As of: 07/21/2022 5:52 p.m
He was one of the greatest football idols in Germany – and the long-standing HSV centre-forward always remained loyal to his club. Now Uwe Seeler is behind NDR-Information died at the age of 85.
The former German national football player Uwe Seeler is dead. According to information from NDR he died at the age of 85 surrounded by his family at home in Norderstedt. He had been struggling with health problems for a long time. Most recently, he fell in his house in the spring and had to be treated in the hospital.
Seeler, who was born in Hamburg on November 5, 1936, was a long-time centre-forward at Hamburger SV. He was seen as the embodiment of the down-to-earth, down-to-earth footballer. Although he was considered one of the greatest players of his time, he turned down offers from other clubs and stayed at HSV. He was on the pitch from 1946 to 1972 for the club, which is now playing in the second Bundesliga.
Seeler was German champion with HSV and also won the DFB Cup, he was repeatedly voted footballer of the year. In the first season of the newly founded Bundesliga in 1963/64 he was the first top scorer. From October 1995 to June 1998 he also acted as President of HSV.
Captain of the national team
For the German national soccer team, Seeler played 72 times and scored 43 goals. He was at four World Cups. In 1966 he captained the German team to the World Cup final at London’s Wembley Stadium against England, which Germany lost in extra time and also because of the infamous Wembley goal.
His last tournament was the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where he finished third with the team. After his career, Seeler was appointed honorary captain.
Even if it was never enough for a really big international title, Seeler was one of the best-known and most popular German footballers. The “kicker” once described him as a “soccer idol without an expiry date”. Throughout his life he remained loyal to his club and his city of Hamburg, of which he was the first athlete to become an honorary citizen in 2003.