German International Goalkeeper Robert Enke Dies
Obituary of Footballer Killed by Train Aged 32
Nov 11, 2009
Official police reports suggest the international shot-stopper took his own life at a level crossing north west of Hannover.
A statement read: “The victim is apparently national team goalkeeper Robert Enke from Hannover 96. The first police indications are that it was a suicide."
The tragedy has shocked not only those directly involved with football in Germany, but the country as a whole, with Enke expected to have been his nations first choice goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup.
Manager of the German international team Oliver Bierhoff said: “We are in a state of shock. It is beyond words.”
Psychologically Unstable
Speculation suggests Enke had been ‘unstable’ following the death of his two-year old daughter Lara in 2006. Hannover club president Martin Kind mentioned the goalkeeper had found it difficult to cope after her death from a rare heart condition.
President of the governing body of football in Germany (DFB) Dr Theo Zwanziger said the German football community "are deeply distressed and in mourning". He added: "All our sympathy goes to the wife of Robert Enke and his family."
The goalkeeper is survived by his wife Teresa and their adopted daughter of eight months.
Enke’s Life & Career
Enke was born on August 24 1977 in the East German city of Jena, where he began his professional soccer career in 1995 with Carl Zeiss Jena having developed through their youth ranks.
In 1996, the shot-stopper secured a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach where he made 32 appearances and was called up to the German Under-21 squad for whom he featured on 15 occasions.
Enke moved south to Portuguese club Benfica in 1999 and, after a successful spell of 77 appearances spanning three seasons, he joined Barcelona 2002.
However, Enke struggled to make an impact at the Spanish club and teammate Frank de Boer placed the blame upon the goalkeeper for their embarrassing first round cup defeat to minnows Novelda CF.
It proved to be Enke’s only first team appearance for the club and he was duly loaned out to Turkish side Fenerbahçe in 2003, and Tenerife the following year.
Following this second loan spell Enke signed for Hannover 96 on a free transfer, completing 164 appearances until his untimely death in 2009.
It was during this five-year period that the goalkeeper won his first cap for Germany in a friendly match against Denmark on 28 March 2007.
Enke went on to win 8 caps for his country and, following the retirement of Jens Lehmann, was expected to take the number one jersey for the foreseeable future.
He died at Neustadt am Rübenberge on Tuesday 10 November 2009, aged 32.
