Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Federal President): “With Uwe Seeler we are losing a legend of German football and a unique personality without great airs and graces, at the same time the honest worker on the field and the brilliant goalscorer. We all mourn the honorary captain of the German national soccer team. I am grateful to Uwe Seeler some I have met times and I have fond memories of the encounters and the pleasant conversations — conversations beyond football and HSV.”
Olaf Scholz (Federal Chancellor) on Twitter: “Germany mourns the loss of ‘Us Uwe’. He was a role model for many, a football legend and of course an honorary citizen of Hamburg. On his 80th birthday I was allowed to give the after-dinner speech: ‘We all really want to be like #UnsUwe: self-confident and modest.’ He will be missed.”
Hanseatic City of Hamburg: “With Uwe Seeler, honorary citizen since 2003, the Hanseatic City of Hamburg has lost an exceptional footballer and special person. Bye, Uwe!”
Bernd Neuendorf (DFB President): “In Uwe Seeler we are losing one of the best footballers Germany has ever had. After Fritz Walter, he was the second honorary captain of the DFB, an idol for generations, a real role model. Many of his goals are unforgettable, such as his legendary goal with the back of his head in the Quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup against England. But Uwe Seeler had an impact far beyond the football field. His down-to-earthness, his modesty and his connection to his hometown of Hamburg distinguished him throughout his life. (…) His death makes us unspeakably sad. Uwe Seeler The DFB and German football as a whole will be missed very much. We will miss ‘Us Uwe’ very much.”
Hansi Flick (national coach): “Uwe Seeler was a role model for generations of national players. With his down-to-earth, modest and reserved manner, he also inspired people off the pitch and won them over. His name is a symbol of loyalty to the club. He was on the pitch himself at four World Cups Rasen, later he accompanied our national team to tournaments as honorary captain and part of the DFB delegation, for example to South Africa in 2010. We always enjoyed having him around. Uwe Seeler inspired us. All of us in the national team and at the DFB will miss him very much.”
Jonas Boldt (Sports Director Hamburger SV): “Uwe Seeler stands for everything that characterizes a good person: down-to-earth, loyalty, joie de vivre, and he was always approachable. He is the epitome of HSV. I personally have a special memory of our get-together on his last birthday. He talked shop, after asked his HSV, gave me tips and a few jokes. We will never forget him and will always cherish him.”
Felix Magath (ex-HSV player): “It’s a sad day for all of German football, for HSV and above all for me. One of the greatest football idols, who was always a role model both personally and athletically, left us and left a big gap.”
Rudi Völler (ex-national striker): “I’m shocked. My thoughts are with his family, to whom I express my deepest condolences. Uwe was a wonderful person, one of the greatest German sporting idols has left us.”
Oke Göttlich (President of FC St. Pauli): “Uwe was always a very welcome guest at the Millerntor. We would like to thank him for everything he has done for football!”
Hans-Joachim Watzke (Head of the Supervisory Board of the German Football League): “Uwe Seeler was an extraordinary footballer, but above all an extraordinary person. Without a doubt, he was one of the best strikers that the Federal Republic of Germany has ever produced. Uwe Seeler was a man who was deeply rooted in his hometown of Hamburg. All of this , coupled with a modesty that was second to none, has made him an idol and a role model for millions of people.”
Herbert Hainer (President Bayern Munich): “The death of Uwe Seeler hits the heart of the German football soul. Uwe was a folk hero, there wasn’t a fan in Germany who didn’t admire him. Seeler moved the nation – even beyond the game. FC Bayern is United in sorrow with his family, loved ones and friends.”
Oliver Kahn (CEO of FC Bayern Munich): “Anyone who thinks of German football and its greatest thinks of Uwe Seeler. His death is a painful loss for the whole football family. Seeler stood for honest football, for loyalty and humanity, he was a player with heart and for the heart – we will always remember him as one of the very special people in the sport.”