German 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme dead at 63

BERLIN: Andreas Brehme, who scored the winning Germany goal in the 1990 World Cup final, has died at age 63 of a heart attack, his partner, Susanne Schaefer, confirmed to German news agency (dpa) on Tuesday on behalf of the family.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce on behalf of the family that my partner, Andreas Brehme, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly overnight following a cardiac arrest. We ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time and refrain from asking questions,“ Schaefer’s statement read.

Full back Brehme won 86 Germany caps and his successful penalty in the 1990 final in Rome against Diego Maradona’s Argentina gave Germany a then third World Cup title.

Hamburg born Brehme played at three World Cups, losing the 1986 final in Mexico City against Argentina.

His best time as a club player came at Inter Milan where he won the Serie A in 1989 and the UEFA Cup in 1991. He won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Kaiserslautern.

He later became a coach, with lesser success, at clubs, including Kaiserslautern and Unterhaching.

Brehme’s death comes a few weeks after that of German football icon Franz Beckenbauer, who coached the team at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups after winning it as a player in 1974. -Bernama