Andreas Brehme, who scored the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final, has died at the age of 63.
Brehme’s partner, Susanne Schaefer, confirmed his death in a statement to Germany’s DPA news agency on Tuesday. She said that Brehme died suddenly and unexpectedly in the night from a cardiac arrest.
“Andreas Brehme will forever be in our hearts, as a World Cup winner and, more importantly, as a very special person,” his former club Bayern Munich wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
An attacking left back, Brehme was crucial to West Germany’s success at Italia 90. His deflected free-kick gave them the lead in the semi-final against England, which the Germans would go on to win on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Then, Brehme scored the only goal of the final against Argentina in Rome, an 85th-minute penalty.
Though Brehme played on the left, he was famously two-footed and scored that World Cup-winning spot-kick with his right foot. Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany’s manager at that tournament, once said: “I have known Andy for 20 years and I still don’t know if he is right or left-footed.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Brehme told Four Four Two magazine in 2022, when asked which was his strongest foot. “In 1986, I was asked why I’d taken a penalty with my left foot, as the guy knew I often used my right. I hadn’t even noticed. It makes no difference.”
Brehme went on to play a total of 86 international games for West Germany and unified Germany.
At club level, he won the German title twice, once with Bayern in 1986-87 and then in Kaiserslautern’s improbable run to the Bundesliga crown in 1997-98. He also spent four years in Serie A with Inter Milan, winning the title in 1988-89, and had a brief spell in Spain with Real Zaragoza.
“FCK mourns the passing of Andreas Brehme,” Kaiserslautern, who the defender served across two spells, said in a statement. “He wore the Red Devils’ shirt for a total of ten years and became German champion and German Cup winner.
“The FCK family is in deep mourning and our thoughts are with Andi’s family and friends.”
It has been a sad start to 2024 for German football, which mourned the passing of Beckenbauer, aged 78, last month.
“Unfortunately, the sad news doesn’t stop,” Pierre Littbarski, part of the 1990 World Cup-winning team, said. “This is very, very sad for German football and especially for us, the 1990 world champions.”
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who played with Brehme at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, said: “Andi was a great team player, very loyal and dependable. His love of life was contagious and it makes me so sad that he had to leave us at 63.”
Another former team-mate, Rudi Völler, said: “Andi was our World Cup hero, but for me he was much more. He was my close friend and companion to this day. I will miss his wonderful love of life.”
