Nördlingen (dpa / lby) - Gerd Müller can be seen with his World Cup winning goal from 1974 on a bronze monument in the hometown of the goalscorer. A sculpture was unveiled in Swabian Nördlingen on Thursday evening that shows the world champion, who died last summer, scoring the 2-1 goal against the Netherlands in the final in Munich's Olympic Stadium.
The reason for the unveiling was the birthday of the world-class goalscorer. The future FC Bayern star was born on November 3, 1945 in Nördlingen. Former companions such as Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeneß and goalkeeper legend Sepp Maier also attended the unveiling, which was accompanied by great interest.
In the future, the bronze sculpture will stand in its former quarter in the old town, the administration reported. Müller describes the city of around 22,000 citizens as her "most famous son". He died in August 2021 at the age of 75. The striker is also known as the "bomber of the nation" because of his numerous goals.
"It's a day that should express what Gerd Müller has achieved in his much too short life, how he inspired entire generations and how he moved a nation, captivated them - even well after his death," he said President of the Bavarian Football Association, Christoph Kern, in the presence of Müller's widow Uschi.
The statue was designed by the Aschaffenburg sculptor Herbert Deiss and manufactured by the bell and art foundry Rincker in the Central Hessian sense.
Initially, the municipality wanted to erect the monument outside the city wall. On the other hand, there were protests because residents demanded a more central location. After collecting signatures, the city council then determined a new location for the footballer memorial in the city center. The German Football Association (DFB) and FC Bayern Munich also contributed to the financing.
