Uwe Seeler
Encyclopedia
Uwe Seeler is a former German
football official and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV
and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team
.
, making his first team debut in 1954 in a German Cup
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, as in those days football stars in Germany did not earn the huge salaries seen now.
Seeler was a gifted striker
who, among other things, was renowned for his overhead kick
. He scored 137 times in 239 Bundesliga
games, 43 times in 72 international games for the German national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won the German championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal (German FA Cup) in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year
in 1960, 1964 and 1970.
In 1978 he and his former team-mate Franz-Josef Hönig
played for Cork Celtic F.C.
in a one-off sponsored event. Seeler had ended his active playing career in 1972. However, this match turned out to be an official League of Ireland
one and Uwe scored twice. Thus, his overall record of goals scored in League and Cup matches adds up to 509 (HSV 507, Cork Celtic 2). So far, this record has never been topped by a German player.
did: 1958
, 1962
, 1966
, and 1970
. Of those West German World Cup teams only the 1966 side reached the final
where they lost to host nation England
in extra time.
Although Seeler never won a World Cup (his involvement as a player in the tournament started 4 years after West Germany won their first World Cup (1954
) and ended 4 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 4 world cups (beating Pelé
by only a few minutes), and the only player ever to score at least 2 goals in each of 4 World Cups. He also ranks third in all-time minutes played in World Cups, with 1980, behind Paolo Maldini
and Lothar Matthäus
.
(German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972 (the first being Fritz Walter
). In 2003 he became honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg, the first time the honor was bestowed on a sportman. That year he also published his memoirs Danke, Fußball (Thank you, football).
role in the popular 1972 Heinz Erhardt
comedy Willi wird das Kind schon schaukeln (liberally translated: "Willi will work it out somehow"), playing himself. In this film, a manager called Jungborn (Erhardt) is managing a football club. In the end, his club makes a spectacular signing: Seeler himself. The main joke is that everybody in the club is jubilant, but Jungborn is puzzled and just asks "who in devil's name is that guy?". At the time, Seeler was a very renowned German.
football sport magazine. It shows him seemingly devastated by the 1966 World Cup Finals loss, walking off the pitch hunched over. Remarkable is the fact that a band is playing in the background.
However, there is controversy when exactly the picture was taken. According to one source, the photo was taken after the final whistle, because the band played God Save the Queen
to greet Queen Elizabeth
, who was going to give the trophy to the English squad; thus Seeler was really heartbroken. In 2009 Seeler released an English version of his autobiography.
Either way, Seeler's picture remains one of the most famous in German football history.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football official and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
Playing career (1954–1978)
Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SVHamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
, making his first team debut in 1954 in a German Cup
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
match, aged just under 18, scoring four goals (8–2 vs. Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. Through the 1910s and 1920s the club was a dominant side in northern Germany winning six regional titles and finishing as runners-up another six times...
). In later years, despite tempting offers from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
clubs he remained loyal to Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football, as in those days football stars in Germany did not earn the huge salaries seen now.
Seeler was a gifted striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who, among other things, was renowned for his overhead kick
Bicycle kick
A Bicycle kick or Scissor kick is a physical move made by throwing the body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways...
. He scored 137 times in 239 Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
games, 43 times in 72 international games for the German national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won the German championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal (German FA Cup) in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year
German Footballer of the Year
The title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. In 1996 the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication Kicker...
in 1960, 1964 and 1970.
In 1978 he and his former team-mate Franz-Josef Hönig
Franz-Josef Hönig
Franz-Josef Hönig is a retired German football player. He spent 7 seasons in the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV.-External links:...
played for Cork Celtic F.C.
Cork Celtic F.C.
Cork Celtic F.C. were a Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1959 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. The club had previously played in the league as Evergreen United...
in a one-off sponsored event. Seeler had ended his active playing career in 1972. However, this match turned out to be an official League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
one and Uwe scored twice. Thus, his overall record of goals scored in League and Cup matches adds up to 509 (HSV 507, Cork Celtic 2). So far, this record has never been topped by a German player.
World Cup
He participated in the same four Football World Cups as PeléPelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
did: 1958
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
, 1962
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
, 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, and 1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
. Of those West German World Cup teams only the 1966 side reached the final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
where they lost to host nation England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in extra time.
Although Seeler never won a World Cup (his involvement as a player in the tournament started 4 years after West Germany won their first World Cup (1954
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
) and ended 4 years before they won their second (1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
)), 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 4 world cups (beating Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
by only a few minutes), and the only player ever to score at least 2 goals in each of 4 World Cups. He also ranks third in all-time minutes played in World Cups, with 1980, behind Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
and Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...
.
Career after football
He had a 2½-year tenure as president of Hamburger SV, which began in 1995, and ended in resignation due to a financial scandal, for which he took responsibility. Seeler, however, was not himself implicated in the irregularities.Recognition
Uwe Seeler was a tremendously popular player due to his fairness, modesty, and kindness and is still widely called Uns Uwe (West Low German: Our Uwe) in Hamburg and the surrounding area. The DFBGerman Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
(German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972 (the first being Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
). In 2003 he became honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg, the first time the honor was bestowed on a sportman. That year he also published his memoirs Danke, Fußball (Thank you, football).
Filmography
Seeler has appeared in a cameoCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
role in the popular 1972 Heinz Erhardt
Heinz Erhardt
Heinz Erhardt was a German comedian, musician, entertainer, actor, and poet.Heinz Erhardt was the son of Baltic German Kapellmeister Gustl Erhardt. He lived most of his childhood at his grandparents in Riga, where his grandfather, Paul Nelder, owned a music house...
comedy Willi wird das Kind schon schaukeln (liberally translated: "Willi will work it out somehow"), playing himself. In this film, a manager called Jungborn (Erhardt) is managing a football club. In the end, his club makes a spectacular signing: Seeler himself. The main joke is that everybody in the club is jubilant, but Jungborn is puzzled and just asks "who in devil's name is that guy?". At the time, Seeler was a very renowned German.
German football picture of the century and controversy
Uwe Seeler has been immortalized in a famous picture, voted as Photo of the Century by the German KickerKicker (sports magazine)
kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
football sport magazine. It shows him seemingly devastated by the 1966 World Cup Finals loss, walking off the pitch hunched over. Remarkable is the fact that a band is playing in the background.
However, there is controversy when exactly the picture was taken. According to one source, the photo was taken after the final whistle, because the band played God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
to greet Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, who was going to give the trophy to the English squad; thus Seeler was really heartbroken. In 2009 Seeler released an English version of his autobiography.
Either way, Seeler's picture remains one of the most famous in German football history.