Andy - The Two - Footed Maestro

Some footballers have one good foot. And then there was Andreas Brehme, who had two. Equally good, or so it seemed. Whether it was his right foot or left foot, it made little difference to him. To his opponents, however, it made all the difference.

Andy Brehme was born in Hamburg on 9 November 1960. He was a man who would go on to win the World Cup with a right-footed penalty, despite everyone believing that he was left-footed. A little twist of fate. Or perhaps just further proof of his class.

Andreas Brehme joined Inter in the summer of 1988, signing from Bayern Munich alongside Lothar Matthäus. Two Germans, a winning coach in Giovanni Trapattoni and an already strong team on the verge of becoming legendary. Andy took up his position on the left wing. In fact, he made it his own. Relentlessly up and down the wing, defending, attacking, crossing and scoring. Free kicks, penalties, corners; he did it all with astonishing ease, much to the frustration of anyone trying to stop him.

His secret? Two wonderfully gifted feet. Walter Zenga recalled how, during training, he would go in goal and challenge Brehme: ten penalties, five with his right foot and five with his left. A nightmare with two possible outcomes. Riccardo Ferri had the perfect way of describing him: whenever you were in trouble, all you had to do was give the ball to Andy. It was as safe as putting it in the bank.

In 1989 came the Scudetto dei Record. 58 points from 34 games, a dominant league campaign and a team that secured its place in the collective memory of every Inter fan. Brehme flew down the left wing while Matthäus dominated midfield. Klinsmann arrived the following year. The Inter of the Germans was born, which was a combination that required no explanation.

Then came Rome on 8 July 1990. The final of the World Cup in Italy, West Germany against Argentina. With just minutes remaining before the 90-minute mark, the score was still goalless. There was a penalty for the Germans, and Brehme stepped up. He struck it with his right foot. The full-back everyone knew as a left-footer. The ball hit the net and Germany became world champions. Andy had chosen the correct foot. As always.

But his Nerazzurri story had more chapters to come. In 1991, he won the UEFA Cup, beating Roma over two legs in the final. Across his four seasons at Inter, he also lifted the Italian Super Cup. And he left behind something that cannot be measured in trophies alone. Giuseppe Bergomi called him a defensive playmaker. Klinsmann remembered him as an older brother. Ferri saw him as a lifelong companion. Because that was Andy: a champion who also knew how to be a great friend.

Years later, when asked to pick his ideal team from all the players he had shared a dressing room with during his career, he included five former Inter players. A simple way of showing where a part of his heart still belonged. Brehme passed away in February 2024. But some images never fade: his runs down the left, his smile, the Scudetto banner waving across the San Siro pitch. He used to say that he had not been born with that talent, but had worked hard to earn it. Two extraordinary feet, certainly.

But perhaps there is just one other thing to remember about Andy: his heart. It was Nerazzurro.