The German football idol Uwe Seeler has died at the age of 85. Especially in his hometown of Hamburg, “Us Uwe” was already a legend during his lifetime. In 2003, he was awarded honorary citizenship of the Hanseatic city.
The Hamburger Abendblatt reported that Seeler fell asleep peacefully. In the end, he had fallen several times.
As a player, Seeler always remained loyal to Hamburger SV, and from 1995 to 1998 he was president of the club. When he received high-paying offers from southern Europe in the 1960s, Seeler turned them down, preferring to stay on the Elbe. Jonas Boldt, board member of HSV Fußball AG, described the deceased as the “epitome of HSV”. “With Uwe Seeler, HSV loses the greatest sportsman in its club history,” reads the obituary of the “Rothosen”.
Germany mourns “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 table speech: “We would actually all like to be like UnsUwe: self-confident and modest.” He will be missed. UweSeeler pic.twitter.com/8Fc3VTBNMt
– Chancellor Olaf Scholz (@FederalChancellor) July 21, 2022
For the German national team, the attacker played 72 international matches in which he scored 43 goals. He was the DFB's honorary captain and was considered one of the best strikers in the world at the time. In 1954 Seeler played for the German national team for the first time, he took part in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups.
Rest in peace, Uwe Seeler! ️
Our honorary captain has passed away at the age of 85. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/4kBOkxus4X- Die Mannschaft (@DFB_Team) July 21, 2022
He scored 137 goals for HSV in the Bundesliga, becoming Hamburg's record scorer. He had been a member of HSV since 1946.
Seeler had been married to his wife Ilka since 1959, the couple had three daughters. Seeler's brother Dieter, who died in 1979, and his father Erwin were also HSV players.