Heinz Flohe (2013) extinguished first. Then Gerd Müller (2021), Jürgen Grabowski (2022), Franz Beckenbauer (2024) and yesterday (local time) Nievelen Bernd Holtsenbein. All of them were members of Germany’s 1974 World Cup winning team.

His long-time club Eintracht Frankfurt confirmed the news of Holtsenbein’s death as the sixth member of the team. Helmut Schon, the coach of the German team that won the World Cup in 1974, died in 1996.

“The Eintracht family is saddened by the passing of world champion Bernd Holtsenbein,” Frankfurt wrote in a statement on social media. As a player he won four titles for Eintracht Frankfurt. His 160 Bundesliga goals in an Eintracht jersey is unlikely to be surpassed. A foul by him is in every history book, one of his many goals is impossible to forget… whenever Bernd Holtsenbein’s name is mentioned, the Eintracht family will remember it. This Eintracht legend died on 15 April 2024.’

Holtsenbein is Eintracht’s top scorer in Bundesliga history. Second highest goalscorer in the club’s history across all competitions. But in German football, he is memorable for that foul in the 1974 World Cup final. In that final in Munich, Johan Cruyff and the golden generation of Neskens took the lead with 2 minutes to go against the then West Germany.

West Germany were awarded a penalty in the 25th minute when Holtsenbein was fouled in the Netherlands box. From there, Paul Breitner equalized with a goal. West Germany were later crowned world champions in a 2-1 victory with Muller’s goal.

Dutch fans have always blamed Holtsenbein for that penalty. They accused him of diving. But Holtzenbein has always defended himself, claiming it was a “clean penalty”.

Holtsenbein scored in the 89th minute of the Euro 1976 final against the former Czechoslovakia to draw West Germany 2–2. They later lost the tiebreaker 5-3.

Spent the majority of his career at club level at Eintracht. Won three German Cups and the UEFA Cup in a 14-year career. Scored 5 goals in 40 matches in national team jersey (1973-1978).

In 1981, he left Frankfurt and moved to domestic football in the United States. The former striker played for Lauderhill Strikers, Memphis Americans and Baltimore Blast. Holtsenbein also played as a winger. Holtsenbein, who changed his life from a bus driver’s son to football, returned to Eintracht to serve as the club’s scout and vice-president.

Holtsenbein’s amusing goal in the return leg against Bucharest in the 1979 UEFA Cup second round is memorable. The pitch was quite slippery in the rain-soaked match in Frankfurt. The Bucharest goalkeeper failed to get hold of a header. At that moment, Holtzenbein came forward and slipped and fell on the field. As the ball fell from the goalkeeper’s hand along the head, Lato scored a goal. Some call that goal a ‘sitting header’.