Gerd Müller

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Nicknamed 'Bomber der Nation' or simply 'Der Bomber', Müller was named European Footballer of the Year in 1970. He scored ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup for West Germany where he received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, before winning the 1970 Ballon d'Or. In 1972, he won the UEFA European Championship and was the top goalscorer, scoring two goals in the final. Two years later, he scored 4 goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, including the winning goal in the final. Müller held the all-time goal-scoring record in the World Cup with 14 goals for 32 years.

In Their Own Story

In the 1974 FIFA World Cup final, Müller scored the winning goal for the 2–1 victory over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands. He also had a goal wrongfully disallowed for offside. His four goals in that tournament and his ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup combined made him the all-time highest FIFA World Cup goalscorer at the time with 14 goals. Müller quit playing for West Germany after the 1974 FIFA World Cup triumph. While there was an argument with the German Football Association (DFB) at the post-tournament celebration, when officials' wives were allowed to attend but players' wives were not, Müller said that he had made the decision already before the end of the tournament.

Reader's Guide

Müller scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany. He was Germany's all-time leading scorer for almost 40 years until surpassed by Miroslav Klose in 2014, though Klose required over double the number of caps to do so, scoring his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance. At club level, in 15 years with Bayern Munich, he scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches, becoming and still holding the record for that league. In 74 European club games he scored 65 goals. He also had the highest ratio of 0.97 goals per game in the European Cup, scoring 34 goals in 35 matches.

Did You Know?

• Müller scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final for a 2–1 victory over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands.
• He is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
• Müller scored ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer.
• He scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany.
• He was Germany's all-time leading scorer for almost 40 years until surpassed by Miroslav Klose in 2014.