That was his last public appearance

World champion goalscorer Andreas Brehme died completely unexpectedly. Of all things, the funeral service of a close companion was supposed to be his last public appearance.

Deeply sad and staring, Andreas Brehme carried the small bouquet of roses to the center circle of the Allianz Arena. Like all of his colleagues, such as Günter Netzer, Paul Breitner and Lothar Matthäus, this walk was visibly difficult for him on January 19th of this year. Brehme and the other greats paid their last respects to the “Kaiser”.

Unlike his world champion colleague and friend Lothar Matthäus, Brehme has no longer been in the spotlight in recent years. After his last coaching position as assistant to Giovanni Trapattoni at VfB Stuttgart, he largely withdrew from the football business in 2006. He was a shareholder in several companies and was involved in the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation, which supports people in need.

It was a matter of course for Brehme that he took part in the mourning ceremony for Beckenbauer and was one of those who laid the flowers on the field. Both were closely linked after their coaching and professional careers. “For a long time now we have no longer been team bosses and players, but friends,” wrote Beckenbauer in the foreword to Brehme’s autobiography “Both-footed.”

Beckenbauer’s death affected Brehme deeply. At that time he said in an interview with t-online: “It’s always a shame and sad when a friend dies. He was not only a world champion as a player and as a coach, but above all a great person.”

Now, just a few weeks after Beckenbauer, Brehme is also leaving the world forever. “The 1990 World Cup title in Italy brought us very closely together,” Brehme continued, “and it will remain that way forever.”