Rudi Voller has led the tributes to Germany World Cup hero Andreas Brehme who died late last night of a cardiac arrest. He was 63.
Brehme scored the winning goal with an 85th-minute penalty as West Germany won the World Cup in 1990 by beating Argentina 1-0 in the final in Rome. It was sweet revenge for Brehme and West Germany following Argentina’s 3-2 win in Mexico four years earlier.
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Left-back Brehme won 86 caps for his country and also enjoyed a stellar club career, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Kaiserslautern as well as Serie A and the UEFA Cup with Inter.
As a coach, he led Kaiserslautern to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2001. He was inducted into German football’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
Voller, who played alongside Brehme in both the 1986 and 1990 finals, told the German Football Association (DFB) website: “I can’t believe it. The news of Andreas’ sudden death makes me infinitely sad.
“Andi was our World Cup hero, but for me much more – he was my close friend and companion to this day. I will miss his wonderful joie de vivre.
“My thoughts are now with his bereaved, his friends, especially with his two sons. I wish them all a lot of strength.”
Former Germany team-mate Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “I’m deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Andi Brehme’s death.
“We played together at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and Andi was a great team player, who was extremely loyal and reliable. His love of life was infectious. The fact he’s already gone at the age of 63 makes me very sad.”
Du bleibst unvergessen! ????
Rudi Völler zum Tod von Andy Brehme: “Andy war unser WM-Held, aber für mich noch viel mehr – er war mein enger Freund und Begleiter bis zum heutigen Tag. Seine wunderbare Lebensfreude wird mir fehlen.”
Zum Nachruf: https://t.co/LK21A2LaxQ pic.twitter.com/Bg8ee5aYs4
— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) February 20, 2024
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf added: “I am shocked, very moved and infinitely sad. My sympathy goes to his family and friends, to whom I wish a lot of strength in these difficult hours.
“Andreas Brehme is one of the greatest football players in German history. German football owes him an infinite amount. In addition to Mario Götze, Gerd Müller and Helmut Rahn, he is one of the four German players who have scored the winner for Germany in a World Cup final.
“His nerve and strength, his two-footedness, his wingplay, his passes, his commitment – all this has made him stand out, all this has given us so much joy and so many great moments.
“I also remember an honest, sincere, warm, great person. One who was always there when it came to helping others. We will never forget the footballer and the person Andreas Brehme – we will miss him very much.”
