Footballer Gerd Müller: biography, family, sports achievements

Gerd Müller is the real legend of German football. Born striker in the distant 1945, in the city of Nördlingen, on November 3. Now the former football player is 69 years old. He went through a long and thorny path to glory, but he never gave up and did not give in to difficulties. This quality, as well as many others, helped him to become Germany's most famous and honorable striker. Gerd Müller is a footballer who deserves special attention, so it's worth talking about him.

About club career

In football Gerd Muller came in 1960. Then he began to play for the youth club "TVS 1861". He stayed in the team until 1963, after which he began to speak for a professional team, that is, for the main line-up. In "TVS 1861" he played a year, and during this time he went on the field 31 times. For such a number of matches, he scored 51 goals! Fantastic statistics, and this is a young man who was not even twenty years old.

Then he moved to the Munich "Bavaria", in which he stayed from 1964 to 1979. For this club Gerd Müller played 453 matches and for all this time has issued 398 goals to the opponents' goal. It is not surprising that the striker became a favorite of the fans, a loyal friend and assistant teammates - not without his help, the Munichers broke through into the finals and won trophies.

In 1979, Mueller moved to the "Fort Luderdale Strykers", where he played until 1981. For the American team, Gerd scored 40 goals in 80 games.

For all his playing career in clubs, which were only three, the striker scored 489 goals for 564 matches played. This is an incredible number, and this record has so far failed to beat any of the German players.

National team of Germany

For his national team, Gerd Müller performed from 1966 to 1974. Prior to that, he, however, for some time (about a year) was a player of the Federal Republic of Germany to 23 years. There he played one match, in which, by the way, scored a goal.

But then he became a player of the adult team. For it, he made 62 appearances and scored 68 goals. Gerd Muller's goals were simply fantastic. Not surprisingly, it is appreciated and respected throughout Germany. And how many goals scored Gerd Müller in his entire professional football career? This is an interesting question. For 627 matches (the total number of games for clubs and for the national team), he designed 558 goals! It is not surprising that no one has beaten Gerd Muller's record so far.

Personal Titles

This football player is the owner of a constellation of sports records. So, he is the best scorer of world championships (if taken as of 2004). He designed as many as 14 goals. He was also recognized as the best scorer of the team of the Federal Republic of Germany (and it's understandable why: not everyone could score 68 goals in 62 games). He scored 70 goals in the games that took place within the framework of the European Cups. This is also considered a record achievement. And of course, it is Gerd Müller who holds the honorary title of the most productive football player in the history of the German championship. In five games of the Bundesliga he managed to draw up five goals.

What is interesting to know

As can be judged from all of the above, Gerd is really a scorer from God. However, not everyone knows that when the young Müller, who was barely 19 years old, appeared in the "Bavaria", he was thrown into questionable views. Most of Gerda's future partners are very skeptical of the new player, showing his uncertainty that this guy, who was apparently so clumsy, is able to perfectly own the ball. For example, Sepp Mayer, the goalkeeper of the club, said that their team, seeing Gerd for the first time, almost laughed to tears. Chubby, rosy-cheeked, with short hair and seemingly crooked legs and an excessively large torso - that's how he appeared before them. Muller, apparently, did not expect such a reaction, because he introduced himself very uncertainly, saying that he was a striker from Nördlingen. This composition again laughed. It was very comical all was. However, when German football players first saw him in action, that is on the field, their ridicule stopped once and for all.

A family

There is another interesting fact about which not everyone knows. On weekends, Gerd Müller was a Bavarian storm, a scorer from God, and on weekdays ... an ordinary worker at a printing factory. The young man tried to make money on farms as a laborer since childhood. As they say, life forced. Gerd was the sixth child. He was born, by the way, in a poor peasant family and, moreover, at the age of fifteen he lost his father. A tough life began, and because of the fact that he had to work, Müller missed school. It is not known how his life would have formed, if not for the craving for football, which made Gerda the most famous football player in Germany.

Style and technique

Gerd Muller is really the owner of a unique football gift, which is not available to every player. Defenders of the team of opponents was simply impossible to take away from the young man's ball - he managed to break through with him through virtually any obstacles. In addition, Gerd stood perfectly on his feet. It was almost impossible to knock it down. And plus all he had an inexplicable instinct. It was truly supernatural, as Muller managed to turn out, as they say, in the right place and at the right time. That is, where the ball came. He knew how to predict this place, even if there was an unbelievable rebound.

And goals are a completely separate topic! They scored in the most improbable situations. Muller could push the ball thigh into the goal, send him back there, with his knee and even his heel. Sometimes some of the goals seemed even absurd from the side. But it did not bother anyone. Goals brought victory to the team, and this was the most important.

Munich "Bavaria"

This is the greatest German club. In it, and spent much of his career Gerd Müller. It's interesting, but this talented football player did not immediately like the coach, which then was Zlatko Tchaikovsky. He believed that the team should consist of elegant players, not from farmers. But how did it all come about? Gerd continued to bring victories and make fans happy, and Zlatko left the coaching post in 1968.

By the way, the talent and surname of this football player in our time is an occasion for disputes and assumptions. Many people are still puzzling over the eternal question: Gerd Muller and Thomas Muller - are they relatives? In fact, no, and this has been proved more than once. However, both of them are talented and excellent players, besides namesake. Thomas himself was pleased to tell in one of numerous interviews that Gerd for him is a great example for imitation. Müller Jr. (you can call him that), says that he got to know the legend very young, then he still played for amateurs. Gerd from the very beginning began to understand and support him perfectly. He always gave advice to Thomas and helped him develop. After all, from 1992 to 2014 Gerd was the coach of the second "Bayern" - so the athletes and met.

Life after football

The 1974 world champion, the Europe of 1972, the four-time winner of the German championship is only a small part of the achievements of the football player. He won the European Champions Cup three times. More than once he became a record-holder (as mentioned above). And of course, I received the Intercontinental Cup. But in 1981, Gerd completed his career as a player. After that, he was overtaken by a severe depression. Legendary football player became addicted to alcohol and go into drinking bouts. But this by no means left his friends and former partners in the "Bavaria" indifferent. They persuaded the player to undergo rehabilitation and called to train the guys who are in favor of the amateur team of "Bavaria".

Unfortunately, in 2015, in the early autumn, Gerd Muller went to a nursing home where he was treated for Alzheimer's disease. The event greatly saddened all his friends, fans and people who respect Gerd as a football player and as a person. But they are all confident that the legendary athlete will fight this ailment. After all, this is a strong person who loves life and is always in a positive mood.