Andreas Brehme, one of the cornerstones of West Germany’s World Cup-winning side at Italia ’90, passed away of a cardiac arrest in Munich on February 20. He was 63, and his passing came a little over a month after the death of Franz Beckenbauer, who had coached that 1990 team to victory.
Born in Hamburg, Brehme never played for the local giants, HSV. Instead, he made his name with FC Kaiserslautern before a two-year stint at Bayern Munich saw him win the first of his Bundesliga titles. By then, he was already a regular in the national team, having been named to the Team of the Tournament at Euro ’84, an otherwise disappointing campaign for the Germans.
Brehme’s best years as a club footballer were spent in Milan, with Internazionale. Alongside his German teammates, Lothar Mattheus and Jurgen Klinsmann, Brehme won a Serie A title in 1988-89, beating out Diego Maradona’s Napoli and the legendary Milan side coached by Arrigo Sacchi.
Two years later, they won the UEFA Cup. By then, Brehme was a world champion, having played a fulsome part in West Germany’s success. His forays down the left supplemented Mattheus’ midfield drive and the poaching skill of Klinsmann and Rudi Voller, and few will ever forgettable the wonderful, curled, right-footed finish into the far corner that saw off the Netherlands in the round of 16. It was Brehme’s penalty in the 85th minute, with the lesser-used right foot, that clinched a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final.
In the autumn of his career, he went back to Kaiserslautern for an eventful stint that saw relegation, promotion and then the most improbable of Bundesliga titles. By then, though, he was mostly watching from the bench, called on only when the team needed his experience and nous to close out matches.
As Brehme’s career wound down, Brazil’s Roberto Carlos became an iconic figure, especially after the free kick against France at Le Tournoi in 1997 that blended unimaginable power with vicious swerve. Those that had watched Brehme for a generation would have smiled seeing it though. After all, he had been doing a Carlos long before the world even knew who the Brazilian was.