Gerd Müller

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Müller's international career started in 1966 and ended on 7 July 1974 with victory at the 1974 FIFA World Cup at his home stadium in Munich. He scored the winning goal for the 2–1 victory over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands in the final. At the 1970 FIFA World Cup, he scored ten goals for West Germany and received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, before winning the 1970 Ballon d'Or. In 1972, he won the UEFA European Championship and was the top goalscorer, scoring two goals in the final. Müller held the all-time goal-scoring record in the World Cup with 14 goals for 32 years. His record stood until the 2006 tournament when it was broken by Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who also required more matches than Müller to achieve his tally.

In Their Own Story

In the 1974 FIFA World Cup final, Müller scored the winning goal for the 2–1 victory over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands. He also had a goal wrongfully disallowed for offside. His four goals in that tournament and his ten goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup combined made him the all-time highest FIFA World Cup goalscorer at the time with 14 goals. Müller quit playing for West Germany after the 1974 FIFA World Cup triumph. While there was an argument with the German Football Association (DFB) at the post-tournament celebration, when officials' wives were allowed to attend but players' wives were not, Müller said that he had made the decision already before the end of the tournament.

Reader's Guide

Müller scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany. He was Germany's all-time leading scorer for almost 40 years until surpassed by Miroslav Klose in 2014, though Klose required over double the number of caps to do so, scoring his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance. Müller is one of six players to reach 50 international goals in under 50 appearances, doing so in 41 games. His 14 goals in FIFA World Cup tournaments were a record between 1974 and 2006. This score was bettered in 2006 by Brazil's Ronaldo, and eight years later by German Miroslav Klose who achieved a total of 16 World Cup goals. Müller managed to score eight hat-tricks in his international career.

Did You Know?

• Müller scored 68 goals in 62 appearances for West Germany, averaging over a goal per game.
• He is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
• Müller held the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record with 14 goals for 32 years.
• He scored the winning goal in the 1974 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands.
• Müller is one of six players to reach 50 international goals in under 50 appearances, doing so in 41 games.