Today the world of FC Bayern stands still. The German record champions and its entire sports world mourn the soccer legend, Gerd Müller who died early Sunday morning at the age of 75. Gerd Müller made history with the German record champions and the German national team.
Remembering Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller made history with FC Bayern Munich. He held the record for the highest goal tally in the German Bundesliga with 155 goals from 167 games and established himself as one of the best goal scorers in world football. “Gerd Müller made history with FC Bayern Munich and the German national team. A footballing genius with an extraordinary shooting skill. I think of him today in all the difficult situations.” – Former teammate Franz Beckenbauer. A pupil at a football school in his hometown of München at the age of 5, Müller started playing for his local team in 1962. As he progressed through the junior ranks, he moved on to TSV 1860 München, a Munich team playing in the second division. In 1973, he had his big break when he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
FC Bayern legend
Gerd Müller made history with the German record champions and the German national team in the 1970s. Even though he failed to take Germany to the World Cup in 1974 and then in 1978, Müller became the first German footballer to win both the European Cup and the World Cup. This achievement made him a German sporting icon.” And when Ralf Rangnick, the coach of the Germany national team, coined this phrase during Müller’s farewell in Düsseldorf in 2006, it did sound like something Müller himself would have said about himself. At the beginning of the season, former Bayern München manager Jupp Heynckes spoke about Müller in a media event in Munich. He said that in his opinion Müller had never won a trophy.
A tribute to Gerd Müller
Today the world of FC Bayern stands still. The German record champions and its entire fan base mourn Gerd Müller who died early Sunday morning at the age of 75. “Gerd Müller made history with the German record champions and the German national team, and also with the youth teams of his hometown club SV Offenbach,” reads a joint statement from FC Bayern’s executive board and its chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Müller, who made 41 appearances for Germany, is the second oldest footballer still playing in the Bundesliga. Müller had a career spanning a whopping 382 games (264 Bundesliga, 107 Cup, 14 World Cup matches), a few more than FC Bayern’s legendary head coach Jupp Heynckes, who played on 475. Müller was the all-time top goal-scorer in Bundesliga history.
Why is he so loved?
- Why have German football fans worldwide fallen in love with Müller’s toil, dedication and sacrifice? Müller made history with the German record champions and the German national team and as a striker he remained for years in the league’s top five scorers. Müller became an idol in a generation and is a living legend to German fans. He’s played with his best friend, Franz Beckenbauer, and achieved legendary status at Bayern. - Müller wasn’t just an athlete, not just a footballer, he was a legend of FC Bayern. He was a man with a huge heart. Fans and players would follow Müller and his stories at the training ground long after games. If he had been manager of the club, he would have encouraged the youngsters of the club to emulate their idol. Bayern Munich are mourning Müller.
Conclusion
Among the first for record was the German record that was broken by Müller in the 1971 European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt. After Müller had already set a German record of having scored 39 goals, having just set a Bundesliga record with his 34th goal in 1970, he had set a European record in 1971 by scoring his 41st goal in 1971 European Cup final against Benfica. Müller spent 22 years with Bayern Munich from 1955 to 1980 and eventually won five Bundesliga championships and two cups, the European Cup in 1976 and the UEFA Cup in 1972. Müller, who had later taken up coaching and even coached FC Bayern between 1986 and 1992, was among the first few German football players to have managed the national team (1966 and 1968).