Germany’s 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme has died.
Brehme endeared himself to the nation within the closing when he scored a late penalty after staff captain Lothar Matthäus’ boots broke to present West Germany a 1-0 win over Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
Brehme’s companion Susanne Schaefer instructed Germany’s dpa information company on Tuesday that he died “abruptly and unexpectedly” within the night time from a cardiac arrest. He was 63.
“I can’t imagine it in any respect. The information of Andreas’ sudden dying makes me extremely unhappy,” nationwide teammate Rudi Völler mentioned. “Andi was our World Cup hero, however for me he was far more. He was my shut good friend and companion to at the present time. I’ll miss his great love of life.”
Recognized affectionately as “Andi” Brehme, the Hamburg-born participant was a star of German soccer within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties. He performed principally as an attacking left again and can all the time be related to the 1990 World Cup triumph.
He scored within the semifinal towards England, which West Germany finally received on penalties, and his penalty determined the ultimate. Profitable the title introduced a wave of nationwide celebrations throughout Germany, which was within the technique of reunification after the autumn of the Berlin Wall the 12 months earlier than.
Brehme’s title-winning objective in Rome was additionally celebrated a brief distance away at Inter Milan, the Italian membership he was taking part in for on the time as a part of a formidable German trinity together with nationwide teammates Matthäus and Jürgen Klinsmann.
As captain, Matthäus would usually have taken West Germany’s penalty within the closing, however the No. 10 broke his boots within the first half and didn’t really feel assured as his substitute boots had been too huge.
“It was a good move to let Andreas Brehme take the penalty,” Matthäus later mentioned.
“Somebody has to step up. And for us, it was a case of whoever was feeling assured,” Brehme mentioned in a FIFA interview in 2017. “The principle factor is that the penalty goes in and we change into world champions.”
Brehme acknowledged the penalty resolution was “doubtful” although that didn’t cease him from tucking away the spot kick towards the beforehand unbeatable Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea within the eighty fifth minute. West Germany had dominated the sport however discovered Goycochea in impressed type.
“That night time on the Olimpico, dealing with up towards Sergio Goycochea, a fearsome goalkeeper who had already saved out Donadoni and Aldo Serena on the San Paolo, Brehme opted to take together with his proper (boot). A positioned effort, nearly caressed in direction of objective: he zipped it alongside the ground, proper into the underside left, unstoppable,” Inter wrote on the membership web site.
Brehme, who wheeled away and jumped in celebration, had already helped Inter to the Serie A title in 1989. He would go to win the UEFA Cup with the membership two years later.
“A powerful participant, a real Interista. Ciao Andy, eternally a legend,” mentioned Inter, which introduced that it will put on black armbands throughout its Champions League match towards Atlético Madrid later Tuesday.
Brehme received two Bundesliga titles, first with Bayern Munich in 1987, then in inconceivable trend with promoted Kaiserslautern in his closing season earlier than retirement in 1998.
Altogether, Brehme performed 10 seasons for the Pink Devils over over two stints. He received the German Cup with Kaiserslautern in 1996 – the identical season it was relegated from the Bundesliga. Brehme cried as he was consoled by Bayer Leverkusen’s Völler upon his staff’s relegation. However he had a contented finish with the membership’s Bundesliga win two years later.
Kaiserslautern mentioned on Tuesday it was “deeply saddened” by Brehme’s surprising dying and it had tributes deliberate for the approaching days.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge performed with Brehme for West Germany on the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
“Andi was an amazing staff participant, very loyal and reliable. His love of life was contagious and it makes me so unhappy that he needed to go away us at 63,” Rummenigge mentioned.
Brehme additionally performed for Actual Zaragoza in Spain earlier than rejoining Kaiserslautern for his second stint.
He went into teaching after successful the Bundesliga with Kaiserslautern, first with the identical membership, which he led to the semifinals of the UEFA Cup in 2001, after which second-division Unterhaching. His final teaching position was at Stuttgart as assistant to educate Giovanni Trapattoni within the 2005-06 season.
Brehme’s dying comes the month after that of his good friend Franz Beckenbauer, who coached the World Cup-winning staff in 1990.
“As a younger boy I had, like most likely each boy in Germany had, a Franz Beckenbauer poster hanging above my mattress,” Brehme instructed dpa final month. “Later, he grew to become my boss and I might work with him. And in the long run we grew to become shut buddies. So I’ve loads to thank Franz for.”
Brehme performed 86 worldwide video games for West Germany and unified Germany.
“One in all Germany’s biggest and finest gamers of all time,” German soccer federation president Bernd Neuendorf mentioned. “German soccer owes him loads.”
