East Germany's record caps holder Streich dies

East Germany's record caps holder Joachim Streich has died at the age of 71, his wife confirmed to dpa on Saturday following several media reports.

Streich, who had only celebrated his 71st birthday on April 13, died on Friday night.

"We had hopes until the end. He was seriously ill for a long time," his wife Marita Streich said. The former striker suffered from myelodysplastic syndrome, which in the worst case can lead to blood cancer.

Streich was undergoing treatment for an advanced stage of anaemia in recent weeks, and had to postpone a stem cell transplant due to pneumonia.

He scored 55 goals in 102 appearances for East Germany, and holds both the records for most appearances and goals scored for the national team.

Streich had a successful stint with FC Magdeburg from 1975 to 1985, winning the FDGB Cup, the second most important national title in East German football, three times.

"We are stunned and mourn our club legend Joachim Streich, who passed away today at the age of 71 after a short, serious illness," third division side Magdeburg wrote on Twitter.

Due to his slyness, he was often compared to Germany great and 1974 World Champion Gerd Müller.