Teammates 'stunned' by suicide of German goalkeeper
Fans gather outside the AWD Arena to pay tribute to Robert Enke. Photo: Getty Images
Wednesday November 11 2009
Robert Enke, the goalkeeper of the German national football team, has killed himself by jumping off a railway bridge into the path of a train.
The 32-year-old had been seen as a natural successor to Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann -- two veterans who dominated the key position in the national team for many years.
Enke had played in a league game for his club Hannover 96 only last weekend. However, he had missed the last four international games after suffering a stomach infection.
He had also been overlooked in selection for two games to be played later this month against Chile and Ivory Coast.
He was nevertheless regarded by Joachim Low, the national coach, as the country's number one goalkeeper, and was expected to play in the football World Cup in South Africa next year.
"I don't know why and how this happened," said Martin Kind, chairman of Hannover 96. "All I can say for sure is that it had nothing to do with football." Fellow players said that they believed that Enke may have been suffering from depression.
Since former top national player, Sebastian Deisler, revealed his struggle with mental illness, depression in the sport has been debated.
"He was unstable," said Mr Kind, "But he kept it under wraps."
Three years ago, Enke's two-year-old daughter Lara died from a defective heart valve. With his wife, the professional player had recently adopted a baby daughter.
"We are all stunned, struck dumb," said Oliver Bierhoff, the manager of the national team, after telephoning members of the squad last night to break the sad news.
Enke is believed to have jumped from the bridge at Neustadt am Rubenberge near Hanover at 6.30pm yesterday.
Pressure
In football, goalkeepers are seen as under extreme psychological pressure because they are often seen as responsible for defeats in games.
David James, England's national goalkeeper, writing some time ago about stresses faced by the players, said goalkeepers were now under intense scrutiny and that increased the mental pressure.
"The goalkeeper is particularly vulnerable since so much hinges on self-confidence and self-control," he said. (© The Times, London)
- Roger Boyes in Berlin
Irish Independent
