Bayer 04 in mourning for Uwe Seeler

"Uwe Seeler is undoubtedly one of the greatest players Germany has ever had. For following generations of players, including mine, Uwe was an absolute role model," said Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting managing director. "I played together with his grandson Levin Öztunali at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Our deepest sympathies go to him and all the members of his family."

Rudi Völler, member of the Bayer 04 shareholders committee, said: "It's a shock for me. My thoughts are with his family and my deepest condolences go to them. Uwe was a wonderful man, one of Germany's biggest sporting legends has left us."

Seeler scored 404 goals in 476 appearances for Hamburg SV and he won the German league title and the DFB Cup with the Hanseatic club. He made 72 international appearances for Germany as the centre-forward and he scored 43 goals for his country. He played in four World Cup finals and was a runner-up at Wembley in 1966. He was named honorary captain by the German Football Association (DFB) in 1972. He played a big part in society and he was the first athlete to be awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1970.