Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: Hamburger SV
A total of 57 clubs have had the honour of competing in the Bundesliga over its 60-year history – with Hamburg ever presents until their relegation in 2018.
bundesliga.com is taking you through all the teams to have graced Germany’s first division over the last 60 years – based on the number of seasons they’ve played up to and including 2023/24.
Hamburger SV
Years in Bundesliga: 55 (1963-2018)
Most appearances: Manfred Kaltz (581)
Most goals: Uwe Seeler (137)
Youngest player: Josha Vagnomann (17 years, two months, 27 days)
HSV are one of Germany’s biggest and most successful clubs, having spent almost a century in the respective top division from its creation in 1919. They were founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and held the status as the league’s only ever-present club up till their relegation in 2018 – the only time in their history that they’ve dropped from the highest rung of the footballing pyramid. A clock in the stadium even counted their time as the ‘Bundesliga Dino’. However, they’ve been unable to return since, coming agonisingly close every year in Bundesliga 2.
Die Rothosen (red shorts) produced the first top scorer in Bundesliga history with 30 goals in as many games from the legendary Uwe Seeler, whose right foot is now immortalised in a giant statue outside the Volksparkstadion. The club enjoyed a golden era across the late 70s and early 80s with three Bundesliga titles in five years, two DFB Cups, the 1976/77 European Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1982/83 European Cup. The team was built around legends like Rudi Kargus, Manfred Kaltz, Peter Nogly, Caspar Memering, Jimmy Hartwig, Felix Magath and Horst Hrubesch.
Watch: Uwe Seeler's life and career
That era began with the appointment of Peter Krohn as club president in November 1973. He was seen as a revolutionary in how he turned football into a business. As such, HSV became just the fifth Bundesliga club to have a sponsor on their kits. That was liqueur producer Campari, with events taking place around games to attract fans and bring in money. That included ‘show training sessions’ where people could even ride an elephant. Not everything was popular, such as the decision in 1976/77 to wear pink and baby blue kits in an attempt to entice more women supporters. However, it ultimately worked and HSV were able to make some big signings, most famously luring Ballon d’Or winner Kevin Keegan from Liverpool.
