5 of the Best Moments of Gerd Muller's Career

Gerd Muller is number 12 in 90min's Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time Series.

One of the most prolific goalscorers in football history, a Ballon d'Or and World Cup-winning superstar, and one of the trailblazers of Bayern Munich's revolutionary dominance in Germany, Gerd Muller was one fine footballer.

Breaking record after record, and winning trophy after trophy, Muller established himself as one of the greatest forwards the world has ever seen, enjoying an illustrious 18-year career in which he wrote himself in to the fabric of German football.

Conquering the Bundesliga with Die Roten, and international football with West Germany, Muller produced some iconic moments throughout the 1960's and, chiefly, 1970's. Without further ado, here is some of the greatest moments of 'Der Bomber's' career.

Winning the Ballon d'Or

The early 1970's more or less belonged to Muller, with the prolific forward occasionally lending it to some of his German teammates.

Happy 74th birthday, Gerd Muller! 🎉

One of the best strikers of all-time ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/aynPrqwGVy
— GOAL (@goal) November 3, 2019

After another sensational season at Bayern - in which he scored 81 goals over the '69/70 & '70/71 season - as well as his impressive ten-goal World Cup campaign in Mexico, Muller was finally recognised as the world's most talented player, winning the Ballon d'Or in 1970.

Der Bomber edged out competition from West Ham and England's Bobby Moore, as well as Italy's Luigi Riva, on his way to the award, and picked up the greatest personal accolade of his career.

Muller was the first German to have ever won the Ballon d'Or and was nominated again in 1972, but finished runner-up behind teammate Franz Beckenbauer.

Setting a Bundesliga Record

In 1971/72, Muller obliterated all he faced with Bayern Munich in Germany, and powered Die Roten to the Bundesliga title. Of the 101 goals his side scored, Der Bomber bagged 40 of them, setting a new record for the most goals scored by an individual player in a single Bundesliga season.

The record still stands to this very day, with even the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jupp Heynckes and Dieter Muller falling short of the mark. Considering the Bundesliga has just 18 teams (meaning Muller only made 34 appearances over the course of the league season), the German's achievement is even more remarkable.

Brace in the Euro '72 Final

1972 @UEFAcom Euro Championship Final: Soviet Union 0-3 West Germany #OTD Two goals from Gerd Muller & one for Herbert Wimmer secures a victory in the Heysel Stadium in #Brussels #GER pic.twitter.com/sAltGswx1M
— #OnThisDay (@Iain_McDougall) June 18, 2018

Having already bagged a brace for West Germany in the nation's semi-final with hosts Belgium four days earlier, all eyes were glued on Muller ahead of the 1972 European Championship final against the Soviet Union in Brussels.

Der Bomber's two goals showcased exactly what made Muller one of the most dangerous strikers in world football, twice converting inside the box from a combined distance of about 15 yards.

Muller's goals helped West Germany to a first major tournament victory since 1954, and set them on their way to becoming an unstoppable powerhouse on the international football scene.

A Calendar Year to Remember

85 DAYS TO GO: We look back to the year when #WorldCup legend Gerd Muller scored 85 goals - http://t.co/XPRpwGxmsQ pic.twitter.com/oVPbBDB4od
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) March 19, 2014

We have already firmly established that Muller was pretty good at scoring goals, but the German set a record in 1972 that would take 40 years to surpass, and was only broken by the third greatest player the world has ever seen (that's Lionel Messi, by the way).

'72 was another unrivalled year of goalscoring for Muller, with Der Bomber netting 85 goals in the calendar year, and leaving football fans across the globe with their jaws firmly rooted to the floor.

Until Messi's 91-goal year in 2012, Muller's achievement had gone unmatched by any, and may go unmatched by all apart from the little Argentinian for another four decades.

World Cup Glory

Having already won the Bundesliga and European Cup just weeks before the 1974 World Cup came around, it's fair to say that expectations were sky high for Muller and West Germany heading into football's elite competition.

The West Germans would play host to the event - as well as looking to build on their Euro '72 win just two years earlier - but didn't get off to the best of starts when they finished second to local rivals East Germany in the first round group stages, while also losing 1-0 when the two sides met in the group's final game.

However, West Germany's form soon picked up, finishing the second round group stages atop the table, and advancing to an eagerly-anticipated final with the Netherlands in Munich.

Despite falling behind to a second-minute penalty, Die Mannschaft fielded a remarkable first-half comeback, with Muller striking just before half-time to put West Germany in front. With Oranje unable to find a leveller, Muller's goal proved the winner, and saw his nation win the World Cup for just the second time in their esteemed history.

90min's 'Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time' can be found here.

Number 50: Luka Modric

Number 49: John Charles

Number 48: Hugo Sanchez

Number 47: Jairzinho

Number 46: Omar Sivori

Number 45: Paolo Rossi

Number 44: Paul Breitner

Number 43: George Weah

Number 42: Kaka

Number 41: Lev Yashin

Number 40: Gunnar Nordahl