Uwe Seeler
Seeler with Hamburger SV in 1968
Personal information
Date of birth (1936-11-05)5 November 1936
Place of birth Hamburg, Germany
Date of death 21 July 2022(2022-07-21) (aged 85)
Place of death Norderstedt, Germany
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1946–1953 Hamburger SV
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1972 Hamburger SV[1] 476 (404)
1978 Cork Celtic 1 (2)
Total 477 (406)
International career
1953–1954 West Germany U-18 10 (15)
1954–1970 West Germany 72 (43)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  West Germany
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1966 England
Third place 1970 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Uwe Seeler (German pronunciation: [ˈuːvə ˈzeːlɐ]; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in German football history,[2] Seeler was named one of FIFA's 100 greatest living players by Pelé in 2004. He was the first football player to be awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Playing career

Club career

Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in a DFB-Pokal match, aged just under 18, scoring four goals (8–2 vs. Holstein Kiel). In later years, despite tempting offers from Italian and Spanish clubs, he remained loyal to Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football.

Seeler was a gifted, powerful, and prolific striker who, among other things, was most of all renowned for his leadership, consistency, overhead kicks, and aerial ability.[3] He scored 137 times in 239 Bundesliga games, 43 times in 72 international games for the German national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won the German championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season in 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year in 1960, 1964, and 1970. During the 1960–61 season, Seeler, alongside his brother Dieter [de], helped to lead Hamburger SV to the semi-finals of the European Cup, where they narrowly missed out on the final against Benfica, losing out to Barcelona in a play-off match. During the 1967–68 season, Seeler also helped Hamburg to reach the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, finishing the competition as top scorer, only to lose out to AC Milan.[4]

In 1978, he and his former teammate Franz-Josef Hönig played for Cork Celtic F.C. in a one-off sponsored event. Seeler had ended his active playing career in 1972.[5] However, this match turned out to be an official League of Ireland one and Uwe scored twice.[6] Thus, his overall record of goals scored in league and championship matches adds up to 446 (Hamburger SV 444,[7] Cork Celtic 2). His 404 goals in German Oberliga and Bundesliga league games is a record that stands as of today, his 406 goals in league games overall making him the second-best German goalscorer behind Gerd Müller.[8]

International career

Seeler participated in the same four FIFA World Cups as Pelé did: 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970. Of those West German World Cup teams, the 1966 side reached the final, where they lost to host nation England 4–2 in extra time.[9] In 1958, the German team finished in fourth place; in 1970 the West German team finished in third after being eliminated by European rivals Italy in the semi-finals, following a closely fought 4–3 extra-time loss, a match often referred to as the "Game of the Century".[4] In the previous round, a backward second-half header against England tied the score 2–2, a game West Germany went on to win 3–2.[10]

Although Seeler never won a World Cup (his involvement as a player in the tournament started four years after West Germany won their first World Cup (1954) and ended four years before they won their second (1974)), he had a prolific career in the tournament; he was the first player ever to appear in 20 World Cup matches (he retired with 21 matches played, tied for third all-time); the first ever to score in four World Cups (beating Pelé by only a few minutes), and the first player to score at least two goals in each of four World Cups (matched in 2014 by his compatriot Miroslav Klose). He also ranks third in all-time minutes played in World Cups, with 1,980, behind Paolo Maldini and Lothar Matthäus. In total, he scored nine goals across the four World Cups in which he played, as well as three goals in World Cup Qualifying matches; he scored 43 times in 72 international appearances between 1954 and 1970.[11] A photo of a dejected Seeler leaving the field having just been defeated in the 1966 World Cup Final was voted as Photo of the Century by kicker magazine.[12]

Career after football

Seeler in 2016

He had a two-and-a-half-year tenure as president of Hamburger SV, which began in 1995, and ended in resignation in 1998 due to a financial scandal, for which he took responsibility.[13] Seeler, however, was not himself implicated in the irregularities.[14]

Recognition

A monument of Seeler's right foot located outside Volksparkstadion

Seeler was a tremendously popular player due to his fairness and modesty and is still widely called Uns Uwe (West Low German: Our Uwe) in Hamburg and the surrounding area. The DFB (German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972 (the first being Fritz Walter). In 2003, he became an honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg; the first time the honor was bestowed on a sportsman.[15] That year he also published his memoirs Danke, Fußball ("Thank you, football"). 2005 saw the unveiling of a giant monument in front of the Hamburger SV stadium depicting his right foot.[14][16]

Film appearances

Seeler appeared in a cameo role in the popular 1972 Heinz Erhardt comedy Willi wird das Kind schon schaukeln (English title: Willi Manages the Whole Thing), playing himself.[17]

Personal life

From 1959 until his death, Uwe Seeler lived with his wife in Harksheide, today a district of Norderstedt in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.[18]

Seeler's grandson, Levin Öztunalı, is also a professional footballer.[19]

Death

Seeler died on 21 July 2022, aged 85, in his home in Norderstedt.[20] He was honoured later in the day with a moment of silence before the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 quarter-final between Germany and Austria.[21] The following second matchday of the 2. Bundesliga, where Hamburg played a home match against Hansa Rostock, as well as the first round of the DFB-Pokal also began with a minute of silence in Seeler's tribute. The Bundesliga home game of HSV featured supporters dressed in black displaying a banner reading "loyal and modest – the greatest of all time" ("Loyal und bescheiden - der Größte aller Zeiten) in honor of Seeler's club career.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[22][23]
Club Season League German
Championship[a] 		DFB-Pokal Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hamburger SV 1954–55 Oberliga Nord 26 28 5 1 1 2 – 32 31
1955–56 29 32 5 4 2 2 – 36 37
1956–57 26 31 4 2 1 0 – 31 33
1957–58 24 22 4 2 – – 28 26
1958–59 27 29 4 5 1 0 – 32 34
1959–60 26 36 7 13 1 0 – 34 49
1960–61 23 29 6 8 – 7[b] 5 36 42
1961–62 28 28 2 4 – – 30 32
1962–63 28 32 6 2 4 6 – 38 40
1963–64 Bundesliga 30 30 – 2 2 6[c] 5 38 37
1964–65 19 14 – 1 1 – 20 15
1965–66 23 11 – 2 1 – 25 12
1966–67 23 10 – 5 3 – 28 13
1967–68 30 12 – 1 0 9[c] 8 40 20
1968–69 33 23 – 3 1 4[d] 3 40 27
1969–70 30 17 – 2 0 2[d] 0 34 17
1970–71 25 9 – 2 3 1[d] 0 28 12
1971–72 26 11 – 4 3 – 30 14
Total 476 404 43 41 32 24 29 21 580 490
Cork Celtic 1977–78 League of Ireland 1 2 – – – 1 2
Career total 477 406 43 41 32 24 29 21 581 492
  1. ^ Before the Bundesliga, the national champion was determined in a series of knock-out games after the domestic league ended.
  2. ^ Appearances in European Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup
  4. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[24]
National team Year Apps Goals
Germany 1954 3 0
1955 0 0
1956 1 0
1957 0 0
1958 9 5
1959 5 6
1960 5 4
1961 6 5
1962 7 2
1963 3 3
1964 3 4
1965 1 1
1966 12 7
1967 3 1
1968 1 0
1969 3 0
1970 10 5
Total 72 43

Honours

Hamburger SV[4]

West Germany[4]

Individual

Literature

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Uwe Seeler – Spielerprofil – DFB" (in German). dfb.de. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (30 January 2000). "IFFHS' Century Elections". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Seeler: Germany legend, Hamburg icon". FIFA.com. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "Uwe SEELER" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  5. ^ "The story of how Germany's 500-goal sensation came out of retirement to score at Turner's Cross". The 42. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Seeler trägt Raute im Herz". Fifa.com (in German). FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  7. ^ Tore, Punkte, Spieler – Die komplette HSV-Statistik. Göttingen. 2008.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ "Seeler: Germany legend, Hamburg icon". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  9. ^ "The most controversial goal-line incidents: England vs. Germany, 1966". The Independent. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Wunderbare Welt der WM". Westfälische Nachrichten (in German). 12 June 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Uwe SEELER". Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Die Tragödie von Wembley". stern.de (in German). 2 July 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Sang- und klanglos trat Uwe Seeler als Präsident des Hamburger SV ab er hatte Angst vor Pfiffen von den Rängen des ausverkauften Volksparkstadions: Sein Autogramm war an der Börse einst vier Adenauers wert". Berliner Zeitung (in German). 10 May 1998. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Ein deutsches Stehaufmännchen". Münchner Merkur (in German). 3 November 2006. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Hamburgische Ehrenbürger" (in German). State Chancellery. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  16. ^ "DFB-Ehrenspielführer Uwe Seeler: Bronzeskulptur vom Fuß enthüllt". DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  17. ^ CINEMA online (24 February 1972). "Kino bei CINEMA: Kinoprogramm, Filme, DVDs, Stars, Trailer und mehr". cinema.de (in German). Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  18. ^ Herbst, Christopher (21 July 2022). "So lebte Uwe Seeler mit seiner Familie in Norderstedt". Hamburger Abendblatt. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  19. ^ Bogena, Kai Niels (7 November 2015). "Die Karriere-Knick des Uwe-Seeler-Enkels". Die Welt. Retrieved 19 January 2016.(in German)
  20. ^ "HSV-Idol Uwe Seeler ist gestorben". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Uwe Seeler, losing captain in the World Cup final against England, dies aged 85". 21 July 2022.
  22. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (2 November 2007). "Uwe Seeler – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Uwe Seeler". World Football. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  24. ^ Mamrud, Roberto (2 November 2002). "Uwe Seeler – Goals in International matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  25. ^ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1960". RSSSF. 13 December 1960. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Fußball-Legende Uwe Seeler ist tot - Idol des Hamburger SV stirbt im Alter von 85 Jahren". Der Spiegel (in German). 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  27. ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo (20 October 2015). "FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  28. ^ "Uwe Seeler erster Torschützenkönig". NDR.de (in German). 28 December 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  29. ^ Lewis, Rhett (16 January 2022). "Uwe Seeler: Famous Germany Soccer Legend, Hamburg Icon". History Of Soccer. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Bundesliga Historie 1969/70" (in German). kicker.
  31. ^ "FIFA 100 – Stadioncheck.de". Stadioncheck.de (in German). 14 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Detail". Hall of Fame (in German). Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  33. ^ Bericht der Bundesregierung an den Bundestag vom 29.September 1973 – Drucksache 7/1040 Anlage 3 Seiten 44 ff

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uwe Seeler.
Awards
West Germany squads
Authority control databases
Categories