Gerd Müller joined FC Bayern in 1964 and was promoted to the Bundesliga a year later with Franz Beckenbauer (75). One became the “bomber of the nation”, the other the “emperor”.
Beckenbauer yesterday to BILD: “Even if one had to fear the news for a long time: It hits me like a shock. He was such a fine guy and much more subtle than many thought. Gerd and I – we were like brothers. “
Both had more in common than just football.
Beckenbauer tells an episode: “At that time we lived only a few kilometers away from each other. He picked me up before games and sometimes had to wait for me. When he once said impatiently: ‘Franz, we’re too late for the team departure.’ Then I laughed: ‘Dicker’ – that’s what I called him – remember one thing. Without us, nobody leaves at Bayern … ‘And without his goals, FC Bayern would never be what it is today. “
Günter Netzer (76), world and European champion with Müller: “Franz Beckenbauer was the best German footballer of all time, Gerd Müller the greatest phenomenon. He wasn’t the very best player, but he did things that I think sometimes he didn’t understand himself. Instinct! That explains the phenomenon of a real center forward. So he became the best and most unpredictable German goalscorer of all time! “
HSV goal scorer Uwe Seeler (84), who played with Gerd Müller at the World Cup in Mexico as a double top: “Maybe it’s a release for him. In Mexico we shared a room, so we got to know each other well and a good friendship developed. It sparked right away on the pitch. The fact that we did not become world champions in 1970 was not due to both of us, but to the referees who gave us the whistle at the time. “
Foto: picture-alliance / dpa
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/das-deutsche-weltmeister-team-von-1974-mit-dabei-gerd-mueller-hinten-fuenfter-vl–d07b8f47f5e6495d8a6460b123d78bdc-77394342 /Bild/4.bild.jpg “/> The German world championship team from 1974, including Gerd Müller (fifth behind from left)Foto: picture-alliance / dpa
Rainer Bonhof (69), World Champion 1974: “The importance of Gerd is gigantic. He made Germany a football power. In the World Cup final I gave him the winning goal and later jokingly told him: ‘You were the only one who could use my ball.’ A typical Müller gate out of nowhere. ”
Wolfgang Overath (77): “The news hurts me very much. Gerd was an incredibly fine guy – a super boy and in his way the greatest thing there was. He and Uwe Seeler were two center strikers of such caliber, so we’ll have to wait a long, long time to see if there will ever be another one. “
Franz “Bulle” Roth (75): “Sad news, but now it was a relief for Gerd. Uschi would like a funeral in a very small group. But I hope that we can all go to the funeral. “
Lothar Matthäus (60): “Although it has been emerging for a long time, the news of Gerd’s death affects me very much. It was an honor for me to get to know him later at FC Bayern. Anyone who knew Gerd knows: he was a great person with a good heart. He made time for everyone, whether professional, amateur, youth player or fan. Gerd actually always wanted to talk about football, but he never talked about himself. I like to think back to how we used to meet for coffee and chat for ten minutes, fifteen minutes. Gerd always had an open ear. “
Ex-national goalkeeper Wolfgang Kleff (74): “You never say anything bad about the dead. In this case, however, it is true: He was a good-natured, short, knobby footballer and person. Gerd was a fine man. “
Frankfurt World and European Champion Jürgen Grabowski (77): “Despite his extraordinary success, Gerd has always remained a down-to-earth, nice person who talked to everyone. A great guy! It is sad that he did not have a good time in old age. The disease just came too early. “
<img class="photo ondemand zoomable" src="https://bilder.bild.de/fotos-skaliert/gerd-mueller-erhielt-in-seiner-karriere-zahlreiche-auszeichnungen-mit-365-bundesliga-toren-stellte-er-f7af9c46ccf44a9f890ff2099bc7ca8b-77394404/4,w=1280,c=0.bild.jpg" width="1280" alt="Gerd Müller erhielt in seiner Karriere zahlreiche Auszeichnungen, mit 365 Bundesliga-Toren stellte er zudem eine bis heute unerreichte Rekordmarke auf" data-zoom-title="Gerd Müller erhielt in seiner Karriere zahlreiche Auszeichnungen, mit 365 Bundesliga-Toren stellte er zudem eine bis heute unerreichte Rekordmarke auf
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/gerd-mueller-erhielt-in-seiner-karriere-zahlreichen-auslösungen-mit-365-bundesliga-toren-stellte-er-f7af9c46ccf44a9f890ff2099bc7ca8b- 77394404 / Bild / 4.bild.jpg “/>
Gerd Müller has received numerous awards in his career, and with 365 Bundesliga goals, he also set a new recordFoto: picture-alliance/ dpa
Bavaria President Herbert Hainer (67): “Without Gerd Müller, FC Bayern would not be the club we all love today.”
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn (52): “Gerd will be in our hearts forever.”
National coach Hansi Flick (56): “Gerd Müller remains a role model for humility and down-to-earth attitude. He remains unmatched. “
Thomas Müller (31 / Bavaria) via Instagram: “Thank you for everything and finally the most important message: You were a sensationally good person!”
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