FC Bayern announced the sad news on Sunday afternoon that Gerd Müller has passed away. Müller, who scored the winning goal in 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands, died at the age of 75. He had been suffering from dementia over the past years. He is survived by his wife Uschi and one daughter.
“The news of Gerd Müller’s death deeply saddens us all,” said Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn. “He’s one of FC Bayern’s biggest legends, and his achievements are unmatched to this day. He will always be a big part of FC Bayern’s club history and German football’s too.”
Record Bundesliga goalscorer
Müller scored an incredible 566 goals in 607 competitive games for FC Bayern. He is the all-time top goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 365 goals, whilst he also won EURO 1972 and the 1974 World Cup with Germany. Overall, he won 62 caps for Germany, netting 68 times.
Müller won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal both on four occasions with Bayern, also lifting the Intercontinental Cup once, the European Cup three times and the European Cup Winners’ Cup once. “As a player and a person, Gerd Müller stands for FC Bayern like almost nobody else. He massively contributed to the club’s development into one of the biggest sides around the world. Gerd will always have a place in our hearts,” added Kahn.
Bayern president, Herbert Hainer, also mourned Müller’s death. “Today is a sad day for FC Bayern and all our fans. Gerd was the best striker there has ever been – and also a great person, plus a character of world football. His name and memories will never be forgotten.”
Bayern’s striker Robert Lewandowski broke Müller’s long-time record Bundesliga campaign last season. The ‘Bomber’ scored 40 times in 1971/72, with Lewandowski managing 41 goals in 2020/21.