This Day in History: 2023-01-30

Nr. 393

MULLER’S SIGNING LIFTS BAYERN MUNICH (1964)

When Gerd Muller joined Bayern Munich from TSV 1861 Nördlingen in 1964, the Bavarians’ coach Zlatko Cajkovski was not terribly impressed. Pointing at Muller’s stocky build, he asked, «What am I supposed to do with a weightlifter?» But Muller scored twice on his Bayern debut and would prove to be one of football’s greatest ever strikers. Muller was incredibly prolific, scoring 401 goals in 459 appearances for Bayern, which helped them to four Bundesliga titles, four German Cups and three European Cups. As Franz Beckenbauer said, «Everything that Bayern has become is due to Gerd Muller.»

After Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern’s acquisition of Gerd Muller was hugely significant as the club began to assert itself as a European force.