29. JULY 2022 A GREAT MAN - ON THE PASSING OF UWE SEELER

"With Uwe Seeler we lose a legend of German soccer and a unique personality without big affectations, at the same time an honest worker on the pitch as well as brilliant goal scorer. We all mourn the loss of the honorary captain of the German national soccer team. I hope that you and your family can find comfort in the thought of the time spent together and the happiness experienced together."

- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a letter to Ilka Seeler.

"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 pitch and won them over. His name is a symbol of club loyalty. He stood on the pitch at four World Cups, and later accompanied our national team to tournaments as honorary captain and part of the DFB delegation. Uwe Seeler has inspired us."

- National coach Hansi Flick.

"In Uwe Seeler, we are losing one of the best footballers Germany has ever had. His down-to-earth character, his modesty, and his attachment to his hometown of Hamburg distinguished him throughout his life. His death makes us unspeakably sad."

- Bernd Neuendorf, President of the German Football Association.

"Anyone who thinks of German soccer and its greatest, thinks of Uwe Seeler. He stood for honest soccer, for loyalty and humanity, he was a player with heart and for the hearts."

- Oliver Kahn, CEO FC Bayern.

"Against an opponent of two meters height, Uwe still got the header."

- Ex-national player Jimmy Hartwig.

Uwe Seeler was like a foster son to Adi Dassler. When he injured his Achilles tendon, the media were already writing off the Hamburg center forward. Adi Dassler spoke to Seeler on the phone after the operation and said: "Get well. I'll build you a shoe and you'll play again."

That's how it turned out. Dassler moved a lace on the Uwe model to the heel area. With this shoe, Seeler played again with HSV and later with the national team, scoring goals at a steady pace. He was runner-up in the World Cup in England. Everyone admired this captain of the Germans, who became the epitome of the fair loser after a defeat in the final against the hosts.

Seeler was an adidas man in the flesh. He always said about Käthe and Adi Dassler’s house: "This is my second home. First comes Hamburg - then Herzogenaurach."

You can find a detailed portrait at www.adidassler.org under "Dirt on your shoes" - Uwe Seeler turns 85.