Robert Enke
Robert Enke (born 24 August 1977 in Jena, East Germany - died 10 November 2009, Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany) was a German football player. He was a goalkeeper for the Germany football team.
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Robert Enke | ||
Date of birth | 24 August 1977 | ||
Place of birth | Jena, Thuringia , East Germany | ||
Date of death | 10 November 2009 32) | (aged||
Place of death | Neustadt am Rübenberge, Lower Saxony , Germany | ||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1995-1996 1996-1999 1999-2002 2002-2004 2003 2004 2004-2009 |
Carl Zeiss Jena Borussia Mönchengladbach Benfica Barcelona →Fenerbahçe (loan) →Tenerife (loan) Hannover | ||
National team | |||
2007-2009 | Germany | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Football career
Enke started to play football at BSG Jenapharm Jena, a local club in his city. In 1985 he came to the youth teams of Jena's major football club, Carl Zeiss Jena. On 11 November 1995, at the age of 18, he had his first professional match for Jena in the German 2. Bundesliga. In 1996, he came to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.
From 1997 to 1999 he made fifteen matches for the German under-21 national team. In 1999 he was nominated as one of three goalkeepers of the national team and he went to the FIFA Confederations Cup in the same year. After leaving Germany in 1999 and playing in Portugal, Spain and Turkey, he was not nominated.
In 2006, already playing two years back home, he was nominated as a stand-by goalkeeper for the world championships. After that he returned to the team, on 28 March 2007 he made his first match for the team (against Denmark). In May 2008 he became goalkeeper number two after Jens Lehmann who was already 38 years old. After the UEFA Euro 2008, Jens Lehmann left the national team. Since then, the goalkeepers changed often. On 8 October 2008, Enke broke his hand, so René Adler played his first match in the national team. Other goalkeepers who were tested were Manuel Neuer and Tim Wiese.
Enke's last club was Hannover 96. He had a contract until the year 2010. In 2007 he became team captain in his club. He had played eight matches for the national team. His last match for the national team was on 12 August 2009 against Azerbaijan, his last club match was on 8 November 2009 against Hamburg.
Private life
Enke and his wife had a daughter who died in 2006. She was two years old. In 2009 they adopted another daughter.[1]
Death
Enke died in the evening of 10 November 2009 when he was hit by a train near Neustadt am Rübenberge. His advisor said that Enke committed suicide.[1] The next day, there was a press conference with Enke's widow and his psychiatrist. They said that Enke had had a major depressive disorder (depression) since the year 2003.[2]
Club career statistics
Club statistics | League | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals |
Germany | League | |||
1995/96 | Carl Zeiss Jena | 2. Bundesliga | 4 | 0 |
1996/97 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 |
1997/98 | 0 | 0 | ||
1998/99 | 32 | 0 | ||
Portugal | League | |||
1999/00 | Benfica | Portuguese Liga | 26 | 0 |
2000/01 | 26 | 0 | ||
2001/02 | 25 | 0 | ||
Spain | League | |||
2002/03 | Barcelona | La Liga | 1 | 0 |
Turkey | League | |||
2003/04 | Fenerbahçe | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 |
Spain | League | |||
2003/04 | Tenerife | Segunda División | 9 | 0 |
Germany | League | |||
2004/05 | Hannover | Bundesliga | 34 | 0 |
2005/06 | 32 | 0 | ||
2006/07 | 34 | 0 | ||
2007/08 | 34 | 0 | ||
2008/09 | 24 | 0 | ||
2009/10 | 6 | 0 | ||
Country | Germany | 200 | 0 | |
Portugal | 57 | 0 | ||
Spain | 10 | 0 | ||
Turkey | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 268 | 0 |
International career statistics
Germany national team | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
2007 | 1 | 0 |
2008 | 3 | 0 |
2009 | 4 | 0 |
Total | 8 | 0 |
References
- Robert Enke begeht Selbstmord, stern.de, 10 November 2009 (in German)
- Enkes Witwe spricht über Depressionen ihres Mannes, Spiegel Online, 11 November 2009 (in German)
- Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Robert Enke". www.national-football-teams.com.