GERD MULLER

Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛɐ̯t ˈmʏlɐ]; born 3 November 1945) is a German retired footballer. A prolific striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. Nicknamed "Bomber der Nation" ("the nation's Bomber") or simply "Der Bomber", Müller was named European Footballer of the Year in 1970. Muller possessed lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts. His short legs gave him a strangely low center of gravity, so he could turn quickly and with perfect balance in spaces and at speeds that would cause other players to fall over. He also had a knack of scoring in unlikely situations.

Müller began his football career at his hometown club TSV 1861 Nördlingen. Müller joined Bayern Munich in 1964, where he amassed German Championship four times, the DFB-Pokal four times, the European Champions' Cup three times, the Intercontinental Cup once, and the European Cup Winners' Cup once. He also became German top scorer seven times and European top scorer twice. Müller scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich as well as holding single-season Bundesliga record with 40 goals in season 1971–72, a record that is particularly impressive because unlike other top-flight national leagues, the Bundesliga only has 18 teams and therefore only 34 games per season. After his career in the Bundesliga he went to the United States, where he joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1979.

Müller's international career started in 1966 but it was in the 1970 World Cup when he first rose to prominence on the international stage, scoring ten goals at the 1970 World Cup as Germany reached the semi-finals, narrowly losing to Italy in extra time in what was called 'The Game of the Century'. He was named in the All Star team of the tournament. Müller then participated in the 1972 European Championship, becoming top scorer with four goals (including two in the final) and winning the Championship with the West German team. His international career came to an end at the 1974 World Cup with victory at the 1974 World Cup at his home stadium in Munich. He scored the winning goal for the 2–1 victory over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands in the final, and 4 goals overall in the tournament.