Only a day before his 75 birthday, one of the most prominent German football legends is living his final days with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is hitting one of the most important German football legends during his final years on this earth. We are sadly talking about striker Gerd Muller, who is arguably one of the most prolific goal-scorers who ever lived. Before Messi completed that insane 2012 year with 91 scored goals in 12 months, Muller had a record 85 goals throughout 1972.
Amongst his greatest achievements, the German ‘Torpedo’ won the 1974 World Cup with his country alongside Franz Beckenbauer. He remained as the tournament’s all-time top scorer until Brazilian Ronaldo surpassed him during the 2006 edition. As one of Bayern Munich’s greatest players in history, the club was the one who announced he was battling Alzheimer’s disease during his 70th birthday. After five years, his wife is the one who gave the world an update on his current state.
Talking to Bild, Uschi Muller said: “He was always a fighter, he was brave throughout his entire life. I believe he is still brave to this day. Gerd is currently sleeping all the way to his end. Everything is quiet and peaceful. I don’t think there is a need for him to suffer. We all hope he can’t think about his final destination, this is a disease that prevents anybody from having their final dignity. I visit him everyday and speak to him with clear and slow words.”
Gerd Muller’s legacy in world football.
Before Gerd Muller came along, there were very few footballers with the impact he had on the world of football. Pele, Di Stefano, and Eusebio were about the only goal-scorers who could be mentioned in an elite group. But when Muller appeared, he was the undisputed striker with a natural ease to score hundreds of goals. His level of ability was so impressive, that we had to wait until Messi and Ronaldo to experience something similar.
For Bayern, Gerd won three consecutive European Cups and four goal-scoring titles. Muller was also the top scorer at the 1970 World Cup and the 1972 European Championship. He remained as the Bundesliga’s all-time top scorer until Robert Lewandowski stripped him of his title. However, his 40 goals in a single season remain at the top of the list to this day. From the Ace Football crew, we all wish the best to Gerd Muller on his 75th Birthday.
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