Black day for Germany as football goalkeeper takes life

BERLIN (AFP) – The suicide of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, on course to play for his country in the 2010 World Cup, cast a shadow over the world of football on Wednesday and left fans here in a state of shock.

Police said Enke threw himself in front of a train at a level crossing in the small town of Neustadt am Rubenberge, near Hanover, shortly before 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Tuesday. He was 32.

Tributes poured in from around the country, with Germany's friendly against Chile on Saturday cancelled as a mark of respect with devastated fans leaving flowers, candles and cards outside the ground in Hanover where he played.

His doctor Valentin Markser revealed the player had an acute fear of failure and had been treated for depression since 2003 following a difficult time after his transfer to Barcelona and subsequent loan to Turkish side Fenerbahce.

"I tried to give him hope again, to show him that football was not everything, that we had each other," his tearful widow Teresa told the press.

"I was always by his side: I believed, with love, we could pull through this.

"But football meant everything to him."

His 2002 move to Barcelona saw him make just one appearance for the Spaniards and he was pelted with bottles by his own fans while on loan to Fenerbahce during a heavy 3-0 defeat to arch rivals Istanbulspor.

After the game, Enke immediately quit the Turkish club, and his planned one-year loan, to return to Spain in August 2003 when he sought psychiatric treatment.

Returning to Germany and Hanover 96 in 2004, things slowly began to look up.

He was understudy to then first-team keeper Jens Lehmann during the 2008 European championships and took over in goal for Germany when Lehmann retired in August 2008.

Last season, he was voted the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga, but his on-field success masked the problems in his private life.

In 2006, Enke and his wife suffered personal tragedy when their two-year-old daughter Lara died of a heart defect. They adopted a baby girl, Leila, just eight months ago.

Teresa revealed on Wednesday that her husband was terrified by the prospect of the authorities taking Leila away because of his illness, further worsening his angst and making him unwilling to go public about his problem.

Apart from his family and doctor, no one at his club had any idea.

A stomach bug in September caused him to pull out of the national squad two days ahead of their thumping 4-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Azerbaijan.

This allowed his rival Rene Adler to boost his chances of representing his country in June's 2010 World Cup finals and Adler was in goal for the 1-0 win over Russia last month which saw Germany book their place in South Africa.

Enke only returned to play for his club Hanover 96 just last Sunday in their 2-2 draw with Hamburg and the shaven-headed shot-stopper declared himself delighted to be fighting fit again.

His doctor said Enke had visited him six weeks ago, suffering from a deep bout of depression - around the same time he lost his place in the Germany team.

Hanover police have confirmed Enke left a suicide note, but with respect to the family will not reveal where the note was found, but Enke's Mercedes was found near to the level-crossing where he took his life.

The news sent a chill through football-mad Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel has contacted Enke's widow.

"I am stunned, I am totally lost for words," said Germany captain Michael Ballack.

A stunned Martin Kind, Enke's club president, added: "It is a total catastrophe. I am finding it hard to understand."

"Robert was a kind, open and modest human being."

National coach Joachim Loew paid tribute to Enke, who won the first of his eight caps under Loew in the 1-0 win over Denmark in March 2007, admitting he was flabbergasted.

"I am completely shocked and absolutely empty," said Loew. "Robert was not only a talented player, but also a great person ... He could really listen and treated everyone with unbelievable respect."

"His death is an immense loss and we will miss him, as both a high-class sportsman and an exceptional person."