World Cup hero from 1990 Andreas Brehme is dead
February 20, 2024, 9:09 a.mThe soccer world champion Andreas Brehme is dead. According to his partner, the 63-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest. Brehme scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 1990 World Cup final for the German team to win against Argentina.
Andreas Brehme is dead. His partner Susanne Schaefer confirmed the death of the former professional footballer. "It is with deep sadness that I announce on behalf of the family that my partner Andreas Brehme died suddenly and unexpectedly tonight as a result of a cardiac arrest. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time and refrain from asking questions," said Schaefer's message . Brehme was 63 years old.
Brehme scored the decisive goal in the final of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In the 85th minute he scored with a penalty perfectly placed in the bottom left corner to make the final score 1-0 and made team boss Franz Beckenbauer's team world champions for the third time. The Hamburg native came in the early 1980s from HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst via 1. FC Saarbrücken to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he became a Bundesliga star and national player. In 1986, Brehme moved to FC Bayern for the then record sum of two million marks, with whom he won his first German championship in 1987. The defensive player went to Milan from Munich in 1988, won the championship with Inter under coach Giovanni Trappatoni in his first season and was the only German to date to be voted Italy's Footballer of the Year. Triumph in the UEFA Cup followed in 1991. At Inter he earned the nickname "Il Eisenfuss".
Two-footedness is a great strength
After a year at Real Zaragoza, he returned to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1993 and actually wanted to end his career in the summer of 1996 - but after relegation, Brehme hung on for another year and led the Red Devils as captain to immediate promotion. In the 1997/98 season, the Lauterers sensationally became the first promoted team in Bundesliga history to win the championship. The then 37-year-old then ended his career. Brehme appeared on the pitch a total of 86 times for the German national team between 1984 and 1994, scoring eight goals, the most famous of which was certainly in the 1990 World Cup final. He scored five of his eight goals for the DFB team at World and European Championships. His two-footed ability was considered a particular strength: Brehme converted the penalty in the 1990 World Cup final with his right after he had scored with his left in the quarter-finals against Mexico on the way to the runner-up title at the 1986 World Cup.
After his career, the former full-back entered the coaching business, but was unable to build on his success as a player. He coached FCK, SpVgg Unterhaching and was assistant coach at VfB Stuttgart.
In January, Brehme had touching words about the death of the legend Beckenbauer. "I think in heaven he will create a magic triangle with Pelé and Maradona," he said. "As a little boy, like probably every boy in Germany, I had a Franz Beckenbauer poster hanging over my bed. Later he became my boss and I was allowed to work with him. And in the end we became close friends. That's why I told Franz a lot to be grateful for."
Source: ntv.de, tsi/dpa
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