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TK's Big Daddy
A crowd of around 45,000 have paid their respects to the goalkeeper Robert Enke at a memorial service at Hannover 96's Niedersachsen Stadion.
Enke, who took his life last week, was remembered in the silence at the stadium he played in, celebrating the finest moments as a goalkeeper for Hannover.
"Enke will never come into this stadium again, in this place where he stole our hearts as a sportsman, as a lead figure and captain of our team," said the club's president Martin Kind in a moving tribute to a man who "only had friends".
"Robert, you were the No1 in the real meaning of the word. That is why 50,000 people want to honour you, in your city, in your stadium. Enke was one of the outstanding personalities of German sport and the only consolation for me is that I had the fortune of working with him. It was a gift that Robert Enke was one of us, but sadly he was taken away far too early."
A common theme expressed by those who spoke was that Enke's death should serve as the catalyst to remove the stigma from depression, an illness that accounts for thousands of deaths each year. "You can all do so much when you are prepared to stand up against evil, to speak out against injustice, and when you are prepared to break a taboo in society," said the German Football Association president Theo Zwanziger.
The mayor of Hanover, Stephan Weil, added: "Many young fans are suffering from the death of their biggest role model and Enke would love for you to maintain your love of sport while at the same time knowing that sport is not the most important thing in life. We all have fear, all of us. Not only did Enke have to fight with his own fear, he also had to fight the fear of the public finding out, and that hurts in particular. Whoever shows their fear is not weak, they are strong."
Enke's wife Teresa fought back tears during an emotional service that lasted an hour and ended after his coffin was carried out of the stadium by several of his former team-mates, with a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.
Tributes to Teresa, who lost her biological daughter Lara with a rare heart condition at the age two in 2006 and is left with Leila – the girl she and Robert adopted last May – received standing ovations from the congregation.
The Catholic priest Heinrich Plochge added: "Everything which has been said so positively about Enke is 100% honest. I don't think anybody would not have wished him all the best. He was not only an idol, but an ideal, an ideal role model."
Enke, who took his life last week, was remembered in the silence at the stadium he played in, celebrating the finest moments as a goalkeeper for Hannover.
"Enke will never come into this stadium again, in this place where he stole our hearts as a sportsman, as a lead figure and captain of our team," said the club's president Martin Kind in a moving tribute to a man who "only had friends".
"Robert, you were the No1 in the real meaning of the word. That is why 50,000 people want to honour you, in your city, in your stadium. Enke was one of the outstanding personalities of German sport and the only consolation for me is that I had the fortune of working with him. It was a gift that Robert Enke was one of us, but sadly he was taken away far too early."
A common theme expressed by those who spoke was that Enke's death should serve as the catalyst to remove the stigma from depression, an illness that accounts for thousands of deaths each year. "You can all do so much when you are prepared to stand up against evil, to speak out against injustice, and when you are prepared to break a taboo in society," said the German Football Association president Theo Zwanziger.
The mayor of Hanover, Stephan Weil, added: "Many young fans are suffering from the death of their biggest role model and Enke would love for you to maintain your love of sport while at the same time knowing that sport is not the most important thing in life. We all have fear, all of us. Not only did Enke have to fight with his own fear, he also had to fight the fear of the public finding out, and that hurts in particular. Whoever shows their fear is not weak, they are strong."
Enke's wife Teresa fought back tears during an emotional service that lasted an hour and ended after his coffin was carried out of the stadium by several of his former team-mates, with a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.
Tributes to Teresa, who lost her biological daughter Lara with a rare heart condition at the age two in 2006 and is left with Leila – the girl she and Robert adopted last May – received standing ovations from the congregation.
The Catholic priest Heinrich Plochge added: "Everything which has been said so positively about Enke is 100% honest. I don't think anybody would not have wished him all the best. He was not only an idol, but an ideal, an ideal role model."