FC Bayern legends Lothar Matthäus, Philipp Lahm and Claudio Pizarro commemorated the late Gerd Müller at the German Football Museum in Dortmund on Tuesday. In a conversation with museum director Manuel Neukirchner, the former Bayern stars remembered der Bomber’s memorable matches and honoured Müller as one of the greatest players of all time and an exceptional person.
Lothar Matthäus: “To judge Gerd Müller by just his goals would be a disservice to him. He was a down-to-earth person and never someone who hogged the limelight. I got to have some great chats with him – the FC Bayern training ground on Säbener Straße was his second home. Along with his many brilliant successes, he was characterised by humanity. His death is a big loss to German football.”
Philipp Lahm: “Gerd Müller was the greatest centre-forward in our country, if not the world, and on top of that a modest, loving person with a great passion for football. I experienced that as a young player when he was assistant coach of the Bayern reserves. When der Bomber explained anything to you in front of the goal, then you listened attentively. Although that wasn’t much use to me, he was a true role model in many respects.”
To mark the death of Gerd Müller, the German Football Museum is briefly displaying the original boots with which he scored two goals in West Germany’s 3-0 win over the Soviet Union in the final of the 1972 European Championship. Together with his World Cup jersey from 1974, the exhibits from his greatest successes with the national team can be seen together for the first time by the public. Various media installations – including one in the HALL OF FAME of German football, of which Gerd Müller is a founding member – also remember der Bomber.
Photo: Stephan Schütze.
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