Horst Eckel
{{Short description|German footballer (1932–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Horst Eckel
| image = Horst Eckel 2014 65 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Eckel in 2014
| full_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|2|8|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Vogelbach, Bavaria, Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|12|3|1932|2|8|df=yes}}
| height = 1.80 m
| position = Wing-half
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = SC Vogelbach
| years1 = 1949–1960
| clubs1 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern
| caps1 = 214
| goals1 = 34
| years2 = 1960–1966
| clubs2 = SV Röchling Völklingen
| caps2 =
| goals2 =
| nationalyears1 = 1952–1958
| nationalteam1 = West Germany
| nationalcaps1 = 32
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|FRG}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIFA World Cup}}
{{Medal|W|1954 Switzerland|}}
}}
Horst Eckel (8 February 1932 – 3 December 2021) was a German footballer who played as a wing-half. He was part of the West Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He was the last surviving player of the 1954 World Cup Final.
Club career
Eckel debuted in 1. FC Kaiserslautern's first team in 1947 at the age of 15.{{cite book | last = Bitter | first = Jürgen | title = Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler | publisher = Sportverlag | year = 1997 | page = 96 | language = German}} 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. Because of his rapid way of playing, he got the nickname Windhund (sighthound). He later played for SV Röchling Völklingen in the Regionalliga Südwest.{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/eckeldata.html | title = Horst Eckel - Matches and Goals in Oberliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 5 April 2023 | accessdate = 5 April 2023 | publisher = RSSSF.com}}
International career
Eckel was part of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup and achieved the "Miracle of Bern".{{cite web | url = https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=48845/index.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080615231733/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=48845/index.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 June 2008 | title = Horst Eckel Statistics | publisher=FIFA | accessdate =22 January 2010}} During that tournament, Eckel became an important pillar of the successful West Germany national 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.
He also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.{{cite web | url = https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=15/teams/team=44023.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071104140501/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=15/teams/team=44023.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 November 2007 | title = 1958 FIFA World Cup: Germany FR Squad | publisher=FIFA | accessdate =22 January 2010}} In total he earned 32 caps.{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/eckel-intl.html | title = Horst Eckel - International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 5 April 2023 | accessdate = 5 April 2023 | publisher = RSSSF.com}}
Later life
After his career, he retrained from toolmaker to teacher, a profession he practised until his retirement in 1997.{{cite web | url = https://www.hna.de/sport/aussenlaeufer-lehrer-legende-7374534.html | title = Außenläufer, Lehrer, Legende | language = de | website = HNA | date = 7 February 2017 | access-date = 14 December 2018}}
He was an advisor for The Miracle of Bern, Sönke Wortmann's movie about the 1954 FIFA World Cup.{{cite web | url = https://www.11freunde.de/artikel/zum-85-geburtstag-von-horst-eckel/page/1 | title = "Hätte Geld bezahlt, um spielen zu dürfen" | language = de | website = 11Freunde | date = 8 February 2017 | access-date = 14 December 2018 | first = Sebastian | last = Topp | archive-date = 15 December 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181215022113/https://www.11freunde.de/artikel/zum-85-geburtstag-von-horst-eckel/page/1 | url-status = dead }}
Eckel died on 3 December 2021, at the age of 89.{{Cite news|date=3 December 2021|title=Horst Eckel, last of the 1954 World Cup winners, dies at 89|url=https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-international-soccer-world-cup-bern-50fb243b1501a2bbe60061636a40c412|access-date=3 December 2021|work=Associated Press|language=en}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/horst-eckel-last-germanys-1954-world-champions-dies-89-dfb-2021-12-03/ |title=Horst Eckel, last of Germany's 1954 world champions, dies at 89 - DFB|website=Reuters|date=3 December 2021|access-date=3 December 2021}}
At the time of his death, Horst Eckel was not only the last surviving footballer who participated in the 1954 World Cup Final, but also the last surviving footballer from West Germany's 1954 World Cup squad.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{West Germany squad 1954 FIFA World Cup}}
{{West Germany squad 1958 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Bundesliga top scorers}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckel, Horst}}
Category:German men's footballers
Category:People from Kaiserslautern (district)
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Germany men's international footballers
Category:1954 FIFA World Cup players
Category:1958 FIFA World Cup players
Category:FIFA World Cup–winning players
Category:1. FC Kaiserslautern players
Category:SV Röchling Völklingen players
Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Category:Footballers from Rhineland-Palatinate