Uwe Seeler, Former West Germany Captain, Dies At The Age Of 85

Uwe Seeler, one of the iconic figures of post-war German football and who skippered West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, has died at the age of 85, officials said Thursday. "Hamburg mourns Uwe Seeler. He was the first top scorer in the Bundesliga. He has now died surrounded by his loved ones," said a statement by the municipality of Hamburg, the city where he spent his club career. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also commented on Twitter: "He was a role model for many, we will miss him," he said.

Seeler, who was born in 1936, made his debut for Hamburg in 1953 and went on to make 476 appearances before his retirement in 1972. He was later club president but resigned in 1998 because of a financial scandal in which he was not implicated.

Seeler played a total of 72 matches for West Germany between 1954 to 1970, scoring 33 goals but never won a World Cup. He was, however, the major architect of the reconstruction of German football after the Second World War, which went hand in hand with the reconstruction of the country.

Fourth in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and beaten in the quarter-finals in 1962, Seeler's finest moment was captaining the West Germany team that reached the 1966 final at Wembley, albeit losing 4-2 to hosts England after extra-time.

It remains arguably the most famous World Cup final ever because of the controversy which still rumbles on over whether Geoff Hurst's goal to put England 3-2 up actually crossed the line.

Hurst's shot beat goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski, the ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced on the line before being headed away by defender Wolfgang Weber.

1966 and all that

Seeler always insisted that the goal should not have been awarded.

"I was standing at the back of the box