The 'Bomber of the Nation' turns 70
Legendary footballer Gerd Müller turned 70 on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. The "Bomber of the Nation" provided fond memories for Bayern Munich and West Germany fans. Here is a look at some big moments in his great career.
Simply unique
"Gerd Müller was probably the greatest striker that we have ever had in Germany," said Germany coach Joachim Löw on the occasion of the 70th birthday of the legendary footballer. "We will probably never see another striker like him."
'Fat little Müller'
While in his teens, Gerd Müller moved to FC Bayern from his native Nördlingen in Swabia in 1964. At first, Coach Zlatko "Tschik" Čajkovski was not impressed by the diminutive striker. But "little fat Müller," as he was dubbed, soon changed the coach's mind.
The first major title
After winning the German Cup in 1966, Bayern took part in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, which they won in 1967 - thanks to the goals scored by their young striker.
Happily married
Gerd Müller soon had another reason to celebrate. He married his then-girlfriend Uschi Ebenböck in August 1967. The two are still married.
"Unconventional" goal machine
Gerd Müller’s style was often unconventional. Thanks to his short legs and a particularly low center of gravity, he was capable of scoring goals from all kinds of positions: lying down, with his backside, or even while falling over. This is how he managed to score a record 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga appearances.
Indispensable for West Germany
Gerd Müller soon became an indispensable part of the West German national team. His 10 goals in his first World Cup in Mexico in 1970 earned him the tournament's Golden Boot. He also played a crucial role in the spectacular quarterfinal win over England.
World Cup title in 1974
In his own words, the Bomber scored the "most important goal" of his career on 07.07.1974 at Munich's Olympic Stadium. Müller scored the winning goal in West Germany's 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the final.
The Bayern triumvirate
Gerd Müller’s time at Bayern saw the club win a total of four league championships, four German Cups and the European Cup three years running. Together with goalkeeper Sepp Maier and "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer, he formed a trio that was regarded as a guarantee of success.
The lure of the NASL
After having won all those titles with Bayern, Gerd Müller did what a lot of aging stars did at the time, moving to the old NASL for a big pay day. He scored 38 goals in 71 games over three seasons for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
Müller’s steakhouse
The Bomber opened the steakhouse "Gerd Mueller's Ambry" in Fort Lauderdale in 1981. The steakhouse exists even today, bit the name of its former owner has since disappeared. After his retirement from a lesser-known club "Smith Brother's Lounge," Müller returned to Munich.
Munich says "servus"
In 1983 he returned to Munich to play in his testimonial for Bayern. It was around this time that he began to have trouble with alcohol.
New task
His friend and former teammate Uli Hoeness helped him through this difficult time. Hoeness persuaded Müller to seek treatment for alcohol addiction and got him a job at FC Bayern, where he coached the amateurs beginning in 1992.
Müller and Müller
Today another high-scoring Bayern star also goes by the name Müller. Thomas Müller is not only simmilarly successful as his idol Gerd, but also appeared with him in a TV ad for a large German dairy company in 2010.
Alzheimer’s
Last month's news that Gerd Müller is suffering from Alzheimer's disease came as a shock to the general public. Just a few years ago he was still physically active, but now he lives in a nursing home.