Horst-Dieter Höttges, who won 1974 World Cup with West Germany, dies at 79

A tough-tackling defender nicknamed “Iron Foot”, Höttges’ career spanned West Germany’s great teams of the early 1970s amid Cold War tensions.

Juergen Sparwasser of East Germany (left) about to score his team’s only goal against West Germany, during their World Cup match, at Volksparkstadium, Hamburg, Germany, on June 22, 1974. In the center is West Germany’s defender Horst-Dieter Hoettges. | Photo Credit: AP

Horst-Dieter Höttges, a member of the West Germany team that won the 1974 World Cup and lost to England in the 1966 final, has died. He was 79.

Werder Bremen, where Höttges played 420 league games in the 1960s and 70s, said on Monday he died on June 22, citing his family. The club did not give a cause of death. German news agency dpa reported that he had been living with dementia in recent years.

Bremen president Hubertus Hess-Grunewald said Höttges was “one of the best soccer players that there has ever been in Germany”.

A tough-tackling defender nicknamed “Iron Foot”, Höttges’ career spanned West Germany’s great teams of the early 1970s amid Cold War tensions.

Höttges played when West Germany lost to England 4-2 in the the 1966 World Cup, placed third at the 1970 World Cup and beat the Soviet Union 3-0 in the final of the 1972 European Championship. At West Germany’s victorious home World Cup two years later, he was on the fringes of the squad.

Höttges’ only appearance at the 1974 World Cup was his 66th and last for West Germany and came in a surprising 1-0 loss to East Germany in the group stage. He was an unused substitute in the 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the final. At club level, he won the 1965 Bundesliga title with Bremen.