Gerd Müller- How great was the former Bayern Munich striker?

“Gerd Müller was the greatest striker there’s ever been,” those were the words of Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer.

There are not too many strikers around that can match the goal scoring prowess of the Legendary Gerd Müller. From his technically to his awareness inside the box, the word “prolific” is indeed what he can only be qualified with.

Who was Gerd Müller?

Gerd Müller was a former Bayern Munich and West Germany striker who was widely known for his superb goal scoring ability during his playing days. Some of his goal scoring records in the German Bundesliga are still unmatched.

He was a man who could be rightly described as the “foundation of greatness” for Bayern Munich football club. Hainer probably had that in mind when he said “FC Bayern wouldn’t be the club we all love today without Gerd Müller.”

Sadly, the “greatest striker” passed away on Sunday, 15th of August 2021 after battling with Alzheimer disease for 6 years. He was 75 years old.

Today, we look as some of his outstanding achievements while he was a professional footballer. What made him great?

Müller began his football career at TSV Nördlingen, his hometown club, where he scores well over a goal a game. He joined Bayern Munich in 1964 when they were in the second tier.

His 33 league goals in his first season as Bayern Munich player helped restore the club to the Bundesliga. That was the beginning of greatness for the German club.

Within five years, Bayern were German champions four times as they were totally unmatched. They were also impressive in European competitions as they won the European Cup three times in a row between 1974-76, with Müller contributing 18 goals including three in the finals.

During his 15 years at Bayern Munich, Müller was Bundesliga’s top scorer seven times, won the German footballer of the year twice and a Ballon d’Or in 1970.

Müller’s record of 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga appearance still stands as the highest number of goals scored by a single player in the Bundesliga. His record of 40 league goals in a single Bundesliga season was only beaten by Robert Lewandowski when he scored 41 goals in the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.

At international level, he was even more prolific. For West Germany, Müller scored 68 goals in 62 appearances and he’s still 21st on the list of all time international goalscorers as at July 2021. That record was only bettered by Miroslav Klose in 2014 with 129 appearances.

Even though he played fewer matches than every other player in the top 48, he has the third-highest goal-to-game ratio.

“De Bomber” as he was widely regarded, scored 10 goals in the the 1970 FIFA World Cup for West Germany where he was awarded the Golden Boot as top scorer.

West Germany would win the UEFA European championships in 1972 though, with Müller as the top scorer scoring two goals in the final.

European success wasn’t enough for Germany as they went on to win the World Cup two years later. Who was at the heart of it? Müller!! He scored four goals including the winning goal in 1974 World Cup final.

“Greatness” is the word to describe a man who held the all-time goal-scoring record in the World Cup with 14 goals for 32 years.

He was indeed a prolific striker and truly, “his name and memory would live on forever.”

Rest on Legend!