Biography of Harald Mothes

Harald Mothes (born 28 November 1956 in Lößnitz; died in May 2026) was a German footballer. He played as a forward and attacking midfielder for almost his entire career with BSG Wismut Aue and later FC Wismut Aue. With 303 Oberliga appearances, 88 Oberliga goals and one cap for East Germany, he is one of the defining players in Aue's club history.

From Lößnitz to Aue

Mothes grew up in the Ore Mountains and in 1972 moved from the youth section of BSG Motor Lößnitz to BSG Wismut Aue. The distance was short, but the sporting step was decisive: in the Lößnitz valley he found the club with which his name would remain permanently connected. His father had played football for Motor Lößnitz, and Mothes later described how strongly Aue attracted boys from the region.

Wismut Aue

On 27 August 1975 Mothes made his DDR-Oberliga debut in a 1-1 draw against Stahl Riesa. After army service, during which he continued playing football for Vorwärts Plauen, he returned to Aue. There he became a dangerous attacking player known not only for individual seasons, but for long loyalty. The DFB records 303 Oberliga appearances and 88 goals; the club describes him as the second-highest scorer in Aue football history after Willy Tröger.

Golden generation

In the 1980s Mothes belonged to the Wismut team later described by the club as its golden generation. Alongside Holger Erler, Jürgen Escher, Volker Schmidt and Jörg Weißflog, he stood for a period in which Aue moved beyond the role of permanent relegation candidate. In 1985 and 1987 the team qualified for European competition. For a club from the Ore Mountains, those years were more than league positions; they became part of regional identity.

East Germany

In 1984 Mothes won his only senior cap for East Germany against Czechoslovakia. He also made 29 appearances for the East German Olympic team. Looking back, he said that the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles could have been a high point of his career; the boycott by socialist states closed that path. This missed chance is part of a career strongly shaped by the conditions of sport in the GDR.

Bavaria and return to the Ore Mountains

After German reunification Mothes moved to Upper Bavaria and wound down his playing career with TSV Ampfing. In Bavaria he remained connected with football, including youth development work. He never lost contact with Aue. In 2024 he was welcomed as the 9,500th member of FC Erzgebirge Aue and announced his return to the Ore Mountains. A few months later the club named him in its all-time eleven.

Farewell

On 9 May 2026 FC Erzgebirge Aue announced that Harald Mothes had died unexpectedly at the age of 69. A public memorial ceremony was held at the Erzgebirgsstadion on 21 May; his longtime teammate Jürgen Escher gave the memorial address. For Aue, Mothes remained not only a former goalscorer, but a figure of identification: once Aue, over decades Aue.