Uwe Seeler

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Seeler participated in the same four FIFA World Cups as Pelé did: 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970. Of those West German World Cup teams, the 1966 side reached the final, where they lost to host nation England 4–2 in extra time. In 1958, the German team finished in fourth place; in 1970 the West German team finished in third after being eliminated by European rivals Italy in the semi-finals, following a closely fought 4–3 extra-time loss, a match often referred to as the "Game of the Century". In the previous round, a backward second-half header against England tied the score 2–2, a game West Germany went on to win 3–2. Seeler was the first player ever to appear in 20 World Cup matches (he retired with 21 matches played, tied for third all-time); he was one of the first two players to score in four World Cups (sharing the record with Pelé, who scored in the same tournaments), and the first player to score at least two goals in each of four World Cups (matched in 2014 by his compatriot Miroslav Klose). He scored nine goals across the four World Cups in which he played, as well as three goals in World Cup Qualifying matches; he scored 43 times in 72 international appearances between 1954 and 1970. A photo by Sven Simon of a dejected Seeler leaving the field after the 1966 World Cup final is famous in Germany, and was voted as Photo of the Century by kicker magazine.

In Their Own Story

Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in a DFB-Pokal 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. 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 in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season in 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year in 1960, 1964, and 1970. During the 1960–61 season, Seeler, alongside his brother Dieter, helped to lead Hamburger SV to the semi-finals of the European Cup, where they narrowly missed out on the final against Benfica, losing out to Barcelona in a play-off match. During the 1967–68 season, Seeler also helped Hamburg to reach the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, finishing the competition as top scorer, only to lose out to AC Milan.

Reader's Guide

Seeler 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. His 404 goals in German Oberliga and Bundesliga league games is a record that stands as of today, his 406 goals in league games overall making him the second-best German goalscorer behind Gerd Müller. He had a two-and-a-half-year tenure as president of Hamburger SV, which began in 1995, and ended in resignation in 1998 due to a financial scandal, for which he took responsibility. Seeler, however, was not himself implicated in the irregularities. Seeler was a tremendously popular player due to his fairness and modesty and is still widely called Uns Uwe (West Low German: Our Uwe) in Hamburg and the surrounding area. The DFB (German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972 (the first being Fritz Walter). In 2003, he became an honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg; the first time the honor was bestowed on a sportsman. 2005 saw the unveiling of a giant monument in front of the Hamburger SV stadium depicting his right foot.

Did You Know?

• Seeler was the first player ever to appear in 20 World Cup matches, retiring with 21 matches played.
• He shares the record for scoring in four World Cups with Pelé, having both scored in 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970.
• A photo of a dejected Seeler leaving the field after the 1966 World Cup final was voted as Photo of the Century by kicker magazine.
• Seeler holds the all-time German top-flight league goal record with 404 goals (combining Oberliga and Bundesliga), ahead of Gerd Müller, who never played in the Oberliga.
• In 2003, he became the first sportsman to be made an honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg.