Germany's goalkeeper commits suicide

[faceless]

Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke dies after being hit by a train
• Enke's agent Jörg Neblung confirms it was suicide
• 32-year-old was expected to be at next year's World Cup
10 November 2009

Robert Enke, the Hannover and Germany goalkeeper who was expected to be part of his country's World Cup squad next summer, was killed after being hit by a train close to a level crossing near his home. "We are all shocked," said the national team's general manager, Oliver Bierhoff. "We are lost for words." Jörg Neblung, a close friend and adviser of Enke, later said that the 32-year-old goalkeeper had killed himself. "I can confirm that it was suicide," he said. "Robert took his own life shortly before six o'clock. A press conference in Hanover on Wednesday will reveal more details."

A police statement had already intimated that suicide was the line of inquiry they were following and added that the incident happened in Neustadt-Eilvese and Enke died at the scene. Hannover's president, Martin Kind, said the goalkeeper had been "unstable" recently but that it had not been publicly noticed. "This is a tragedy," Kind added. Enke's car was found near the scene, unlocked, with his wallet on the seat. The two train drivers reported seeing a man on the tracks and applied the brakes while travelling at about 100mph but could not stop in time, police reported.

Fans flocked to Hannover's stadium and were laying flowers and lighting candles at the gates in memory of their captain, who had been with the club since 2004. Enke's daughter Lara died in 2006 of a rare heart condition when she was two and he leaves a wife, Teresa, and an eight-month-old daughter they had adopted. Germany's players and staff were informed after training in Bonn. Enke's death may bring about the cancellation of Saturday's friendly against Chile.

Enke had been diagnosed with a bacterial stomach virus several weeks ago and did not play for Hannover for two months, although he reappeared for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Hamburg. He was not selected for the friendlies against Chile and Ivory Coast next Wednesday although Germany's coach, Joachim Löw, had said Enke – who won eight caps after making his debut in 2007, the last of them against Azerbaijan in August – remained the leading candidate to be his No1 in South Africa.

Understudy to Jens Lehmann at Euro 2008, he was in line to secure the starting place before falling ill and missing the last three qualifiers. In that time Rene Adler increased his chances of taking the role. Enke made 196 Bundesliga appearances, also playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach after starting in East Germany with Jena. He had spells at Tenerife, Fenerbahce, Barcelona and Benfica.

Barcelona had a minute's silence in his honour before their Copa de Rey match against Cultural Leonesa, while Tenerife paid tribute to their former player. "Tenerife want to convey their condolences and sympathy following the recent death of the German goalkeeper Robert Enke, who played for the team during the 2003/04 season," a statement said. "Tenerife will have a minute's silence in the next game against Sevilla and will wear black armbands."

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[SpursFan1902]

This is so sad...We got word from a friend of ours that lives in Bochum and she said everyone is pretty broken up about this. He was apparently very popular.

[faceless]

A sad story for sure - having a job as one of the best in your field and still feeling shit.

[SpursFan1902]

That's the saddest part. He had it all and was still depressed. I wonder if it was triggered by the death of his daughter or if he was having issues prior to that.

[faceless]

More than 45,000 flock to Robert Enke's memorial at Hannover's ground
• Robert Enke, 'an ideal role model', remembered in tributes
• Around 45,000 attend service at the Niedersachsen Stadion
guardian.co.uk,
15 November 2009

A crowd of around 45,000 have paid their respects to the goalkeeper Robert Enke at a memorial service at Hannover 96's Niedersachsen Stadion. Enke, who took his life last week, was remembered in the silence at the stadium he played in, celebrating the finest moments as a goalkeeper for Hannover.

"Enke will never come into this stadium again, in this place where he stole our hearts as a sportsman, as a lead figure and captain of our team," said the club's president Martin Kind in a moving tribute to a man who "only had friends". "Robert, you were the No1 in the real meaning of the word. That is why 50,000 people want to honour you, in your city, in your stadium. Enke was one of the outstanding personalities of German sport and the only consolation for me is that I had the fortune of working with him. It was a gift that Robert Enke was one of us, but sadly he was taken away far too early."

A common theme expressed by those who spoke was that Enke's death should serve as the catalyst to remove the stigma from depression, an illness that accounts for thousands of deaths each year. "You can all do so much when you are prepared to stand up against evil, to speak out against injustice, and when you are prepared to break a taboo in society," said the German Football Association president Theo Zwanziger.

The mayor of Hanover, Stephan Weil, added: "Many young fans are suffering from the death of their biggest role model and Enke would love for you to maintain your love of sport while at the same time knowing that sport is not the most important thing in life. We all have fear, all of us. Not only did Enke have to fight with his own fear, he also had to fight the fear of the public finding out, and that hurts in particular. Whoever shows their fear is not weak, they are strong."

Enke's wife Teresa fought back tears during an emotional service that lasted an hour and ended after his coffin was carried out of the stadium by several of his former team-mates, with a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. Tributes to Teresa, who lost her biological daughter Lara with a rare heart condition at the age two in 2006 and is left with Leila – the girl she and Robert adopted last May – received standing ovations from the congregation.

The Catholic priest Heinrich Plochge added: "Everything which has been said so positively about Enke is 100% honest. I don't think anybody would not have wished him all the best. He was not only an idol, but an ideal, an ideal role model."

[eefanincan]

So sad indeed. My father is from Hannover and used to play for Hannover 96 junior team in the 50's so it kind of hits home. I hope his family will be able to move forward and heal from the tragedy.