Sad news from the football world: Andreas Brehme has passed away

One of the legendary names of German football, Andreas Brehme, has passed away at the age of 63.

Brehme scored the goal that led Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup final held in Italy.

Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final match with a penalty goal scored by Andreas Brehme.

WHO IS ANDREAS BREHME?

Andreas "Andy" Brehme (born November 9, 1960, Hamburg, West Germany - died February 20, 2024, Munich) was a former German national football player and coach.

He is known as the player who brought victory to his team with a penalty goal in the 85th minute against Argentina in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final.

CLUB CAREER

Starting his career on the pitch with Barmbeck Uhlenhorst, Brehme turned professional at 1. FC Saarbrücken in 1980. Scoring 3 goals in 36 matches, Brehme transferred to Kaiserslautern. During his 6 years at the German club, he showed a performance unexpected for a defender, scoring 34 goals in 154 matches. Transferring to Bayern Munich in 1986, Brehme experienced a Bundesliga championship in his second season. The player, who played in 63 matches over 2 seasons, found the net 7 times.

Brehme joined Internazionale in 1988 along with his national team teammates Jürgen Klinsmann and Lothar Matthaus. Winning the Serie A title in the 1988-89 season and the UEFA Cup a season later, Brehme scored 11 goals in 116 matches until 1992. When he returned to his country, he chose his former club Kaiserslautern. Winning the DFB-Pokal in 1996, Brehme played in 88 matches until 1998. At the age of 37, he concluded his career with a Bundesliga championship.

Ending his football career on October 8, 1998, Brehme bid farewell to the stands for the last time in a match where Kaiserslautern faced a "World XI".

NATIONAL TEAM CAREER

Starting to wear the West Germany national jersey at the age of 24, Brehme played his first national match against Bulgaria on February 15, 1984. Three months after his debut, West Germany failed to achieve success in the 1984 European Football Championship. The national team, which was then entrusted to Franz Beckenbauer, participated in the 1986 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico. Brehme contributed to his country's rise to the final with the goal he scored against France in the semi-final.

In the final lost 3-2 to Argentina, both of West Germany's 2 goals came from corner kicks taken by Brehme. In the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, which West Germany won 1-0 to avenge the loss from 4 years prior, Brehme scored his 3rd goal of the tournament from a penalty against Argentina, securing the cup.

Competing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where Germany was eliminated in the quarter-finals, Brehme bid farewell to the national team with 8 goals in 86 matches.

COACHING CAREER

Having received coaching training, Brehme was appointed as the head coach at Kaiserslautern in 2000. He finished the league in 8th place in his first season. When Brehme could not bring the team to the desired level, his contract was terminated on August 22, 2002.

Starting to coach 2. Bundesliga team SpVgg Unterhaching in early 2004, Brehme could not meet expectations during his 28-week tenure and was later hired for a few months as an assistant to Giovanni Trapattoni.

Brehme's partner announced on February 20, 2024, that Brehme had passed away due to a sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest.