Former SV Hamburg captain Peter Nogly dies at age 79

Former SV Hamburg captain Peter Nogly died on Thursday at the age of 79, the Bundesliga club said, citing his family.

Hamburg said on Friday that Nogly died after a long and severe illness, naming him “an outstanding personality and guiding figure” as well as “an absolute fan favourite and one of the best defenders” in club history.

Nogly played for Hamburg 1969-1980, winning the Bundesliga, German Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup. He played 320 Bundesliga matches and was team captain in 122 games, a feat only surpassed by Uwe Seeler. Known as “the oak”, Nogly was a tough defender but was never sent off.

Nogly left Hamburg for North America and ended his playing career back in Germany in 1989.

He was among the first inducted into SV Hamburg’s Walk of Fame, voted into the club’s team of the century by fans and was a supervisory board member 2014-2017.