In '78 if I recall correctly at about 32, Gerd came to play in the US for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in the old NASL. As a FTL resident, I got to see him play every home game for several years. At that age he was still an amazing goal scorer. One of the most incredible goals I ever saw was when he went down on all 4s to head a ball into the back of the net from a corner kick. I had season tickets in the west end zone because I always felt that was the best vantage point to watch a soccer game. Muller was no more than 25-30 feet fom me when he scored that goal.Bundesliga legend and all scoring leader died at 75 years of age. Striker for Bayern Munich for years during 60s and 70s. RIP
I watched him play in person several times, and on German television. Lived in Germany 70 to 74. A great player, also a contemporary of Franz Beckenbauer.I watched that great world cup final in 1974 on TV in Europe with friends. I thought that the Dutch were going to win it. But Mueller scored the winning goal just before halftime.
RIP Gerd Mueller. You were great.
Franz Beckenbauer and Muller were teammates on Bayern Munich in the glory years, and he has stated that when he guarded Muller going for a goal in practice, that he usually (Beckenbauer) had no chance. This comes from one the greatest all around players to ever play the game. It’s quite a compliment to Muller.Gerd Muller was the reason I attended my first Cosmos game. Film clips of him driving like a locomotive towards the goal and then scoring with his quick short stroke filled some of our training session meetings years before when I was in college. Not Pele, but he was the definition of power on the field.