Horst Eckel facts for kids
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Eckel in 2014
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Horst Eckel | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 February 1932 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vogelbach, Bavaria, Germany | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | 3 December 2021 (aged 89) | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| SC Vogelbach | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1949–1960 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 214 | (34) | ||||||||||
| 1960–1966 | SV Röchling Völklingen | ||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1952–1958 | West Germany | 32 | (0) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Horst Eckel (born February 8, 1932 – died December 3, 2021) was a famous German football player. He was a key member of the West Germany team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He was the very last player from that winning team to pass away.
Horst Eckel's Club Career
Horst Eckel started playing for the main team of 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1947. He was only 15 years old at the time. With Kaiserslautern, he helped his team win the German football championship twice. They won in 1951 and again in 1953.
Eckel played as a right half-back. This position meant he helped both with defense and offense. He was known for being very hard-working and clever on the field. Because he played so fast, people gave him the nickname Windhund, which means "sighthound". After playing for Kaiserslautern for many years, he later joined SV Röchling Völklingen.
Playing for the National Team
Horst Eckel was a big part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. This victory is famously known as the "Miracle of Bern". During this important tournament, Eckel became a very strong player for the team.
He worked very hard on defense on the right side of the field. His passes were also very helpful. Because of his efforts, other players like Helmut Rahn and Max Morlock could score many goals. Eckel also played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Overall, he played 32 games for his country.
Later Life and Legacy
After he stopped playing football, Horst Eckel changed his career. He used to be a toolmaker, but he retrained to become a teacher. He worked as a teacher until he retired in 1997.
He also helped with the movie The Miracle of Bern. This film, directed by Sönke Wortmann, is about the amazing 1954 FIFA World Cup win.
Horst Eckel passed away on December 3, 2021. He was 89 years old. At the time of his death, he was the last player alive from the team that won the 1954 World Cup Final.
See also
In Spanish: Horst Eckel para niños
