Craig Fawcett reviews his top read of 2011.
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When Ronald Reng began working on a book with Robert Enke, I’m sure he never envisaged the title would be ‘A Life Too Short’. However, this was the tragedy of Robert Enke. While many knew of his battle with depression before he took his own life, only he knew how it would end.
Reng’s book is not a commentary on depression. In fact, Enke only had two bouts of depression in his life. The first came following an ill-fated move to Barcelona. For a time, Enke believed he had to forever aim higher – this unfortunate ambition only served to stall his career for two years. The second hit of depression ran far deeper and was far darker, despite arriving at the most successful point of his career. When he died, Enke was fighting for the German goalkeeper shirt and was captain of Hannover 96.
It would be wrong to think of Enke’s life as only being on the pitch. He was a principled man, a good friend and a dedicated professional. Reng recounts more than one occasion where Enke extended kind words and advice to the very men he competed with on a weekly basis.
He was also a deeply committed family man. He married his teenage sweetheart Teresa, and suffered heartbreak with her when their baby girl Lara died aged 2. Again, at the time of his death, this side of his life seemed to be resolved. Whilst he never forgot Lara, he and Teresa were finally rebuilding the family that had been so cruelly denied them, having adopted Laila six months earlier.
As evidenced by Reng, this was to be the paradox of Robert Enke. How could a man so calm on the football pitch be so torn inside? Just two days before his death, Enke played for Hannover in a 2-2 draw with Hamburg. Despite the reflex-slowing anti-depressants he was taking, Enke managed to perform admirably. Maybe he drew on his resolve to end his torment. It will never be known.
While this story obviously ends in the worst way imaginable, it also documents the trials and tribulations of a modern professional footballer and the extent that the mind is as important as the body. Enke and his colleagues are pushed and pulled around Europe to ply their trade at whichever club had taken a fancy to them that summer. Whilst it is easy to scoff the hardships of a footballer (the pay is amazing, they get to play football all day, how many women could you want?), it is extremely difficult to empathise with them as human beings. Reng’s triumph is to make the reader see the world through Enke’s eyes.
Robert Enke will never know how many people would have stood alongside him in his battle – this is his tragedy. However, Reng’s faithful, humble account of his life and death will serve as a fitting tribute to a great man. A fascinating book, highly recommended.
By Craig Fawcett
Follow Craig on Twitter @jorgalbertz
