Died at the age of 69
Erzgebirge Aue mourns the loss of club legend Harald Mothes
May 9, 2026 – 3:34 p.mReading time: 1 min.
After the last home game, relegated Erzgebirge Aue has to cope with sad news. One of the best players in the club’s history has died.
FC Erzgebirge Aue announced the death of Harald Mothes on Saturday. The striker played 303 league games for the club in 15 years and scored 103 goals – only one player in the club’s history has scored more goals.
Mothes was on the pitch for BSG from 1975 to 1990. He belonged to the club’s “golden generation” – together with Holger Erler, Jürgen Escher, Volker Schmidt and Jörg Weißflog. The team qualified for the European Cup twice.
Last year, Mothes moved back to his hometown in the Ore Mountains from Bavaria. On March 4th, he was named to the all-time eleven at the club’s 80th birthday ceremony. During his active time, he also appeared once for the GDR national team and 29 times for the GDR Olympic team.
The club announced the news after consultation with the family and wrote on its website: “FC Erzgebirge Aue expresses its deepest condolences to his wife, his family, all friends and relatives, will always honor the name of Harald Mothes and remember the great sportsman.”
