Andreas Brehme
The ultimate big-game player, his ice-cool penalty won the 1990 World Cup and defined a career of relentless consistency and two-footed brilliance.
1960–2024 (age 64)·German footballer·Birthday: November 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andreas Brehme was the quiet engine of German football's greatest triumphs. A versatile and indefatigable left-back who could also dominate midfield, his career was built on relentless consistency and a unique ambidexterity—he took penalties and free-kicks with either foot, keeping goalkeepers perpetually guessing. While club success followed him from Kaiserslautern to Inter Milan, where he won a Serie A title, and to Bayern Munich, his moment of immortality came in Rome in 1990. With the World Cup final against Argentina tied and minutes remaining, Brehme stepped up to take a penalty. With calm precision, he sent the ball into the net, delivering Germany its third World Cup. Never the flashiest star, Brehme was the ultimate professional, a player whose technical assurance and mental fortitude made him the man for the decisive moment.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andreas was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andreas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Andreas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2024Died at 64
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
Key Achievements
- Scored the 85th-minute penalty that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup for West Germany against Argentina.
- Won the Serie A title with Inter Milan in 1989 and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 1998.
- Played in three consecutive World Cup finals (1986, 1990, 1994), a rare feat for an outfield player.
- Earned 86 caps for Germany, contributing 8 goals from his defensive position.
Did You Know?
He was naturally right-footed but became so proficient with his left foot that many considered him two-footed.
Brehme's winning penalty in the 1990 final was taken with his left foot, contrary to his usual preference.
He and his 1990 World Cup teammate Jürgen Klinsmann were born on the same day (November 9, 1960).
After retirement, he briefly managed his former club, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, in the Bundesliga.
“I took the penalty with my left foot because the ball was on that side.”
