Beppe Bergomi broke into tears during a live interview with Sky Sport Italia while talking about his friend and former teammate Andreas Brehme, revealing that he had planned to go to San Siro to watch Inter-Atletico Madrid tonight.
Brehme, a former left-back for Inter and Germany national team, died on Tuesday morning of sudden cardiac arrest aged 63.
He had won the Serie A title with Inter in 1988-89. It was a legendary season for the Nerazzurri, who earned 58 points from 68 available, settling a new record for a league with 18 teams in the two-point win era.
Bergomi and Brehme were among the leading players of that unforgettable team, coached by Giovanni Trapattoni.
The former Italy international spoke to Sky Sport Italia on Tuesday morning, hours after the death of his ex-teammate.
“I had a special bond with him. We often talked. The last time, he told me: ‘I am coming for Inter-Salernitana and I’ll stay over for the Atletico game’,” Bergomi said.
“It was the last time we talked. He was a real teammate, a friend, in our [Whatsapp] chat called InterTrap; we’ll miss a special person and a real friend. I’ve spoken to Walter Zenga, Matteoli, Aldo Serena and Riccardo Ferri. I was with Nicola Berti last night. We’ve all remembered him and we’ll miss him so much.”
Brehme played a key role in Inter’s triumphs between the 80s and the 90s and also won a UEFA Cup and a Supercoppa Italiana at the Stadio Meazza.
“He was a left-back, but he was strong with both feet,” Bergomi recalled.
“He was a set-piece taker and our playmaker. What he did in his career was unique. He was in every ideal XI. I like to remember that, morally, he was a true teammate and an extraordinary person. I am so sorry.
“We had a good team, some good players, the champions were Brehme and [Lothar] Matthäus. We expected certain performances from Lothar, not Brehme, but he was an undisputed added value for what he did for us. I am so tied to him as a person, he was amazing,” continued Bergomi.
“He and Lothar had a strong mentality. They were the first ones to get on the pitch before the beginning of training sessions and remained after the end. They were great players.”
Bergomi broke into tears towards the end of the interview: “We are all stunned now. Zenga talked with him 10 or 15 days ago, and now we are waiting to know when his funeral will take place because we want to see him. He deserves all this, a great and wonderful person,” he concluded.