Germany goalkeeper had long suffered from depression

DEATH OF ROBERT ENKE:GERMANY GOALKEEPER Robert Enke, who died by suicide on Tuesday, had long suffered from depression and fears of failure, his wife and his doctor have said.

Enke (32), was hit by a train as it passed through a crossing near Hanover on its route between Hamburg and Bremen.

Enke is survived by his wife, Teresa, and an adopted eight-month-old daughter.

The German soccer federation (DFB) said Saturday’s friendly with Chile had been scrapped because the players were in shock. All the players and coaches are due to attend a memorial service in Hanover in the coming days.

Enke’s wife said the couple had tried to overcome years of depression through therapy.

“When he was acutely depressive it was a very difficult time because he lacked motivation and any hope of improvement,” she said.

Enke, who, in a letter he left, apologised for hiding the condition leading up to his death, had tried hard to keep his depression secret.

His widow revealed he feared that their adopted daughter, Leila, would be taken away if the illness became public knowledge.

Struggling to hold back tears, she said: “It is crazy, because now it is coming out anyway. We thought we could do everything and we could do it with love, but you can’t always do it.”

The German soccer federation cancelled the Chile game saying it was necessary for the players and coaches to mourn.

“It was clear to everyone that we could not play,” said DFB chief Theo Zwanziger.

“We need time to process all this,” he said after a minute’s silence before the news conference.

Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff broke down in tears after adding that Enke’s depression had gone unnoticed by team-mates and officials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel contacted Enke’s family.

Enke won eight international caps and was in the running to play at the World Cup in South Africa next year.

His doctor had treated Enke since 2003, during a turbulent time when the goalkeeper had several unsuccessful transfers to clubs in Spain and Turkey.

“He suffered from depression and fear of failure,” Valentin Markser said.

Markser said the player refused to be treated on the day of his death, saying he was feeling well.

After years of battling injuries and personal issues, including the death of his two-year-old daughter due to a heart ailment in 2006, Enke finally appeared poised to grab the number one spot in the national team.

He lived in the shadow of Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann for almost a decade and it was only after the latter’s international retirement last year that Enke emerged as a leading contender for the position, despite earning his first call-up in 1999. He won his first cap in 2007.

Enke started his career at Carl Zeiss Jena and had spells at Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife, before joining Hannover in 2004.

Barcelona held a minute’s silence before dedicating their Copa del Rey victory over Cultural Leonesa to Enke on Tuesday, while Tenerife said their players would wear black armbands in their La Liga match at the weekend.

Hannover’s official website was dedicated to their former number one. A statement on an otherwise entirely black home page just read: “We are mourning Robert Enke, 24 August 1977-10 November 2009.”

Monchengladbach vice-president Rainer Bonhof, Enke’s coach at the club in the1998/99 season, said on www.borussia.de: “This is shocking news, words fail me.”

Carl Zeiss Jena spokesman Andreas Trautmann said: “The right words don’t exist for such a tragedy. We are shocked and our thoughts are with Robert’s family. They have our heart-felt sympathies.”

“I am stunned. I am at loss for words,” said Germany captain Michael Ballack.

“I find it hard to describe my feelings, I am totally shocked, totally empty,” Germany coach Joachim Loew added. “His death is an immense loss. We will miss him as a first-rate athlete and an exceptional human being.”

Thousands of fans gathered outside the Hanover stadium and offices last night, leaving flowers and lighting candles in Enke’s memory.

The German league said a minute’s silence would be held on the next match day, with all players wearing black armbands.

Enke’s death triggered an outpouring of grief, with Fifa president Sepp Blatter saying his “thoughts are with the family and we hope they will find the strength to deal with the pain”.