Through the 1980s and 1990s, Andreas Brehme was arguably the finest full-back in the world. Winning domestic honours with several clubs alongside a successful career with the powerful West German and unified German national teams, he was recognised as one of the best defenders in the game as well as having the ability to score crucial goals in big games.
Having started out in amateur football in Hamburg with HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst, Brehme made his professional breakthrough with 1. FC Saarbrücken in 1980. In just one season, his performances impressed some of West Germany's bigger clubs and in 1981 he moved on to 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He would enjoy two spells as a player at Kaiserslautern, and in the first of these he forced his way into the national team, playing in both the European Championship and the Olympic Games in 1984.
After an impressive World Cup in Mexico in 1986, where West Germany reached the final, he moved on to Bayern Munich and won the Bundesliga title in his first season. In 1988, having been in the West German team that reached the European Championship semi-final on home soil, Brehme moved to Italy to play for Internazionale. Again he won a league championship medal in his first season as Inter won Serie A in 1989.
Brehme's finest hour came in the 1990 World Cup, where he scored three vital goals as West Germany won the title, none of them more important than the winner from the penalty spot in the final against Argentina. Having won the U.E.F.A. Cup with Inter in 1991, he moved to Spain for one season with Real Zaragoza, and played in the European Championship final in 1992 as the unified Germany lost to Denmark. Returning to Kaiserslautern in 1993, his international career ended after a disappointing 1994 World Cup for the German team.
Brehme's second spell with Kaiserslautern brought success in the German Cup in 1996 and another Bundesliga title two years later, after which he ended his playing career aged 37. Brehme returned to Kaiserslautern again in 2000 as coach and led the team to the U.E.F.A. Cup semi-final in 2001, but was sacked a year later. In 2004, he took a job as coach of SpVgg Unterhaching but left the club the following year, and was also briefly assistant coach at VfB Stuttgart.
CLUB CAREER
HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst (FRG)
Years: 1974-80
1. FC Saarbrücken (FRG)
Years: 1980-81
Appearances: 36
Goals: 3 (league only)
1. FC Kaiserslautern (FRG)
Years: 1981-86, 1993-98
Appearances: 274
Goals: 43 (league only)
First Spell: 154/34
Second Spell: 120/9
Team Honours:
German Cup (1): 1995-96
German Bundesliga Championship (1): 1997-98
Bayern München (FRG)
Years: 1986-88
Appearances: 59
Goals: 7 (league only)
Team Honours:
West German Bundesliga Championship (1): 1986-87
Internazionale (ITA)
Years: 1988-92
Appearances: 116
Goals: 11 (league only)
Team Honours:
Italian Serie A Championship (1): 1988-89
U.E.F.A. Cup (1): 1990-91
Real Zaragoza (ESP)
Years: 1992-93
Appearances: 24
Goals: 1 (league only)
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
(West) Germany
Years: 1984-94
Appearances: 86
Goals: 8
Debut: 15/02/1984 v Bulgaria
(A) W 3-2
Last Cap: 10/07/1994 v Bulgaria
(N, USA) L 1-2
Major Championships:
European Championship 1984 (FRA): First Round (3 games, 0 goals)
World Cup 1986 (MEX): Runners-Up (5 games, 1 goal)
European Championship 1988 (FRG): Semi-Finals (4 games, 1 goal)
World Cup 1990 (ITA):
Winners (6 games, 3 goals)
European Championship 1992 (SWE): Runners-Up (5 games, 0 goals)
World Cup 1994 (USA): Quarter Finals (5 games, 0 goals)
Other Achievements:
Played at 1984 Olympics (not full internationals).
József Bozsik 
