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Rudi Völler: “I miss you”

Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa

The football family said goodbye to World Cup hero Andreas Brehme with a moving speech from his long-time companion Rudi Völler.

DFB sports director Völler, world champion with Brehme in Italy in 1990, as well as numerous other friends and teammates paid their last respects to the man who died suddenly on February 20th at the memorial service in Munich.

»Andi cannot be reduced to the penalty.

With his inimitable laugh, he could lighten up even the worst mood," said Völler, according to the "Bild" newspaper, during his touching speech about Brehme's greatest footballing moment and cried.

He concluded with the sentence: “I miss you.”

Brehme became world champion with Germany in 1990, and in the final against Argentina he converted the penalty into the winning goal.

As a club player, he won the German championship with Bayern in 1987 and with Kaiserslautern in 1998.

He also won the UEFA Cup in 1991 with Inter Milan and won the DFB Cup in 1996 with Kaiserslautern.

He played 86 international matches for the national team and scored eight goals.

After his career, the former full-back entered the coaching business, but was unable to build on his success as a player.

He coached FCK, SpVgg Unterhaching and was assistant coach at VfB Stuttgart.

Many football greats come to the funeral

Brehme was buried in the Ostfriedhof in the Giesing district, just a few meters away from Franz Beckenbauer's birthplace.

The “Kaiser”, German team boss during the 1990 World Cup triumph, died on January 7th, just 44 days before Brehme.

Brehme was 63 years old, Beckenbauer 78.

Around 200 invited guests around DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said goodbye to Brehme.

His former club FC Bayern was represented by Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Jan-Christian Dreesen and Karl Hopfner, among others.

A delegation from Milan, where Brehme played for Inter, was also there.

Jürgen Klinsmann flew in from the USA, and alongside captain Lothar Matthäus, numerous 1990 world champions were there.

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