Reactions to the death of Horst Eckel

We Seller: I’m really sorry for me. We often spent on events together, through the pandemic unfortunately in the past two years no longer. He was always very comradely and human simply a perfect guy with heart. He was always a good colleague, combined the down-to-earth. Furthermore, he was a very offensive player, that was always very pleasant to play with him. We did a lot together, even outside the courses, private. We always have Our best given — sometimes it was, sometimes not.

1. FC Nuremberg (via Twitter): Calm in peace, Horst Nickel! Greetings to our Mail and all the other world champions from 1954. Without you, the football here in Germany would never become what he is for many people today.

Hans-Joachim Wake (Managing Director Borussia Dortmund): Horst Nickel was one of the great German football — not only because he has become a world champion in 1954, as the youngest player, but because he is absolutely luminous example of modesty And integrity was. Every conversation with him was enriching because it was simply very pleasant to experience such a modest and sympathetic people.

Hans Flick (national coach): I still remember what Horst Nickel and Hans Schaefer us in 2014 at the Feast of the World Champion in Düsseldorf have given the best wishes for the tournament in Brazil on the way. You have us who wanted to become a world champion, supported, they were lucky and ultimately brought us luck. Unfortunately, I have never been able to see the footballer Horst Nickel, who has never been able to play live, man Horst Nickel was a role model for me in every way. His warmth was contagious, his social commitment exceptional. He will be very missing personally and the entire German football. The news of his death makes me very sad.

Oliver Bailiff (DFB Director National Teams and Academy): The World Champions of 1954 are sporty and last but not least due to historical circumstances for the history of the national team of paramount importance. The attention and enthusiasm today around the games of ours Team prevail, would be unthinkable without them. Horst Nickel stood symbol for the values ​​of the heroes of Bern: modest, cordial, down to earth, without alloys. The personal conversations with him were always enriching. To know that Horst Nickel and thus none of the 54s More lives, me all with the national team with great grief.

DR. Trainer Koch (1st DFB Vice President): I’ve got to know Horst Nickel as a wonderful man and experienced, who has always beaten from the lowest conviction on the side of the weaker and was a real role model. People in supposedly hopeless Situations He knew the way to show light, and the hero of Bern always associate this with his own personal football fairy. Willa and ambition, purposefulness and humility have shaped his life and made him a personality that we all miss all painful. Not only For me, with his death, a person is lost, also in the DFB with our social institutions, for which he was tirelessly traveling, Horst Nickel will be missing.

Peter Peters (1st DFB Vice President): The news of the death of Horst Nickel has hit me deeply. I have worshiped Horst Nickel not only as one of our football heroes, but also appreciated him personally about all the dimensions. He has me In 1991, after my entry into football at the 1st FC Kaiserslautern helped to meet this club and his people. Because they all loved him. Because he was an outstanding footballer, but above all because of his so positive and incoming beings, because of his great Character. He has made every appreciation and respect, he has broadcast honesty and down to earth. I am very proud that I was allowed to meet Horst Nickel. He was a great companion. He will all be missing very much.

Hake Ulrich (Deputy DFB Secretary General): It makes me deep trunk that we lost the last icon of our 1954 world championship in Horst Nickel. The heroes of Bern not only have football in Germany, but our whole country In addition, the subsequent generations have always felt the following generations. Horst Nickel stood with his positive attitude and great fighter heart in the face of immense challenges symbolic for the era of new construction and departure, in which this first title win A German national team fell. He was a great footballer and a great person. We will miss Horst Nickel very much and are in thought with his family.

Dirk Janette (DFB vice president and chairman of the Sepp-Herberger Foundation): Horst Nickel never wanted to be the ‘hero of Bern’. His modesty and friendliness honored him. Together with his family, we mourn for one Great personality of German football. We lose a friend with him a friend, a role model and a real football legend. We bow to deep gratitude in front of him and his life’s work. Furthermore, we will never forget Horst Nickel.

DR. Stephan Osnabergese (DFB treasurer): Gladly remember the different encounters with Horst Nickel. He was an extraordinary personality, enthusiastic with his warmth and was with great pride representative of the DFB Foundation Sept Hershberger. I remember his stories In memory of the wonder of Bern. If he spoke about how he won the World Cup final against Hungary with his team colleagues, his eyes shone. This lights will be missing us. The football world has become a piece of poorer today.

Tobias Brzezinski (Managing Director of the DFB Foundation Sept Hershberger, STV. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Horst Nickel Foundation): I do for the ‘boss’ — with these words Horst Nickel once answered my question, why He is committed to the Sepp-Herberger Foundation. His respect for Sept Hershberger, his modesty, his cordiality and his peace have very impressed me in all the years in which I was allowed to accompany him at different events. Horst Nickel always had an open ear, was facing humans and recovering despite all his great successes. In a special memory, I reserve our joint dates in prisons, our talks on his 1st FC Kaiserslautern and his tips on joint car rides on the younger driver. In 2017, we were allowed to accompany the emergence of the Horst Nickel Foundation. It is our privilege that we can continue his legacy with this foundation. The greyhound will not be forgotten!

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