Andreas Brehme, scorer of West Germany's winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final, dies at 63

BERLIN: Germany’s 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme has died.

Brehme endeared himself to the nation in the final when he scored a late penalty after team captain Lothar Matthäus’ boots broke to give West Germany a 1-0 win over Diego Maradona’s Argentina.

Brehme’s partner Susanne Schaefer told Germany’s dpa news agency on Tuesday that he died “suddenly and unexpectedly” in the night from a cardiac arrest. He was 63.

“I can’t believe it at all. The news of Andreas’ sudden death makes me incredibly sad,” national teammate Rudi Völler said. “Andi was our World Cup hero, but for me he was much more. He was my close friend and companion to this day. I will miss his wonderful love of life.”