With Kane it looks like routine, normality. So it’s completely normal that he trumps Mueller.
I think you can’t really compare Kane and Müller. Müller played in the 70s and Kane is playing this year. I also think that the Bundesliga was more balanced in Müller’s time than it is now. A Gerd Müller would also score several goals against Bochum or Darmstadt (nothing against Bochum or Darmstadt).
Because of this, one cannot say that it is “normal” for Kane to be better than Müller. You can compare him much more easily with a Lewandowski, as they play/have played in the Bundesliga over a similar period of time.
Both Kane and Müller are and were outstanding strikers of their time.
But was the Bundesliga actually more balanced? Sure, there were significantly more weak phases from the so-called “bigger” clubs and also significantly more surprise teams, with Leverkusen, for example, stumbling massively last season before Alonso took over and Union surprisingly ending up in 4th place. So even today there are still these kinds of surprises.
Of course the gaps in the table were smaller. However, this is primarily due to the two-point rule at the time, as clubs, even with a few wins, were able to fight to stay in the league until the end or to establish themselves at the top.
Even back then there were clubs that were significantly inferior in quality to the top teams.
If you look at the Bundesliga tables of the respective seasons in which Gerd Müller was active, the following stands out:
All results achieved have now been subsequently converted to the 3-point rule (of course this distorts the statistics, but is only intended to serve as an approximate comparison value):
In the 67/68 season, Borussia Neunkirchen conceded 93 goals.
Karlsruhe only collected 23 points in the same season.
In the 69/70 season, Alemannia Aachen only managed 22 points (5 wins, 7 draws) with 83 goals conceded. And this as the reigning runner-up at the time…
In the 74/75 season, TeBe Berlin scored the equivalent of 21 points (with 89 goals conceded) and came second from last. Wuppertaler SV came last with just 14 points (2 wins, 8 draws) and 86 goals conceded.
In 1976/1977, Rot Weiss Essen conceded 103 goals (!) even though they didn’t leave the field as losers 15 times (7 wins, 8 draws) and were able to score the equivalent of 29 points.
In 1978/1979, for example, all three promoted teams went straight back down (Bielefeld, Nuremberg and Darmstadt).
In recent years, however, things have looked like this:
Hertha finished bottom of the table last year with 29 points and 69 goals conceded (Schalke even had 71).
In 2021/2022, Fürth was completely behind with 18 points and 82 goals conceded.
In 2020/2021, Schalke had one of the worst seasons of all previous Bundesliga clubs with only 16 points scored (and 86 goals conceded).
In 2019/2020, Paderborn only got 20 points (with 74 goals conceded).
In 2018/2019, Nuremberg only got 19 points (with 68 goals conceded).
So, at least in the lower regions of the table, I don’t see any major differences between today’s “underdogs” à la Bochum, Darmstadt, Heidenheim and this year also Cologne and the promoted and relegated candidates at the time. Both in terms of points scored and the number of goals conceded, which is why, at least statistically speaking, Müller had similar conditions to Lewandowski or Kane.
I have to agree with you about the lower regions of the table, but the top wasn’t a “one-club show”. Since I was born after 2000, I can’t tell from memories or anything like that, but of course I’ve also heard some stories from family members.
Based on what I know, I would say that in the 70s at least Bayern and my Borussia(Mönchengladbach) were on equal terms. There were also teams like 1860 (champion in 1966), Eintracht Braunschweig (champion in 1967), Nuremberg (champion in 1968), Cologne (champion in 1978) and HSV (champion in 1979). Teams like Bremen, Braunschweig, Schalke, HSV and Hertha BSC regularly played at the top.
Today it is clear: Bayern>>>>>>Leverkusen/Leipzig>BVB>Frankfurt/Wolfsburg/Freiburg/Hoffenheim/Gladbach.
There are galaxies between Bayern and the rest of the league, at least in theory, Leverkusen shows that this is not the case this year, but Bayern is still significantly stronger than the rest of the league.
Before anyone misunderstands: That’s my impression, as I said, I was born after 2000 and didn’t actively see Gerd Müller, so I can’t compare him with Kane, thank you.