Bayern Munich, former West Germany soccer great Gerd Muller dies at 75 | CBC Sports

Muller scored 566 goals for Bayern between 1964 and 1979, helping the side to four German titles, four German Cup wins and three European Cup victories in that time. He still holds the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga with 365, scored in 427 league games.

“Gerd Muller was the greatest striker there’s ever been, and a fine person and character of world football,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said in a statement posted on the cub’s website. “We’re all united in deep mourning with his wife Uschi as well as his family.”

Bayern announced in October 2015 that Muller has had Alzheimer’s disease for “a long time” and that he had been cared for professionally with the support of his family since the beginning of February that year.

Muller made 607 competitive appearances for Bayern. He was the league’s top-scorer on seven occasions. He was as important to Bayern’s ascent to becoming Germany’s powerhouse as former teammates Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeneß.

Muller’s record of 40 goals scored in the 1971-72 Bundesliga season was only beaten last season, when current Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski scored his 41st in the last minute of the last game.

Altogether he scored 68 goals in 62 appearances for West Germany. It was a national record only surpassed in 2014 by Miroslav Klose, who needed 129 appearances to match him.

Muller became a youth coach at Bayern after his playing days, working with players such as Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller.

“His achievements are unrivaled to this day and will forever be a part of the great history of FC Bayern and all of German football,” Bayern chairman Oliver Kahn added in the club statement. “As a player and a person, Gerd Muller stands for FC Bayern and its development into one of the biggest clubs in the world like no other. Gerd will forever be in our hearts.”