Even if some soccer fans do not directly associate Horst-Dieter Höttges with these titles, few soccer players of his time achieved as much as he did.

With 66 caps for the German national team and 420 Bundesliga games for SV Werder Bremen, he is one of the veterans of German soccer history.

The fact that children and young people in particular have always been close to Horst-Dieter Höttges' heart was demonstrated not only during his time as coach of the U15 youth team at SV Werder Bremen, but also during the planning surrounding his farewell match in 1979.

So he organized that at his last match in front of a large crowd, the team of his "World Selection" dressed in jerseys of the aid organization "Ein Herz für Kinder" (A Heart for Children) at the Weser Stadium in Bremen and donations were collected around the event. By the time the final whistle blew, Horst-Dieter Höttges had already decided that this would not be his last major fundraising campaign.

This Christmas season, 43 years after his last major appearance as a footballer, his farewell to his soccer memorabilia is also expected to be charitable.

Highlights of the auction include Höttges' "match worn" Germany jersey from the 1974 World Cup, the original 1974 FIFA gold medal, various "Ein Herz für Kinder" jerseys from his 1979 World Cup farewell game, an original Adidas soccer ball with the signatures of the German national team from the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and various original press materials.