Wife of Fenerbahçe goalkeeper who died by suicide speaks out: 'He should not be remembered for melancholy'
Teresa Enke, the wife of Robert Enke, who played for Fenerbahçe for a period and died by suicide in 2009 due to depression, said, "Robbi should not be remembered only for melancholy and sadness."
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German goalkeeper Robert Enke, whom Fenerbahçe loaned from Barcelona in 2003, wore the Yellow-Navy jersey in only 1 match.
Enke's Fenerbahçe adventure was short-lived, and he returned to Barcelona. The German goalkeeper fell into depression and died by suicide in 2009.
Enke was 32 years old when he ended his life by throwing himself onto train tracks at a level crossing near his home in the German town of Neustadt.
"ENKE WAS NOT AN UNHAPPY PERSON"
Enke's wife, Teresa Enke, made striking statements to the German newspaper Bild.
Teresa Enke, who manages the Robert Enke Foundation, said, "Robbi should not be remembered only for melancholy and sadness."
In this statement made on the occasion of Robert Enke's 47th birthday, Teresa stated that her husband was actually "not an unhappy person."
Teresa emphasized that the pain of loss never completely goes away and that it is impossible to accept the death of loved ones.
Stating that her husband had a dark sense of humor and that they often laughed together, Teresa used the expressions, “Robbi was sometimes very cheerful. It was his illness that led to his death.”
CLUBS HAVE BECOME MORE AWARE
The Robert Enke Foundation carries out important work aimed at raising awareness about mental health. Teresa Enke stated that she is pleased that depression is no longer a taboo as a result of the foundation's work. Expressing that the media has begun to handle the subject of depression more objectively, Teresa said that clubs have also gained more awareness on this issue.
DEPRESSION DURING BARÇA AND FENERBAHÇE PERIODS
It was learned that Enke fell into depression due to a fear of failure during his time at Barcelona and Fenerbahçe, and that his mental health deteriorated further after the death of his two-year-old daughter in 2006.
The suicide of Robert Enke, who guarded the goals of important teams such as Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahçe, Tenerife, and Hannover 96 throughout his career, caused great sadness in the sports community.