Horst Eckel dies aged 89

[Rucksackfranzose]

Sad news. Now the last WC 54 winner is gone. Reached a remarkable age, though. RIP

[Tommy]

Aw, man. That's sad. Always enjoyed seeing him on TV, reminiscing about the past or giving his view on current affairs. He was very likable. RIP. 

[nudge]

RIP. 

[Tommy]

Quote

"We played against Preston North End, and after the game their bosses wanted to talk to me. I listened to everything they had to say and rejected their offer. What was I supposed to do as a young man in England? From their offer I could have bought half Vogelbach (his hometown) ... in Kaiserslautern I earned 320 Mark. I know, nobody understands today why I didn't do it. But I even would have paid them money to play for Kaiserslautern. I arrived there when I was 17, I was a starter, first time German Champion at 19 and World Champion at 22. What more could you want?" 

- Horst Eckel about a contract offer in England that would have brought him 150.000 Mark sign on bonus, and 6000 Mark monthly.