3 time German soccer player-of-the-year Uwe Seeler turned 70 last Sunday, providing an opportunity to reflect on a star whose personal example shines brightly long after his sport has become big business.

Uwe Seeler, a leading striker in the 1960s and considered to be one of the best to have played in the last 50 years, celebrated his 70th birthday last Sunday in Hamburg. Uwe was the first player to play more than 20 games in 4 different World Cup championships. He would be a bit out of place in today’s international soccer world, but not because he would not be good enough. If Uwe were able to put on a uniform today at the height of his 1960s form, he would no doubt be one of the top strikers. He would be out of place today because he was a different breed of player from a different era.

Uwe Seeler played his entire career for the same team, the "Hamburger Sport Verein", generally called the HSV in Germany. In 1961 he was offered 900,000 German marks to play for the Italian Inter Mailand team. When he refused, the Italians upped the offer to 1.2 million DM. The purchasing power of that salary in today’s money would probably be around $10 million, an incredible salary 45 years ago. But Uwe refused again, preferring to stay with "his" team, the HSV, earning him the undying loyalty of HSV fans and German fans in general.

In 1966 West Germany played England in the World Cup final at Wembley stadium. The English scored a controversial goal that turned the tide of the game and went on to win 4-2. The goal is still debated today, but instead of causing a tumult (like might happen today), the German team, following the lead of its captain Uwe Seeler, accepted the referee’s decision and continued the match in sportsmanlike manner. One of the famous photos from his career is that of a vanquished Uwe Seeler being led to the awards ceremony after the game to receive the 2nd place trophy. At the next World Cup tournament in Mexico 4 years later, a spectacular back-of-the-head header from Uwe late in the game helped send the English team home from the tournament.

Uwe would be out-of-place among some of today’s soccer stars since he has been married 47 years to his wife Ilka. In an age where some players are in the news as much for their behaviour off the field as for what they do when they play, Uwe’s family life is a refreshing contrast. Sure, no one is perfect, and some knowledgeable readers may question Uwe’s tenure as president of the HSV (1995-1998) when some financial dealings were questioned. By then soccer had become big business, and that wasn’t Uwe’s domain. But for a fellow who has been a HSV member for 64 years, married to the same woman for 47 and involved in charitable activities for years, a quote from an interview last weekend stands out: "A society can’t function long if all societal values are lost. How can it be that someone gets a [fat] raise and then lays off 5000 people?"