Horst Eckel
![]() Eckel in 2014 | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Full name | Horst Eckel | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | 8 February 1932 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Vogelbach, Germany | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
SC Vogelbach | ||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
1949–1960 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 214 | (34) | |||||||||||
1960–1966 | SV Röchling Völklingen | |||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||
1952–1958 | West Germany | 32 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Horst Eckel (born 8 February 1932) is a former German footballer who was part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Since the death of Hans Schäfer in 2017, Eckel is the only player still alive from the team.[1]
National Team
Eckel was part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup and achieved the "Miracle of Bern".[2] During the 1954 FIFA World Cup Eckel became an important pillar of the successful West German team. The strength of the right side of Sepp Herberger's team was made possible due to Eckel's high defensive workrate and his passes, from which outside right Helmut Rahn and inside right Max Morlock benefitted enormously.[3]
He also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.[4] In total he earned 32 caps.
Club career
Eckel debuted in Kaiserslautern's first team in 1947 at the age of 15.[3] He won the German football championship with Kaiserslautern in 1951 and 1953. Eckel was playing as a right half back. As a player, Eckel was assiduous and adroit.[3] Because of his rapid way of playing, he got the nickname Windhund (sighthound).
During his club career he played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and SV Röchling Völklingen.
Later life
After his career, he retrained from toolmaker to teacher, a profession he practised until his retirement in 1997.[5]
He was an advisor for The Miracle of Bern, Sönke Wortmann's movie about the 1954 FIFA World Cup.[6]
References
- ^ "Horst Eckel: "Ich habe nicht für Geld Fußball gespielt"". kicker.de (in German). 8 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Horst Eckel Statistics". FIFA. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ a b c Bitter, Jürgen (1997). Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler (in German). Sportverlag. p. 96.
- ^ "1958 FIFA World Cup: Germany FR Squad". FIFA. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ "Außenläufer, Lehrer, Legende". HNA (in German). 7 February 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Topp, Sebastian (8 February 2017). "»Hätte Geld bezahlt, um spielen zu dürfen«". 11Freunde (in German). Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- Use dmy dates from May 2011
- 1932 births
- 1954 FIFA World Cup players
- 1958 FIFA World Cup players
- 1. FC Kaiserslautern players
- FIFA World Cup-winning players
- German footballers
- Germany international footballers
- Living people
- Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Association football midfielders
- German football forward stubs