German international goalkeeper Robert Enke died on 10 November, 2009.

The 32-year-old had won eight caps for the German national team since 2007 and was a member of the squad which finished runners-up in Euro 2008.

He was thought to have been in the frame for the No1 shirt for Germany at the forthcoming 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

The German soccer federation released a statement expressing their sadness over the news, adding: "The German team has learned of the death of Robert Enke with great shock."

National team coach Joachim Loew and manager Oliver Bierhoff said: "We are all shocked, we are speechless."

Local governor Christian Wulff said: "Germany loses an exceptional athlete and a sensitive man who was a role model for many."

The footballer was also goalkeeper and captain for Hannover 96.

After learning of Enke's death, many fans lit candles to pay their respects outside the Hannover 96 offices.

Enke's career began when aged eight he signed for his local club SV Jena in central Germany as a first step to become a professional footballer.

He made his professional debut in 1995 for FC Carl Zeiss Jena.

1997 saw him break into the German Under-21 team and in 1999 was named in Germany's squad for the Confederations Cup.

He moved to Barcelona in 2002, then Fenerbahce, before signing for Tenerife, and then winning a two-year deal with Hannover in July 2004.

Hannover supporters and the rest of the football world were shocked to learn of Enke's death. He is believed to have chosen to end his own life after a period of depression and died after stepping onto a railway line.

He reportedly found it difficult to cope following the death of his two-year-old daughter Lara of a heart ailment in 2006.

Enke was survived by his wife Teresa and their eight-month-old daughter Leila, whom the couple adopted in May 2009.

His wife, Teresa, said: "I tried to be there for him, said that football is not everything. There are many beautiful things in life. It is not hopeless.

"We had Lara, we have Leila.

"I always wanted to help him to get through it. He didn't want it to come out because of fear. He was scared of losing Leila."