Uwe Seeler
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Uwe Seeler (born November 5 1936 in Hamburg) is a German football player. He played for the Hamburger SV, and also played 72 games for the German national team.
1944-1972 Seeler played for the Hamburger SV. Despite tempting offers from Italian clubs he stayed in Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football. In those days, football stars did not earn hundred of thousands of pounds each month. In 1978 he played for Celtic Cork for one last year as active player. His two and a half year tenure as president of the Hamburger SV starting in 1995 ended in his resignation due to a financial scandal, for which he took responsibility. Uwe Seeler, however, was not to blame for those troubles.
Seeler was a gifted striker who - amongst other things -was renown for his falling overhead kick. He scored 137 times in 269 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. He participated in the same four Football World Cups as Pelé did: 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970. Germany, alas, reached the final only once in 1966 – and lost to host nation England in overtime.
Uwe Seeler was a tremendously popular player due to his fairness, modesty and kindness and was called “Uns Uwe” (northern German: “Our Uwe”) in Hamburg and surroundings. The DFB (German FA) made him the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972(the first one had been Fritz Walter). In 2003 he became honorary citizen of his hometown Hamburg. That year, he also published his memoirs Danke, Fußball (Thank you, football).de:Uwe Seeler