Tragic

Ulrich Borowka — Iron Foot: "The Axe" made 239 appearances in the Werder shirt. As a defender, the combative Borowka formed the wall in front of the Bremen goal from 1987 to 1995, letting few opponents past and using every means at his disposal. During his Gladbach days in 1984, he greeted opponent Olaf Thon with the words "I'll break both your legs in a minute." Point made, even if the defender never followed through. With Werder, "Iron Foot" Borowka won the German championship in 1988 and 1993 and the DFB-Pokal in 1991 and 1994. His career peaked with the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup triumph in Lisbon, by which time he was already a full international (six caps in 1988, including the home European Championship). After retirement came the fall: Borowka made headlines with his alcohol dependency and violent outbursts, ended up in a rehab clinic and wrote a book. In it, he admitted he had been an alcoholic even as an active player. Brave! But his past kept catching up with the long-since-sober Borowka. The DFB twice struck him from planned ceremonies honouring former cup heroes, about which he publicly complained in December 2019: "My alcohol addiction was apparently raised again and again in jury meetings. I feel discriminated against by the DFB."

Horst-Dieter Höttges — The trauma of 1966: Höttges played for Borussia Mönchengladbach from 1960 to 1964 and for Werder Bremen from 1964 to 1978 — 420 Bundesliga appearances. As a powerful right-back, he was the "Iron Foot" of Werder's defence and a key figure during the club's first golden era. He won the 1965 championship and 1961 DFB-Pokal. With 66 caps for West Germany, Höttges was a stalwart of the national team. But one match haunted him forever: the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley against England. The controversial third goal — Geoff Hurst's shot that bounced off the crossbar — remains the most debated moment in football history. Höttges was the closest German defender. He maintained until his death that the ball never crossed the line. Höttges died on December 15, 2020 at the age of 77.

Erwin Kostedde — Innocent behind bars: In 219 Bundesliga matches, Erwin Kostedde scored 98 goals. He earned three international caps in 1974 and 1975, becoming Germany's first Black international. He made his debut on December 22, 1974 in Gżira in a 1-0 European Championship qualifier against Malta. His third and final cap came on October 11, 1975 in a 1-1 draw in the European Championship qualifier against Greece. Then-Werder manager Rudi Assauer said of signing Kostedde for Bremen in 1980: "Kostedde doesn't need to run for us anymore — it's enough if he stands in the opposition penalty area and scores goals with his backside." Kostedde delivered, scoring 38 goals in 75 matches for Werder. After retirement, he lost his savings of over one million DM through a dubious investment adviser. In 1990, he was arrested on suspicion of an armed robbery at an amusement arcade in Coesfeld and, after months in custody, acquitted. The police had investigated carelessly; the prosecution witness had mistaken him for someone else. But his reputation was ruined. He received a meagre 3,000 DM compensation for his wrongful imprisonment. "The old Erwin Kostedde died in 1990," Kostedde said of the accusations and the image associated with the crime he never committed. Kostedde is remembered for saying: "I never want to work again — I just want to stand at the bar and drink."

Manfred Burgsmüller — No luck at the end: "Manni" Burgsmüller is the fifth-highest scorer in Bundesliga history, a crafty striker and a sly fox. His misfortune: he never had a role in the national team. In the era of Gerd Müller, he earned just three caps. He scored 213 top-flight goals from 1974 to 1990 for Rot-Weiss Essen, Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Nürnberg and Werder Bremen. At BVB, it is not Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Stéphane Chapuisat or Michael Zorc who hold the club record, but still Burgsmüller with 135 Bundesliga goals. To round off his active sporting career, he played six years of American Football for the Düsseldorf Rhein Fire. As a kicker he made a name for himself and entered the annals as the "oldest player of all time." Burgsmüller was 52 when he ended his American football adventure. The long sporting career left its mark — arthritis. BILD published an initial appeal for solidarity and described his suffering: "Semicircles have formed under his eyes, the bags are swollen. His face is badly bloated, crutches lean against his chair." Burgsmüller died in May 2019 at the age of 69.