1968/69 season, Müller was instrumental in winning the double of the championship and cup victory. Thirty goals again made him the top scorer and footballer of the year.
In the “golden 1970s” of FC Bayern, Müller continued to soar. So he and his team managed to become German champions three times in a row. The European Champion Clubs’ Cup was also won three times in a row.
In 1976, Bayern crowned their performance by winning the World Cup. This success marked the zenith of Müller’s career and the end of the “golden seventies” of FC Bayern Munich.
In 1979 Gerd Müller moved to the North American professional league, where he once again shone with excellent goal numbers. After two years in Fort Lauderdale, he ended his career at the age of 36.
Career highlights
Despite his unprecedented record at Bayern Munich, Gerd Müller celebrated the highlight of his career with the German national team. After Müller was appointed to the national team for the first time in 1966, he established himself as a regular player with ten goals during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The German national team eliminated Italy in the semifinals, but Müller was the top scorer.
The title was only won four years later at the “Home World Cup”. The decisive goal to 2-1 in the final against the Netherlands became the highlight in Müller’s career.
Famous quotes
“The most beautiful thing is a shot into the empty goal”
“You also have to be able to hit blind, you have to know where the gate is without looking.”
“My greatest triumph was the victory over alcohol”
Amazing facts
Gerd Müller is the Bundesliga soccer scorer with 365 goals
In 1970 Müller was the first German to be voted European Footballer of the Year
In the 1971/72 season, Müller achieved the record of 40 Bundesliga clubs in one season
During his career, Müller won the top scorer in eighteen competitions (seven times in the Bundesliga)