Germany World Cup hero Andreas Brehme dies aged 63

  • Brehme scored the winning goal for West Germany in 1990 World Cup final
  • 85th minute penalty saw Franz Beckenbauer's side beat Argentina in Rome
  • Bayern Munich and Inter among Brehme's high-profile former clubs

Andreas Brehme scored the winner for Germany in the 1990 World Cup final
Andreas Brehme scored the winner for Germany in the 1990 World Cup final / Alessandro Sabattini/GettyImages
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Andreas Brehme, who scored the winning goal for West Germany in the 1990 World Cup final, has died at the aged of 63.

Brehme scored an 85th minute penalty to see Franz Beckenbauer's side past Argentina in the showpiece event in Rome, in one of 86 international caps he collected for his country.

The left-back also enjoyed club success with Bayern Munich, Inter and Kaiserslautern, winning two Bundesliga titles, Serie A and the UEFA Cup in 1991.

German news outlet Bild report that Brehme died on Monday after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest, with medical professionals unable to revive him at a Ziemssenstrasse clinic close to his home.

Brehme's passing comes just six weeks after Beckenbauer died at the aged of 78, and he leaves behind his partner and two adult sons.

A player very much in the mould of a modern day full-back, Brehme loved to get forward into the opposition third and was renowned for his ability to play the ball with both feet. He was versatile enough to play on both the right and left hand side, but was also utilised as a defensive and attacking midfielder during periods of his career. Brehme was also a proficient set-piece taker.

His goal record at club level points to his ability in front of goal, while he netted four of his eight international goals at World Cups - three of them during the 1990 edition. As well as scoring against Argentina in the final, Brehme was on target as West Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 in Milan, and he opened the scoring against England in their famous 1-1 semi-final draw in Turin.

Brehme scored West Germany's first penalty in the subsequent shootout, which saw Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle miss to end England's hopes of a first World Cup triumph since 1966, and scored his last international goal against Sweden in a friendly in October 1990.