Christiano Ronaldo already has one. The Portuguese likes to score just as much and scores as many goals as Gerd Müller once did, which is why they built a statue for him in his native Madeira while he was still alive. Larger than life, legs apart, sharply contoured, he stands there, just before the free kick. The statue is popular with tourists, who usually have to queue for a photo. And most of the time they don’t just take him by the hands, it’s supposed to bring good luck. The crotch of the footballer statue is somehow worn – and now shines golden in the sun.
Hopefully that won’t happen to Gerd Müller. Will it be there soon, the planned statue in his home town of Nördlingen, maybe the football-sized thighs will eventually shine because everyone touches them or bets on who will be able to put their arms around. At the moment, however, the question is whether the statue will be there soon, or whether they will be even faster at the Arena in Munich, where Gerd Müller will also be immortalized.
Because in Nördlingen there is trouble about the location of the statue, which may even lead to a citizens’ initiative. The city council actually voted that the artist should set up his work this summer at the so-called Berger Tor – one of the five city gates of the still completely preserved Nördlinger city wall. He is said to have often played there as a child. Now, however, some people from Nördlingen have doubts as to whether Gerd Müller, who died in August last year, is in good hands so far on the outskirts. Or whether it doesn’t belong in the box, as the footballers say – right in the middle, right in the old town.
They now have the necessary signatures for a citizens’ petition together in Nördlingen, local media report. However, the mayor refuses to market Gerd Müller at a central location as a tourist attraction. That’s why I prefer the location on the city wall, with reference to Müller’s life. However, the critics argue, there is a parking lot there, cars thunder by, it’s all somehow ugly. So why not in front of the former elementary school in the old town?
Gerd Müller would certainly have been too much of a fuss about his person. He never liked being the center of attention. In general, he loved standing in front of the gate – even if it’s the Berger Tor.