Müller, Gerd (1945-2021), was a German professional soccer player. Müller is considered one of the greatest players in soccer history. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, he starred for FC Bayern Munich , a leading German soccer club. FC stands for football club. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Müller, known sometimes by the nickname “Der Bomber” (the Bomber), also starred for the West German national team from 1966 through 1974. He was a striker. A striker is a forward who is principally responsible for scoring, and Müller was one of the most prolific goal scorers in soccer history. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) .
Gerhard Müller was born on Nov. 3, 1945, in Nördlingen, Bavaria . He began playing soccer as a youth for his hometown club, TSV 1861 Nördlingen. TSV stands for Turn- und Sportverein (Gymnastics and Sports Club). Müller joined Bayern Munich in 1964. With Müller and his talented teammates Franz Beckenbauer and Sepp Maier, Bayern won the championship of the Bundesliga, Germany’s top soccer league, in 1969 and from 1972 to 1974. Müller, Beckenbauer, and Maier led the West German national team to a European Championship in 1972 and a 1974 FIFA World Cup final victory over the Netherlands . FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. See Germany (West Germany.)
Müller scored 68 goals in just 62 international matches for West Germany. Müller holds the Bundesliga record for most career goals (365). Müller was named 1970 European Footballer of the Year and was the leading scorer in that year’s World Cup. Müller left Bayern in 1979 to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League in the United States . He retired from professional soccer in 1981. Müller died on Aug. 15, 2021.
