East German soccer star 'Dixie' Doerner dies aged 70

BERLIN : Hans-Juergen "Dixie" Doerner, a footballer dubbed the Franz Beckenbauer of former Communist East Germany, has died aged 70, his old club Dynamo Dresden said on Wednesday.

"With 'Dixie' Doerner, we have not only lost the greatest player in the club's history - we also lost a person who conquered all of our hearts," Holger Scholze, Dynamo Dresden president, said in a statement.

Doerner made 558 appearances for the club between 1969 and 1986, scoring 101 goals. He was made captain in 1977 and led Dresden to their best seasons in Europe.

He also played 100 games for the former East Germany, winning Olympic gold with the side in 1976.

After German unification, Doerner became the first former East German to become a trainer for a Bundesliga club - leading Werder Bremen from 1996 to 1997.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson, Editing by Miranda Murray and Hugh Lawson)