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major doubts – but if I was ever worried that something might go wrong, Gerd would sweep those thoughts away: ″ What can possibly happen, Franz? We‘ ve got this!“‘ Bulle‘(‚ Bull‘) Roth also affirms that Müller had internalised the‘ Mia san mia’ spirit like perhaps no other of them. On matchday at the team hotel, he and Müller were the early risers; the‘ Bull’ often went for a walk until the others were awake because he couldn‘ t talk to his teammate: ″ He was already in his tunnel: No-one‘ s going to get past us – that was his motto on matchday morning.“ Hasan Salihamidžić grew up in Bosnia, far from Germany and years after Müller ended his career. ″ But I‘ d already heard of him back then,“ he says. The fact that Müller once cost Bayern DM5,000 in transfer fees makes Salihamidžić grin: ″ A striker like that today, who scores 30 or more goals every season, would be priceless.“ Herbert Hainer once sat with a few friends in Munich‘ s Olympic Park after the 1974 World Cup final to raise a glass to the world champions.“ It‘ s hard to put into words what Gerd Müller achieved for German football and FC Bayern,” says the current club president. ″ Gerd Müller was all about football, goals and living modestly – and he inspired an incredible number of people to realise what they can achieve. I think we at FC Bayern must do everything we can to ensure this club remains the FC Bayern that it was in the 70s: an incredibly successful, but also modest, popular and people-orientated club. Gerd Müller epitomised all of that as a player.“ Humanity, togetherness, family feeling – Gerd Müller exemplified these values as a player, and these were the values he also experienced from FC Bayern when he went through some difficult times after ending his career in the USA. Beckenbauer asked Hoeneß to make sure FC Bayern took care of him, ″ and we supported him,“ recalls the former general manager.‘ We helped him to bounce back, and that‘ s worth more to me personally than any title.“ Müller was given a coaching job
7i in the youth setup and Hermann Gerland never left his side,
7w which was important, recalls Maier, who, as goalkeeping
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coach, often popped round for a chat during training breaks. ″
Gerd Müller is certainly also synonymous with FC Bayern‘ s stance when someone from this club is not in a good place,“ says Hoeneß, ″ we all worked together to ensure that Gerd had a good life. We succeeded in doing that.“ The fact that Müller fell seriously ill in the last years of his life saddened the old companions.‘ Bull’ Roth grows quiet when he talks about how he once visited his old partner: He doesn‘ t even know if it’ s appropriate to mention this now, he says, but one time he couldn‘ t get in the car and drive off immediately after a meeting. He first shed a few tears because of the many wonderful memories they shared: ″ We experienced so much together.“ During one of his visits, the‘ Bull’ once voiced something that had been on his mind for a long time: ″ I told Gerd: you will be remembered forever, generations after ours will remember your name and everything you did for FC Bayern.“ Uli Hoeneß‘ eyes also start to moisten at the end of the conversation about his old strike partner, and he needs two attempts to express his final thoughts: ″ Dear Gerd, you were a terrific footballer, but above all a terrific person. I know that many, many people – and without exception all of us at FC Bayern – feel that way with all our hearts. We will be eternally grateful to you.“
BAYERN GAME
A terrific footballer, a terrific person, says Uli Hoeneß: ″ We will be eternally grateful to you.“
FC Bayern Magazine 27