Tragic

Heinz Flohe — The conductor: Heinz "Flocke" Flohe was a member of the 1974 World Cup-winning German squad. Flohe died on June 15, 2013 at the age of 65 after years of suffering from the effects of a severe car accident. The elegant midfielder, who played for 1. FC Köln from 1966 to 1979, was considered one of the finest playmakers of his generation. His fate touched all of football Germany.

Gerhard Welz — The thwarted world champion: Gerhard Welz was on track to become Sepp Maier's understudy at the 1974 World Cup in Germany when a catastrophic knee injury ended his dreams. The Köln goalkeeper never recovered and his promising career was cut brutally short.