German Football Icon Andreas Brehme Passes Away at 63
Andreas Brehme, the German hero of the 1990 World Cup final in Rome and former player for Bayern, Inter, Kaiserslautern, and Real Zaragoza, unexpectedly died at the age of 63 from a heart attack, confirmed his family after press reports circulated.
"With deep sorrow, I announce on behalf of my family that my partner Andreas Brehme unexpectedly died of a heart attack. We ask that our privacy be respected in these difficult times," said a statement from his partner, Susanne Schaefer.
The goal that gave Germany victory against Argentina from a penalty in 1990 is one of the defining moments that identified Brehme as a player.
Brehme typically played as a left-back - later in his career, he also played as a sweeper - and his free-kick strikes with his left foot were formidable. However, in the 1990 penalty, he decided to shoot with his right foot and scored.
The decision was due to Brehme, who was ambidextrous, having received a blow to his left foot. Despite this, he took the penalty that Lothar Matthäus refused to take, claiming he did not feel confident as he had to change his boots and was using ones he usually wore only in training.
The second penalty taker was Rudi Völler, who had been fouled to earn the penalty, and coach Franz Beckenbauer believed that the fouled player should never take a penalty.
At the club level, Brehme won the German championship with Bayern in 1987 and with Kaiserslautern in 1998. Additionally, he won the German Cup with Kaiserslautern in 1996 and the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1961.
The German championship title with Kaiserslautern is particularly valuable as the team, coached by Otto Rehagel, achieved it after promotion and a season in the second division after relegation just in the year they had won the German Cup.
On the day of relegation, Brehme was asked if he would go down to the second division with Kaiserslautern, and he gave a response that influenced the decision of many of his teammates and was crucial to securing immediate promotion again: "Together, we got the wagon stuck in the mud, and together we will pull it out."
With the national team, he played 86 matches and scored eight goals. In 1990, he was one of the key players for Germany, not only for his goal in the final against Argentina. In 1986, he had also been in the final, also against Argentina, and had scored a crucial free-kick goal in the semifinal against France.
Last January, after the death of Franz Beckenbauer, who had been his coach in the national team, Brehme said he believed the Kaiser "will form a magical triangle in the sky with Pelé and Maradona."
Brehme also tried his luck as a coach but was far from approaching the success he had achieved as a player.
