November's Turmoil

Germany had already entered winter by early November.

Far away in northern Germany, the people of Hannover had already put on long johns and down jackets.

In that frigid season, a chilling piece of news suddenly arrived.

Germany's goalkeeping star, Robert Enke, had committed suicide at a railway crossing north of Hannover.

When the news broke, not only was the entire German football world shocked—the whole world was stunned.

He was the starting goalkeeper for the German national team!

If a stomach virus had not sidelined Enke for two months and caused him to miss the national team matches, he should have been reporting for duty with the national team. But now, he had left football forever.

Enke's suicide quickly provoked a powerful reaction throughout German football. German national team manager Bierhoff immediately announced the cancellation of the friendly against Chile. He even wept as he said that none of Enke's teammates or officials had ever noticed his depression, which was deeply regrettable.

Enke's wife also came forward soon afterward, saying that Enke had suffered from depression for six years. It had begun while he was playing for Barcelona. He had lost his starting position, and his entire personality had become gloomy and withdrawn. That had been the first time he sought help from a psychologist.

As professional players, they faced brutal competition and the pressure of matches every day. A single defeat could ruin their entire future. That kind of pressure was unimaginable to ordinary people, and even harder for outsiders to truly understand.

In Enke's suicide note, he said that he lived every day in fear and under pressure. He was afraid of losing everything he currently possessed.

As a goalkeeper, every defeat and every goal conceded filled him with fear and unease.

This was the second