The sports day: "I want to go home": football legend recovers after a serious fall

The sports day
"Would like to go home": football legend recovers after a serious fall

Horst Eckel is the last living soccer world champion from 1954.

(Photo: Daniel Karmann / dpa / archive image)

Horst Eckel, the last living soccer world champion from 1954, will soon be released from the rehabilitation clinic after his serious fall. "I hope he comes home on January 18th," his daughter Dagmar told the German press agency on Tuesday. The 88-year-old fell badly on December 22nd at home in Vogelbach, Palatinate, where he lives with his wife Hannelore. "He's doing so well physically and mentally. Of course he wants to go home."

Eckel suffered broken ribs, a concussion and a broken nose and jaw, among other things. The long-time professional of 1. FC Kaiserslautern is one of the heroes of Bern who defeated the overwhelming Hungarians 3-2 in the legendary final of the 1954 World Cup. Eckel was German champion with Kaiserslautern for the first time at 19, and already world champion at 22 – as the youngest in captain Fritz Walter's team. For Germany he made 32 international matches. Eckel will be 89 years old on February 8th.

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