German World Cup winner Bernd Hölzenbein dies at age 78
Bernd Hölzenbein, who helped West Germany lift the 1974 World Cup by winning a penalty in the final, has died at age 78, his long-time club Eintracht Frankfurt said on Tuesday, citing his family.
Frankfurt said that Hölzenbein died on Monday surrounded by his family.
Winger Hölzenbein won 40 caps, scoring five goals, including the 2-2 equalizer in the Euro 1976 final against Czechoslovakia which the Germans lost on penalties.
Two years earlier, Hölzenbein fell under a challenge from Netherlands player Wim Jansen in the World Cup final in Munich which allowed Paul Breitner to level at 1-1 from the spot before Gerd Müller scored the winner.
The penalty was rated controversial but Hölzenbein always insisted that there was contact and that he didn't dive.
Hölzenbein spent most of his career at Frankfurt, winning the 1980 UEFA Cup and three German Cups with them and scoring a club record 160 Bundesliga goals.
He left for the United States in 1981, playing for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Memphis Americans, before eventually returning to Frankfurt and later working in the club's management.
"Bernd Hölzenbein has played a key role in shaping Eintracht for almost 60 years," Frankfurt board spokesman Axel Hellmann said in a club statement.
"He stands for the 'Golden 1970s' as well as for the European Cup victory in 1980 and also the 'Football 2000' that our club played in the early 1990s and in which he played a significant role as Vice President.
"With Bernd Hölzenbein, we are not only losing one of the great identification figures of our club, but also a loyal employee and an endearing friend."
