Kaiserslautern player, he was the youngest of the team that beat Hungary in the final, 3-2.
Horst Eckel, the last of the German heroes of the Bern Miracle, West Germany’s first World Cup victory (1954), died on Friday at the age of 89, the German Football Association announced.
Kaiserslautern player, he was the youngest of the team that beat Hungary against the odds in the World Cup final, 3-2.
This unexpected victory was a founding element of postwar German identity, as the Germans had a source of pride for the first time since the shame of Nazism and military defeat.
Two-time German champion with Kaiserslautern, Horst Eckel had entered the German soccer ‘Hall of Fame’ in Dortmund last week, along with other German soccer greats such as Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier. (D)
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