Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Muller, widely regarded as one of the best goalscorers of all time, passed away on Sunday.
Follow Us
Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Muller, widely regarded as one of the best goalscorers of all time, passed away on Sunday (August 15). He was 75 and is survived by wife Uschi and a daughter. His death was confirmed by former club Bayern.
“The FC Bayern world is standing still today. The club and all its fans are mourning the death of Gerd Müller, who passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 75,” read their statement.
“Today is a sad, dark day for FC Bayern and all its fans,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said.
“Gerd Muller was the greatest striker there’s ever been, and a fine person and character of world football. We’re all united in deep mourning with his wife Uschi as well as his family.
“FC Bayern wouldn’t be the club we all love today without Gerd Müller. His name and memory will live on forever.”
FC Bayern are mourning the passing of Gerd Müller.
The FC Bayern world is standing still today. The club and all its fans are mourning the death of Gerd Müller, who passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 75.
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 15, 2021
Muller scored an incredible 566 goals in 607 competitive appearances for Bayern. Amazingly, he still holds the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga with 365, as well as being top scorer seven times.
He also scored 68 goals in 62 caps for the national team and also won the World Cup in 1974. He notably scored the goal which won them the tournament.
Muller was the kind of player who most teams would have killed to have. His game was notably one-dimensional – he mostly hung around the penalty area. But his goalscoring instincts were unmatched.
Muller’s biggest assets were his movement and speed over short distances. He knew how best to time his runs and, despite being short in height, scored plenty of headers.
His career saw him score a total of 654 goals in 716 games. He was also Germany’s highest goal-scorer until 2014, when Miroslav Klose broke his record.
He was nicknamed ‘Der Bomber der Nation’ or simply ‘Der Bomber’ for his explosive goal-scoring traits. Indeed, his goals were one of the main reasons Germany won both the 1974 World Cup and 1972 Euros.
His time after football almost ended in tragedy. After his career ended, he suffered from alcoholism and became clean only after intervention from former Bayern teammates.
He would then go on to coach the Bayern reserve team after he got clean. In 2015, however, it was confirmed he suffered from Alzeihmer’s disease.
