Bernd Hölzenbein is dead. The Eintracht legend and 1974 world champion died on Monday at the age of 78.
Eintracht Frankfurt mourns the loss of one of the greatest players in its history. Bernd Hölzenbein, 1974 world champion and Eintracht Frankfurt’s record goalscorer, died on Monday after a long, serious illness. He was 78 years old.
“Bernd Hölzenbein has had a significant influence on our Eintracht for almost 60 years. He stands for the ‘Golden 1970s’ as well as for the European Cup victory in 1980 and also the ‘Football 2000’, which our club played in the early 1990s and in which he was vice-president played a significant role,” Eintracht board spokesman Axel Hellmann is quoted as saying in a statement from the club. “With Bernd Hölzenbein we are not only losing one of the great identification figures of our club, but also a loyal employee and a lovely friend.”
Sportschau, April 16, 2024 9:12 a.m
Hölzenbein came to Eintracht Frankfurt in 1967 and stayed with the Hessians until 1981, for whom he played 420 Bundesliga games and scored 160 goals. With Eintracht, he won the UEFA Cup in 1980 and the DFB Cup three times (1974, 1975 and 1981) as a defining figure in the offensive.
Manager and scout
After stints in the USA, where he played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers as well as the Memphis Americans and the Baltimore Blasts, Hölzenbein returned to Germany and played for FSV Salmrohr for six months, with whom he was promoted to the second division.
This was followed by a return to Eintracht, where as vice president and manager he was responsible for the upswing in the early 1990s. Hölzenbein later also worked as a scout for Eintracht.
