With tears in his eyes, football emperor Franz Beckenbauer deeply regretted the death of his long-time teammate Uwe Seeler. “There is no other great person like Uwe. He was my oldest and best friend,” said the 1974 world champion captain of the “Bild”.
Beckenbauer, like Seeler, honorary captain of the German national team, particularly emphasized the empathy of the Hamburg idol: “He always supported me when I came to the national team at a young age. Just as he has helped everyone throughout his life.”
Seeler in the German national team
Ex-national player Philipp Lahm also paid tribute to the legend Uwe Seeler as a player, but above all as a person. “What makes a person extraordinary? That he remains who he is, whether at the top or at the bottom. Uwe Seeler was such an extraordinary person. He embodied something in football that has become rare: honesty and earthiness,” tweeted the former Team captain of the DFB selection on Friday.
“Uwe led the German national team in a great way and triumphed and suffered with his HSV. He dedicated his life to the football he loved – his kind of football: the sport that brings people together,” said the ex-professional FC Bayern Munich and world champion of 2014 about the long-time player and later president of Hamburger SV.
More reactions
Olaf Scholz (Federal Chancellor): “Germany mourns the loss of ‘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 after-dinner speech: ‘We all want to be like Us Uwe: self-confident and humble.’ He will be missed.”
Bernd Neuendorf (DFB President): “In Uwe Seeler we are losing one of the best footballers Germany has ever had. After Fritz Walter, he was the second honorary captain of the DFB, an idol for generations, a real role model. Many of his goals are unforgettable, for example his legendary hit with the back of the head against England in the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup. But Uwe Seeler had an impact far beyond the football field. His down-to-earthness, his modesty and his connection to his hometown of Hamburg distinguished him throughout his life. (…) His Death makes us unspeakably sad. Uwe Seeler will be missed by the DFB and German football as a whole. We will miss ‘Us Uwe’ very much.”
Hansi Flick (national coach): “Uwe Seeler was a role model for generations of national players. With his down-to-earth, modest and reserved manner, he also inspired people off the field and won them over. His name is a symbol of club loyalty and loyalty. At four He stood on the pitch himself at World Cups, later he accompanied our national team to tournaments as honorary captain and part of the DFB delegation, for example to South Africa in 2010. We always enjoyed having him around. Uwe Seeler inspired us. All of us The national team and the DFB will miss him a lot.”
Rudi Völler: “I’m shocked. My thoughts are with his family, to whom I express my deepest condolences. Uwe was a wonderful person, one of the greatest German sporting idols has left us.”
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (national coach): “I remember a fantastic person, the news of his death affected us. What we can all learn from him is his modesty and his passion for football. We are deeply touched and will be today play a bit for Uwe Seeler, our heartfelt condolences to the family.”
Thomas Müller (national soccer player): “Uwe will always remain in our hearts. An unmistakable soccer legend and a great person!”
Uwe Seeler, honorary captain of the German national team, died on Thursday at the age of 85 surrounded by his family at his home in Norderstedt. There had been expressions of condolence and minutes of silence in his honor from and around the world. Seeler leaves his wife Ilka, to whom he was married for more than 63 years, three daughters and seven grandchildren.
