Two-footed - with both on the ground

It's a situation that's almost impossible to imagine: a penalty in a World Cup game. The weight of an entire footballing nation rests on you, millions around the world are watching your feet... With Andreas Brehme, the question was: Well, which foot are we actually watching now? That was often a dilemna for the poor goalkeeper. Brehme scored a penalty with his left foot in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against Mexico. Four years later, in the tight closing stages of the World Cup final against Argentina in Rome, he netted from the spot with his right. Germany were world champions, because Brehme always kept his cool – and had the choice of how he wanted to succeed. With right and left, he was one of the greatest German footballers of all time.

Not only was Brehme's ability with both feet unique, but both feet were always firmly on the ground. He was always loyal, always team-oriented and always uncomplicated. He constantly described his biggest goal in an unexcited way, and the thing that sticks in his mind most from those minutes in the 1990 World Cup final was how the Argentinians simply kicked the ball away several times to unsettle him, while Rudi Völler came to him and said: "So, you stick it in now and then we'll be world champions." Brehme always explained dryly how he answered his teammate: "Thank you, I said, I'll take it to heart." If that's all.

The Hamburg native joined FC Bayern in 1986 from 1. FC Kaiserslautern. "At that time it was clear: if you want to become a champion, you have to go to Munich," he said in an interview with FC Bayern members' magazine 51 for his 60th birthday in November 2020. His national teammate at the time, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, took him home to general manager Uli Hoeneß during an international match in Munich ("It's only a stone's throw away"), where they quickly agreed on a contract. Brehme didn't care about the money, he was determined to join the Reds. He was "proud and happy that I was able to play for this great club", he said in his birthday interview. "It was a great experience for me."

During his two years in Munich, Brehme won the German Supercup twice and one Bundesliga title, as well as reaching the final of the 1987 European Cup in Vienna, which ended in an unfortunate defeat to Porto. The left-back made a total of 80 appearances for the German record champions, scoring eight goals. He worked under coaches Udo Lattek and Jupp Heynckes and played alongside the likes of Lothar Matthäus, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Klaus Augenthaler, Hans Pflügler, Hansi Flick, Dieter Hoeneß and Roland Wohlfarth. To this day he's regarded as one of the best players, along with Paul Breitner, to have patrolled, worked and advanced the left flank.

In 1988, together with Matthäus, he moved to Inter Milan in Serie A, at that time the best league in the world – and he made history in Italy in multiple ways. In his very first season, he was named the best foreign player in the league, in spite of Matthäus and in spite of Diego Maradona. Inter won the league, Super Cup and UEFA Cup, and then there was the World Cup, which for the German players in Serie A was almost like a home tournament. Germany got to play most of their matches at the San Siro in Milan, where Matthäus, Brehme and Jürgen Klinsmann knew every blade of grass. And then the road to World Cup glory led to Rome.

Brehme never shirked responsibility, you could always rely on him. That was case with the penalty in the final in Rome, when he took over from Matthäus, who was unable to take it because of his damaged boot. Besides his sporting success, what also characterised him was his manner, the fact that he always there for everyone. He's a holder of the Silver Laurel Leaf and was inducted into the German Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

There's an anecdote from the 1990 World Cup which says much about Brehme's extraordinary footballing abilities. Before the tournament the DFB held a training camp at Lake Tegernsee, and a game became a ritual in which the ball had to be kept in the air without making any mistakes or the team would be eliminated. Team boss Franz Beckenbauer also took part – and there was only one player who kept the ball longer than the "Kaiser": Brehme, who could handle the ball equally well with his left or right.

Beckenbauer and Brehme shared a deep friendship. At the memorial service for the "Kaiser" in January, his long-time companion was of course among the guests at the Allianz Arena. It is comforting to think that the two are now passing the ball to each other again – in the highest spheres.

Illustration: Cristiano Siqueira / Crisvector