About Andreas Köpke
Andreas "Andy" Köpke (German pronunciation: [anˈdʁeːas ˈʔandiː ˈkœpkə]; born 12 March 1962) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After being selected for the Germany national team squads that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he succeeded Bodo Illgner to become Germany's first-choice goalkeeper at UEFA Euro 1996 (which Germany won) and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. == Career == Köpke began his professional club career at Holstein Kiel in the summer of 1979. Having been chosen as the best player in Germany in 1993, his biggest achievement came in 1996, winning the European Championship and playing a pivotal role in Germany's campaign. In the last group match he saved Gianfranco Zola's penalty for Italy and also saved Gareth Southgate's penalty in the semi-final shootout victory against England. Due to his success with the German team he was voted FIFA goalkeeper of the year. Köpke was also Germany's first-choice goalkeeper at 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the team's second group match against Yugoslavia, he made an error when attempting to claim a low cross, allowing Dragan Stojković to score and give the opposing team a 2–0 lead; Germany eventually came back to achieve a 2–2 draw. Their campaign ended in a 3–0 loss to Croatia in the quarter-finals. Having already made his decision to retire at the end of the World Cup prior to the tournament, Köpke was true to his word; his retirement paved the way for another great German keeper, Oliver Kahn.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.