Höttges was a defender who won 66 caps in an international career which spanned nine years.

In a team which boasted world stars such as Franz Beckenbauer, Höttges was a solid presence in defence.

"Horst-Dieter Höttges helped shape a successful era and won the biggest titles with the German team," German Football Federation (DFB) President Bernd Johannes Neuendorf said.

"He was the hard worker, for whom no distance was too far, no job too difficult, and the one who made his colleagues shine."

Early in his career, Höttges was chosen by West Germany's head coach Helmut Schoen for the national squad at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England.

He played in all the group matches and the quarter-final against Uruguay but missed the semi-final against the Soviet Union.

In those days, substitutes were not permitted during matches but he returned to the line-up for the World Cup Final which West Germany lost 4-2 to hosts England after extra-time in the final.

He scored his only goal for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Cyprus won 12-0 by West Germany in 1969 

Höttges was picked again for the 1970 World Cup squad which travelled to Mexico.

Again he played in the three group stage matches when the side beat Morocco, Bulgaria and Peru.

He also started in the quarter-final match when West Germany recovered from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in extra-time against England.

Höttges played his part in another famous quarter-final match against England in very different conditions two years later.

On a rainy night at Wembley he was part of the team which defeated England 3-1 in the 1972 European Championship quarter-final first leg.

He went on to play in the final when West Germany beat the Soviet Union to lift the European title.

Many consider that the 1972 West German team was better than the side which went on to win the World Cup two years later and dubbed it "the team of the century."

Höttges was included in the 1974 World Cup squad but played only in the infamous defeat against East Germany and watched from the substitutes bench as his team-mates lifted the new World Cup trophy by defeating The Netherlands in the final.

Höttges had begun his club career with Borussia Mönchengladbach but became a fixture at Werder Bremen and made 472 appearances for the club.

He was known as "Eisenfuß" or Iron foot for his strength.

Höttges' West German team-mate star striker Gerd Muller, an opponent at club level with Bayern Munich, once paid tribute to him as "one of the most uncomfortable opponents I had to play against."

In his Bundesliga career, Höttges scored 55 times.

He retired from club football in 1978 but did briefly return as a coach to a local amateur team.

Höttges' family revealed that he had been suffering from dementia before his death on June 22.