German footballer Andreas Brehme, who scored the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final, dies at 63

Andreas Brehme, the scorer of the only goal in the 1990 World Cup final that led West Germany to victory over Argentina, has passed away at the age of 63.

German national football team

World Cup wins:

1954 final — West Germany 3 Hungary 2
1974 final — West Germany 2 Netherlands 1
1990 final — West Germany 1 Argentina 0
2014 final — Germany 1 Argentina 0*

* National team played as West Germany from 1949-1990, Germany from 1990 onwards

Brehme’s partner Susanne Schaefer confirmed his sudden and unexpected death due to a cardiac arrest in a statement to Germany’s dpa news agency on Tuesday.

“Andreas Brehme will forever be in our hearts, as a World Cup winner and, more importantly, as a very special person,” his former club Bayern Munich said on X, formerly Twitter.

Kaiserslautern, another of his former clubs, also paid tribute.

\”FCK mourns the passing of Andreas Brehme. He wore the Red Devils’ shirt for a total of 10 years and became German champion and German Cup winner with FCK.

\”In 1990 he fired the German national team to the World Cup title with his penalty and became a football legend. The FCK family is in deep mourning and our thoughts are with Andi’s family and friends.\”

Brehme, known for his attacking left back position, was a star of German soccer in the 1980s and 1990s and played a crucial role in the 1990 World Cup victory.

He scored in the semifinal against England, which West Germany eventually won on penalties, and his 85th-minute penalty decided the final in Rome against Argentina.

The victory in the World Cup brought about nationwide celebrations in Germany, as the country was in the midst of reunification following the fall of the Berlin Wall the previous year.

Brehme went on to play 86 international games for both West Germany and unified Germany.

At the club level, Brehme won the German title twice, once with Bayern in 1987 and once with Kaiserslautern in their unexpected championship run in 1998, their first season post-promotion. He also secured the Italian Serie A title with Inter in 1989.

AP/Reuters