Eintracht Frankfurt is in mourning
Former national player Ronny Borchers is dead
Ronny Borchers played six times for the German national soccer team, but he became a legend at “his” club Eintracht Frankfurt. He is part of a large generation among the Hessians. Ronny Borchers has now died at the age of 67.
Eintracht Frankfurt mourns the loss of club legend Ronald “Ronny” Borchers. The offensive player died on Sunday, just a few days after his 67th birthday, his family announced on social media. “We are deeply moved and grateful for the time we were able to spend with him,” wrote son Bastian. Nothing is known about the cause of death. Eintracht Frankfurt reacted to the death of Ronny Borchers “with great dismay”.
Borchers, who played for Hessen from 1975 to 1984, “was part of a special Eintracht generation, a cheerful and spectacular crowd favorite,” writes the Bundesliga club. Together with Bernd Hölzenbein, Jürgen Grabowski, Bruno Pezzey, Bernd Nickel, Karl-Heinz Körbel and Bum-kun Cha, he won the UEFA Cup in 1980. The following year, Eintracht won the DFB Cup with Borchers. In the 3-1 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Borchers, who earned the nickname “Disco-Ronny” in his early years, scored the interim 2-0. Borchers, who made it from Eintracht Frankfurt's youth ranks to the top-class first division squad, later also played for Arminia Bielefeld and Waldhof Mannheim in the Bundesliga.
“The title also leaves something of me behind”
It was only in April that Borchers' teammate, Bernd Hölzenbein, from Eintracht Frankfurt's great days in the early 1980s died. In March 2022, world champion Jürgen Grabowski had already preceded his colleagues. “Now both of them are no longer there. The situation is very difficult for me, another Eintracht legend, Bernd Nickel, died a few years ago,” said Borchers at Hölzenbein's funeral. “It's all happening much too quickly for me and it's very sad.”
Now not only his remaining teammates, but also the entire club are mourning Borchers himself. “Ronny has written Eintracht history. I fondly remember his dream goal in the 1981 final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Even after his career, Ronny was a brand ambassador “An important representative of our unity, our thoughts are with his family in these sad hours,” says board spokesman Axel Hellmann.
Borchers (r.) with the other Frankfurt legends Charly Körbel, Bruno Pezzey, Jürgen Pahl and Bernd Hölzenbein (from left) before the 2:3 in the UEFA Cup final first leg against Gladbach. With a 1-0 win in the second leg, the pot landed on the Main.
(Photo: picture alliance / dpa)
His own sporting legacy made the Frankfurter proud: “As he gets older,” Borchers told the newspapers of the Rhein-Main publishing group, he is already thinking about the fact that something of me will remain through this title. That someone later, when he Walks past my grave in the cemetery and says: There lies Ronny, he was also there when we won the European Cup in 1980.”
After his active career, the Frankfurt native coached, among others, FSV Frankfurt and Kickers Offenbach. Most recently, Borchers worked for Eintracht Frankfurt as one of eight brand ambassadors and played in the Bundesliga club's traditional team. Borchers also played six times for the German national team.
