Every German World Cup-winning team is defined by either a player or a moment. 1954 was the Miracle of Bern, 1974 was led by Franz Beckenbauer and one of Germany’s best footballing teams and 2014 saw Germany regain their place at the top of summit football.
Without Andreas Brehme there would be no third star for Germany.
In 1990, the left-back stepped up and scored the winning penalty in the 85th minute to secure Germany’s third World Cup win. His performance in Italy earned him a third-place finish at that year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Away from the biggest prize in world football, Brehme also had a decorated club career.
Born in Hamburg, Brehme would make his debut for HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst before a spell at Saarbrücken would then lead to a move to Kaiserslautern. The left-back would make a name for himself at Die roten Teufel before moving to Bayern Munich. At Bayern, he won his first Bundesliga title in 1987. Brehme would then follow compatriots Lothar Matthaus and Jürgen Klinsmann to Italy where the trio played for Inter Milan and would win the Serie A title in Brehme’s first year at the club.
After a brief spell in Spain, Brehme would return to Kaiserslautern in the twilight of his career, not only to help them gain promotion back to the Bundesliga but the year after lead them to a shock Bundesliga title win.
Brehme has passed away at the age of 63 but he will forever be remembered for that night in Rome in 1990.
GGFN | Jack Meenan