“Enke’s status was renowned in whole Germany”

Arnold Bruggink was in total shock on Tuesday. The Hannover 96 midfielder heard his teammate Robert Enke committed suicide at a railway crossing. “When I was called on Tuesday night, I was totally shocked. I went to the stadium, where the players joined each other and cried.”

“It’s very tough. We played together for the fourth season now and since the beginning we had a good relationship. We saw each other very often.”

Despite their regular contact, Bruggink didn’t knew everything about Enke. “Some things came clear to me at the press conference. It’s very hard to realize that you are in the same locker room for years without noticing he’s that ill.”

“He has hidden his problems excellently,” Bruggink concluded in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “If even his doctor didn’t saw this coming…This is so hard. Robert wasn’t only our best player, he was also a very social guy. His status was renowned in Germany, because people could empathy with him and identify themselves with him. Robert stayed humble and relaxed, despite his success.”