http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup...ke-dies-aged-32

shocking news... he was löws number one for germanys goal for this WC. After his mysterious illness (some kind of an infection), he wasnt able to play some games lately. and today he died. reason for his death is not sure yet ... suicide is possible aswell, as he had psychological problems according to Hannover96 president.

ps: ive just read that it was suicide.

Edited November 10, 200916 yr by german-blue

That's terrible news. If it was indeed suicide: what a world of misery must lie behind his decision. Poor bloke. And his poor wife.

Edited November 10, 200916 yr by Valerie

its really sad. he was a good person, always liked him. his daughter died 3 years ago ...how hard that has to be for his family.

and it was suicide: he ran into a train according to some media sources.

Edited November 10, 200916 yr by german-blue

Tragic news. Sounds like he struggled with his daughters death which is understandable but not to this extent. Very sad

I'm still shocked. He always seemed to be such a nice guy. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

This is a desperately sad story. I can't begin to imagine how you cope with the grief of losing a child. Perhaps if they'd had two children he would have found the strength to live on for the sake of the other child.

People who commit suicide often convince themselves that their friends and loved ones will understand. If any of you are ever tempted, please talk to someone. If you can't bring yourself to talk to a friend, talk to Samaritans.

They are truly wonderful people, who will listen to absolutely anything and everything, without ever judging you.

Very sad news indeed RIP. Hope he finds the peace he needed.

Sad news. I've been lucky to lead a life that's had enough ups and not too many serious downs so I can only imagine the pain he was going through. I don't know them, but it still makes me sad to think what his loved ones are going through at the moment...

absolute tragedy for his family. Feel very sorry for his wife, first the death of her daughter now her husband i can only imagine how she is feeling right now

That's really tragic news, the poor bloke must have been going through terrible torment to do a thing like that. My thoughts go out to his family, I know what they're going through.

Tragic news, to think at 32 someone would decide they had nothing left to live for.

My thoughts with his family and friends.

RIP.

May his soul finally rest in peace, as it sounded like it was tormented in life

So awful, and my thoughts are with his family. I know depression has been a problem in German football the last few years, reading about another player who struggled with it, as well as Sebastian Deisler, and I hope others realize there is a way out of depression besides the unthinkable

RIP Robert Enke.

Never heard of him that much before now, just read a detailed story on him, poor fella nad his poor wife ! ... just shows material things and fame mean nothing at the end of the day

RIP Robert

This is a desperately sad story. I can't begin to imagine how you cope with the grief of losing a child. Perhaps if they'd had two children he would have found the strength to live on for the sake of the other child.

People who commit suicide often convince themselves that their friends and loved ones will understand. If any of you are ever tempted, please talk to someone. If you can't bring yourself to talk to a friend, talk to Samaritans.

They are truly wonderful people, who will listen to absolutely anything and everything, without ever judging you.

Apparently they did have two children, the 2nd one only being 8 months old.

Apparently they did have two children, the 2nd one only being 8 months old.

Dear God, that makes it even worse. That poor child will grow up to learn that his father chose to die. It will be hard for the mother not to be bitter.

Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, who committed suicide on Tuesday, had been battling depression and was first treated for the illness in 2003.

His widow Teresa said he feared their adopted daughter Leila would be removed if his illness became public knowledge.

He had also struggled to overcome the death of their biological daughter Lara, who died at the age of two in 2006 of a rare heart condition.

Germany have called off their friendly with Chile in Cologne on Saturday.

Enke, 32, who had played for clubs in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Turkey before settling at Hannover 96 in 2004, walked into the path of a train near his home having left a suicide letter in which he apologised for hiding the condition of his mental state.

Enke's widow Teresa bravely confronted the media

Teresa Enke said: "I tried to be there for him, said that football is not everything. There are many beautiful things in life. It is not hopeless. We had Lara, we have Leila.

"I always wanted to help him to get through it. He didn't want it to come out because of fear. He was scared of losing Leila.

"It is the fear of what people will think when you have a child and the father suffers from depression. I always said to him that that is not a problem."

The couple had adopted eight-month-old Leila in May, and Teresa said her husband had cared for the girl "with love - until the end."

She continued: "When he was acutely depressed, then that was a tough time. That is clear because he thought there was no hope of a recovery on the horizon for him.

"After Lara's death everything drew us closer together, we thought that we would achieve everything. I tried to tell him that there is always a solution.

"I drove to training with him. I wanted to help him to get through it. He didn't want to accept help any more. Football was everything. It was his life. The team gave him security."

Enke was hit by a train travelling at 100mph as it passed through a level crossing on its route between Hamburg and Bremen.

His wife Teresa, making a courageous appearance in front of the media, said the couple had tried to overcome years of depression through therapy.

Dressed in black and struggling to hold back tears, she said: "We thought we could do everything and we could do it with love but you can't always do it."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel contacted Enke's family.

"She communicated her shock and compassion to the widow of Robert Enke in a very personal letter," said government spokesman Christoph Steegmans.

Enke had won eight international caps and was expected by many to be the choice to play as goalkeeper for Germany in the the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

His doctor said he had been treating Enke since 2003, during a turbulent time when the goalkeeper had several unsuccessful transfers to clubs.

"He suffered from depression and fear of failure," Valentin Markser told reporters.

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

Enke had lived in the shadow of more illustrious goalkeepers Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann for almost a decade - and it was only after the latter's international retirement last year that he emerged as a leading contender for the position, despite earning his first squad call-up in 1999.

One of the two Spanish clubs he had represented, Barcelona, held a minute's silence before dedicating their King's Cup victory over Cultural Leonesa to Enke on Tuesday.

The other, Tenerife, said their players would wear black armbands in their La Liga match at the weekend. All teams in the top two tiers of Germany's Bundesliga will observe a minute's silence and wear black armbands in their next round of matches on 21-22 November.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Hanover stadium and offices on Wednesday, leaving flowers and lighting candles in Enke's memory.

"We loved him. He was our idol," one fan said. "We will never have someone like him. Not only for us but for the history of football this is a great tragedy."

Awful news. May his soul rest in peace. The poor bloke must have been going through a lot!

This story gets sadder and sadder with every new piece of information posted.

I'd hate to be the driver of that train right now. I know there is nothing the driver could have done when the train was traveling so fast, but human mind is such a complex thing that it's often hard to think clearly after these kind of incidents.

This is hideous tale of personal suffering - not so much from the perspective of the final act of despair but more from the perspective of the blackness this poor man suffered through until this became his preferred choice.

At work today I heard a variety of opinions on this from natural pity through to cold hearted accusations of selfishness. Too many people don't want to , or could never, comprehend how hideously debilitating the isolation of depression is.

To all the family who mourn him I hope that the day when they can look back with nothing but love comes sooner than anyone could ever expect.

I don't believe in any existence after death but if I happen to be wrong then I hope whatever that existence is is one that wipes your memory entirely.After living through that level of pain he should not suffer from knowing what he has left behind.

I'd hate to be the driver of that train right now. I know there is nothing the driver could have done when the train was traveling so fast, but human mind is such a complex thing that it's often hard to think clearly after these kind of incidents.

it may well be a controversial thing to say but it is not easy to excuse someone taking their life in this way

it is a sad story and i do have sympathy for his struggle and the pain his family has now but by stepping in front of a train you most definitely are going to cause considerable torment to the train driver and you could put the safety of potentially 100s of people at risk

i have no knowledge of how he must have been thinking but there must have been some thought process involved. i'm not saying he deliberately ignored those consequences...

sorry if that offends anyone

it may well be a controversial thing to say but it is not easy to excuse someone taking their life in this way

He went through at least 6 years of depression and he got medical treatment in this time.

He was scared to go to special hospitals because he feared that his illness, if made public, would mean loosing his adopted children. I can only imagine how much pressure he had. On one side his life as a footballer, which definitly means a lot of pressure from so many people and then the fear of loosing his child again. And to that his illness.

I think he just knew that no doctor can help him anymore and probably lost any hope that his depression would come to an end, I think that explains a lot

it is a sad story and i do have sympathy for his struggle and the pain his family has now but by stepping in front of a train you most definitely are going to cause considerable torment to the train driver and you could put the safety of potentially 100s of people at risk

Dont think he risked the life of the people in the train. As sad as it might be, but trains have to be able to deal with it because it happens a lot of time that people end their lifes like Robert did.

I agree that its a difficult situation for the drivers of the train, but they are prepared for such cases, which still doesnt mean its easy for them of course. I hope they can deal with it.

Edited November 11, 200916 yr by german-blue

it may well be a controversial thing to say but it is not easy to excuse someone taking their life in this way

it is a sad story and i do have sympathy for his struggle and the pain his family has now but by stepping in front of a train you most definitely are going to cause considerable torment to the train driver and you could put the safety of potentially 100s of people at risk

i have no knowledge of how he must have been thinking but there must have been some thought process involved. i'm not saying he deliberately ignored those consequences...

sorry if that offends anyone

I think what you are failing to appreciate is that depression is not about feeling bloody miserable but still being able to rationally think things through and take measured decisions. It is a mental illness which when at its worst, amongst lots of other things, means making measured decisions is rarely an option.

Do you think if he had the capacity to factor in the implications it mat have had for the train driver then he wouldn't have also thought 'Christ I can't do this, I have a 8 month child.