Written By : Andrew Samuel
Bayern Munich and Germany great Gerd Muller has died at the age of 75, the Bundesliga champions have confirmed.
Muller spent 15 years of an illustrious playing career with Bayern, marking himself as one of the finest goalscorers in the history of the sport.
He remains Bayern’s all-time leading goalscorer with 566 in 607 matches and has also netted more times in the Bundesliga (365) than any other player.
Across his time in the German top-flight, Muller won the top-scorer award on seven occasions and five of those were with hauls of at least 30.
His remarkable abilities in front of goal were not just limited to Bayern, however, as he was also Germany’s record scorer until 2014 when Miroslav Klose surpassed his haul of 68.
It was as recently as May when Robert Lewandowski broke Muller’s record for the most Bundesliga goals scored in a single season, with the man nicknamed ‘Der Bomber’ amassing 40 in 34 matches as Bayern won the 1971-72 title.
At the end of that season Muller helped West Germany to European Championship success and two years later scored the winning goal to beat the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final.
Following his passing, Bayern officials paid tribute to Muller, with the former striker’s legacy at the club almost unrivalled by any other individual.
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn said: “The news of Gerd Muller’s death affects us all deeply. He is one of the greatest legends in the history of FC Bayern, his achievements are unmatched to this day and will forever be part of the great history of FC Bayern and all of German football.
“As a player and as a person, Gerd Muller stands like no other for FC Bayern and its development into one of the largest clubs in the world. Gerd will be in our hearts forever.”
President Herbert Hainer added: “Today is a sad, black day for FC Bayern and all of its fans. Gerd Muller was the greatest striker there has ever been – and a fine person, a personality in world football.
“We are united in deep sorrow with his wife Uschi and his family. Without Gerd Muller, FC Bayern would not be the club we all love today. His name and the memory of him will live on forever.”
