With emotional words, Franz Beckenbauer said goodbye to Hamburg football legend Uwe Seeler, who died in July.
"Being able to play with you, my friend, in the German national team was a great honor for me, who is nine years younger than me," wrote the 76-year-old world champion from 1974 in the letter published by the "Hamburger Abendblatt".
"I respectfully admired you from a distance when you were changing in the changing room," he reported.
"Your thoughts seemed to be on the pitch even before the national coach gave his last motivational speech." Seeler hardly took in the words of national coach Helmut Schön.
"And woe betide if a comrade allows himself alibi football after the kick-off.
That's when Hanseat Seeler got really loud.” Calling “Uwe, Uwe” was the best way to call “Germany, Germany”.
"You will never be forgotten"
Seeler died on July 21 at the age of 85.
He was buried with his family last Thursday.
This Wednesday (2:00 p.m. / ARD and NDR) there will be a funeral service for Hamburger SV’s biggest idol in the Volksparkstadion with numerous guests – including Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"On Wednesday, the Volkspark is all yours," wrote Beckenbauer.
“Football Hamburg honors a great German and people with a funeral service.” He himself will only watch the ceremony on television for health reasons.
The longtime captain and president of FC Bayern Munich and Seeler played together at the 1966 World Cup in England and 1970 in Mexico.
Even then he felt “a very special affection”.
The letter ends with the words: “Dear Uwe, this last greeting comes from the bottom of my heart: you will never be forgotten.
Servus and bye.”