.jpg) Seeler in 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Uwe Seeler (German pronunciation:[ˈuːvəˈzeːlɐ]; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a Germanfootballer and football official. As astriker, he was a prolific scorer forHamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for theWest Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in German football history,[2] Seeler was named one ofFIFA's 100 greatest living players byPelé in 2004. He was the first football player to be awarded the Commander's Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player forHamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in aDFB-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 prolificstriker who, among other things, was most of all renowned for his leadership, consistency,overhead kicks, and aerial ability.[3] He scored 137 times in 239Bundesliga games, 43 times in 72 international games for theGerman national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He wascaptain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won theGerman championship in1960 and theDFB-Pokal in1963. He was top scorer of the firstBundesliga season in1963–64 andGerman Footballer of the Year in 1960, 1964, and 1970. During the 1960–61 season, Seeler, alongside his brotherDieter [de], helped to lead Hamburger SV to the semi-finals of theEuropean Cup, where they narrowly missed out on the final againstBenfica, losing out toBarcelona in a play-off match. During the 1967–68 season, Seeler also helped Hamburg to reach the final of theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup, finishing the competition as top scorer, only to lose out toAC Milan.[4]
In 1978, he and his former teammateFranz-Josef Hönig played forCork Celtic in a one-off sponsored event. Seeler had ended his active playing career in 1972.[5] However, this match turned out to be an officialLeague 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 GermanOberliga 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 behindGerd Müller.[8]
Seeler participated in the same fourFIFA World Cups asPelé did:1958,1962,1966, and1970. Of thoseWest German World Cup teams, the 1966 side reached thefinal, where they lost to host nationEngland 4–2 inextra 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 rivalsItaly 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 (beatingPelé by only a few minutes), and the first player to score at least two goals in each of four World Cups (matched in2014 by his compatriotMiroslav Klose). He also ranks third in all-time minutes played in World Cups, with 1,980, behindPaolo Maldini andLothar 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 bySven Simon [de] of a dejected Seeler leaving the field after the1966 World Cup final is famous in Germany,[12] and was voted asPhoto of the Century bykicker magazine.[13]
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.[14] Seeler, however, was not himself implicated in the irregularities.[15]
Seeler was a tremendously popular player due to his fairness and modesty and is still widely calledUns Uwe (West Low German:Our Uwe) in Hamburg and the surrounding area. TheDFB (German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972 (the first beingFritz Walter). In 2003, he became anhonorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg; the first time the honor was bestowed on a sportsman.[16] That year he also published his memoirsDanke, Fußball ("Thank you, football"). 2005 saw the unveiling of a giant monument in front of theHamburger SV stadium depicting his right foot.[15][17]
Seeler appeared in acameo role in the popular 1972Heinz Erhardt comedyWilli wird das Kind schon schaukeln (English title:Willi Manages the Whole Thing), playing himself.[18]
From 1959 until his death, Uwe Seeler lived with his wife in Harksheide, today a district ofNorderstedt in theHamburg Metropolitan Region.[19]
Seeler's grandson,Levin Öztunalı, is also a professional footballer.[20]
Seeler died on 21 July 2022, aged 85, in his home inNorderstedt.[21] He was honoured later in the day with a moment of silence before theUEFA Women's Euro 2022 quarter-final betweenGermany andAustria.[22] The following second matchday of the2. Bundesliga, where Hamburg played a home match againstHansa Rostock, as well as the first round of theDFB-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.
| 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 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| West 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 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 1958 | Malmö Stadion,Malmö, Sweden |  Argentina | 2-1 | 3-1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | [26] |
| 2 | 15 June 1958 | Malmö Stadion, Malmö, Sweden |  Northern Ireland | 2-2 | 2-2 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | [25] |
| 3 | 26 October 1958 | Stade Yves-du-Manoir,Colombes, France |  France | 2-2 | 2-2 | Friendly | [27] |
| 4 | 21 December 1958 | Augsburg, West Germany |  Bulgaria | 1-0 | 3-0 | Friendly | [28] |
| 5 | 3-0 | ||||||
| 6 | 6 May 1959 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, United Kingdom |  Scotland | 1-2 | 2-3 | Friendly | [29] |
| 7 | 21 October 1959 | Müngersdorfer Stadion,Cologne, West Germany |  Netherlands | 3-0 | 7-0 | Friendly | [30] |
| 8 | 4-0 | ||||||
| 9 | 6-0 | ||||||
| 10 | 8 November 1959 | People's Stadium,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | — | 3-4 | Friendly | [31] |
| 11 | — | ||||||
| 12 | 23 March 1960 | Neckarstadion,Stuttgart, West Germany |  Chile | 2-1 | 2-1 | Friendly | [32] |
| 13 | 27 April 1960 | Südweststadion,Ludwigshafen, West Germany |  Portugal | — | 2-1 | Friendly | [33] |
| 14 | 3 April 1960 | Laugardalsvöllur,Reykjavík, Iceland |  Iceland | 1-0 | 5-0 | Friendly | [34] |
| 15 | 26 October 1960 | Windsor Park,Belfast, United Kingdom | Northern Ireland | 2-2 | 4-3 | 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification | [35] |
| 16 | 20 September 1961 | Rheinstadion,Düsseldorf, West Germany |  Denmark | — | 5-1 | Friendly | [36] |
| 17 | — | ||||||
| 18 | — | ||||||
| 19 | 22 October 1961 | Augsburg, West Germany |  Greece | 1-0 | 2-1 | 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification | [37] |
| 20 | 2-0 | ||||||
| 21 | 3 June 1962 | Estadio Nacional,Santiago, Chile |  Switzerland | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1962 FIFA World Cup | [38] |
| 22 | 6 June 1962 | Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile | Chile | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1962 FIFA World Cup | [39] |
| 23 | 28 September 1963 | Waldstadion,Frankfurt, West Germany |  Turkey | 1-0 | 3-0 | Friendly | [40] |
| 24 | 2-0 | ||||||
| 25 | 3-0 | ||||||
| 26 | 29 April 1964 | Südweststadion, Ludwigshafen, West Germany |  Czechoslovakia | 1-0 | 3-4 | Friendly | [41] |
| 27 | 3-4 | ||||||
| 28 | 12 May 1964 | Niedersachsenstadion,Hanover, West Germany | Scotland | — | 2-2 | Friendly | [42] |
| 29 | — | ||||||
| 30 | 26 September 1965 | Stockholm, Sweden |  Sweden | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification | [43] |
| 31 | 23 March 1966 | De Kuip,Rotterdam, Netherlands | Netherlands | 1-0 | 4-2 | Friendly | [44] |
| 32 | 7 May 1966 | Windsor Park, Belfast, United Kingdom | Northern Ireland | — | 2-0 | Friendly | [45] |
| 33 | 1 June 1966 | Waldstadion, Frankfurt, West Germany |  Romania | 1-0 | 1-0 | Friendly | [46] |
| 34 | 23 June 1966 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, West Germany |  Yugoslavia | 2-0 | 2-0 | Friendly | [47] |
| 35 | 20 July 1966 | Villa Park,Birmingham, United Kingdom |  Spain | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup | [48] |
| 36 | 23 July 1966 | Hillsborough Stadium,Sheffield, United Kingdom |  Uruguay | 3-0 | 4-0 | 1966 FIFA World Cup | [49] |
| 37 | 19 November 1966 | Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, West Germany |  Norway | — | 3-0 | Friendly | [50] |
| 38 | 7 October 1967 | Volksparkstadion,Hamburg, West Germany | Yugoslavia | 3-1 | 3-1 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualification | [51] |
| 39 | 9 May 1970 | Olympiastadion,West Berlin, West Germany |  Republic of Ireland | 1-0 | 2-1 | Friendly | [52] |
| 40 | 13 May 1970 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, West Germany | Yugoslavia | 1-0 | 1-0 | Friendly | [53] |
| 41 | 3 June 1970 | Estadio León,León, Mexico |  Morocco | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1970 FIFA World Cup | [54] |
| 42 | 7 June 1970 | Estadio León, León, Mexico | Bulgaria | 4-1 | 5-2 | 1970 FIFA World Cup | [55] |
| 43 | 14 June 1970 | Estadio León, León, Mexico |  England | 2-2 | 3-2 | 1970 FIFA World Cup | [56] |
Hamburger SV[4]
West Germany[4]
Individual
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Awards | |
|---|---|
West Germany squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
