Hans Peter "Hansi" Müller (born 27 July 1957) is a German former footballer who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. Both his parents were of Danube Swabian descent ( German: ''Donauschwaben)'' that were displaced from

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His father was born in Bačka Palanka and his mother in Inđija, both towns part of the province

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Club career

Müller began his career playing for his hometown side

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. (), commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German professional sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's Association football, football team is currently part of Germany's f ...

. After the 1982 FIFA World Cup, he moved to Italy to play for

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

for two seasons, and subsequently also spent a season with Como. In 1985, he moved to Austria to play with FC Swarovski Tirol, where he ended his playing career in 1990.

International career

Müller made his international debut in 1978. While at Stuttgart, Müller took part in

UEFA Euro 1980 The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship finals tournament was held in Italy. This was the sixth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first European Championship to feature eight teams ...

with

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, aged 22, after a brief taste of action at the

1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It wa ...

, where he started all four games. The tournament would prove to be Müller's international peak as they emerged victorious. He had a disappointing 1982 World Cup, and despite playing in the Italian league, he made his 42nd and last appearance for West Germany the following year. In total he scored five international goals.

After retirement

Müller was an official ambassador for the city of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

and

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

Style of play

Müller was an elegant midfield playmaker, who usually played in the middle of the pitch. He was known for his clever passing and excellent left foot, as well as his charismatic presence and leadership on the field.

Honours

Swarovski Tirol *

Austrian Football Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

: 1988–89, 1989–90 * Austrian Cup: 1987–88 West Germany *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

runner-up: 1982 Individual * '' kicker''

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

Team of the Season: 1979–80, 1980–81 * UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1980 * Bravo Award: 1980 * Onze Mondial: 1981

References

External links

* * * 1957 births Living people Footballers from Stuttgart West German expatriate men's footballers German men's footballers Germany men's international footballers Germany men's B international footballers 1978 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1980 players 1982 FIFA World Cup players UEFA European Championship–winning players VfB Stuttgart players Inter Milan players Como 1907 players FC Swarovski Tirol players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Expatriate men's footballers in Italy West German expatriate sportspeople in Italy Serie A players Men's association football midfielders Austrian Football Bundesliga players Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg West German expatriate sportspeople in Austria West German men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Austria {{germany-footy-midfielder-1950s-stub