Germany international footballer Robert Enke has died at the age of 32 after being killed at a railway crossing near his home on Tuesday.

The chairman of his Bundesliga club Hannover, Martin Kind, confirmed that the goalkeeper had died.

"It is a tragedy. You expect many things, but not something like that," said Kind, who heard the news while returning from a meeting of the German football association (DFB) on Tuesday.

"I do not know how and why it happened, but I do not think that it had anything to do with football."

German police told Spiegel Online that they suspected suicide, and other reports said Enke had been hit by an oncoming train near his home.

A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon which may shed more light on what happened.

Enke had won eight international caps for his country, and was expected to be in the squad for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

He missed Germany's last four matches due to a bacterial infection, but had just returned to club action with Hannover.

"We are all shocked," said Germany's general manager Oliver Bierhoff. "We are lost for words."

DFB president Dr Theo Zwanziger said that Enke's death had left the football community in Germany "are deeply distressed and in mourning."

"All our sympathy goes to the wife of Robert Enke and his family," he said in a statement on the DFB's Web site.

Enke's two-year-old daughter Lara died in 2006 of a rare heart condition, but he and his wife Teresa have an eight-month-old daughter they had adopted.

Danke to cnn.com

I am so shocked, I can't say anything else.

Injured Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes hopes to be back in action in time for Germany's 2010 World Cup campaign.

Helmes, 25, is yet to play at club level this season for Bayer Leverkusen, having suffered a cruciate ligament injury over the summer. Keen to return for both club and country, he admits he hopes to be playing regular football by November.

Helmes admits it will be difficult breaking into the Leverkusen squad, with Klaus Augenthaler's side currently topping the Bundesliga table after a solid start.

"I am feeling great," he told Bild. "If I did not know that I was injured, I could not imagine that I am. I hope to be back in training in mid-November. I know the lads are playing great and I expect to play mainly as a substitute until the end of the first phase of the season. The team have gained 20 points in just eight matches, which is remarkable."

Helmes says his dream is to be fit to play in the World Cup, having been forced to watch his country qualify.

"I watched the game against Russia on Saturday and I'm delighted we qualified for tournament in South Africa," he said. "For me, there remains half a season to prove my skills. Taking part for me is a dream."

Below are some pictures from a past rehab session.

Well, you all know that I am a VfB nerd. But, this is one for the funny files. The *wonderful* people with Bayern Munich have a tradition of appearing at Oktoberfest every year. This last Sunday, they kept with the tradition. Here are some of the photos from the event. Some of them are going to make you laugh, some will make you go "Awwww!", while others are just going to make you say, "WTF!?" Enjoy!!

Also, if anyone has a pic of Tymoshchuk at this, I would LOVE to have a linky link! :D

For more photos, please visit the following sites:

Kickette

FC Bayern

Daylife

Hello my fellow female hunk lovers! Very sorry for the lack of time spent on the blog. I have been terribly busy trying to finish a 7 page Chemistry packet and work with the blog and try to understand said Chemistry packet. Also add the fact that they have blocked the site for good. :( It really sucks. :( I mean, I can see why it got blocked for me and Stacey (Torres1), but seriously…OLE OLE IS NOT A PLACE FOR PORN! IT IS FOR FANS OF FOOTBALL AND FOOTY ONLY NOT CRICKET! I mean, I do get my kicks with watching KP, Broad, Bell, and Jimmy, but NO MORE FREAKIN SPAM PLEASE!

Anywho, for the hunk of the day. I have had a number of requests for this following hunk. So, ask my fellow female footy fans and you shall receive. :) Please welcome into the hunky brotherhood, Serdar Tasci!!!

Young Serdar, according to our friends at Wikipedia, was born on my half birthday (April 24^th). He is currently 21 years old, and he was born in Esslingen, Germany. He is of Turkish descent, ( I mean, just look at the name and you can pretty much figure that one out. ;) ). He played for the youth teams of SC Altbach, of Stuttgarter Kickers and, from July 1999, of VfB Stuttgart. Before the 2005–06 season, he joined VfB Stuttgart's second team, playing in the Regionalliga (third division). Prior to 2006–07, he was promoted to the club's Bundesliga side. He had his professional debut on 20 August 2006 against Arminia Bielefeld (3–2 win), in the second game of the season, being brought on for injured Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson in the 68th minute. His first goal followed only a week later, in the next game against Borussia Dortmund (1–3 defeat). Due to his Turkish descent, he was eligible to play for either Germany or Turkey, but in October 2006 has decided to pursue a career for Germany. He had his debut for the Germany national under-21 football team on 6 February 2007 in a 2–0 win against Scotland and went on to make his senior international debut for Germany on 20 August 2008 in a friendly match against Belgium in Nuremberg, which they won 2–0.

As for the WAG, I couldn’t find any pics of a WAG on his official website, so if any of you out there can help me with that, it would be AWESOME!

For more about Serdar, and to download the full size of these and many more pics, please visit Serdar's official website. www.serdar-tasci.de

Joachim Löw has nominated 23 players for the upcoming games against Liechtenstein in Leipzig on March 28 and in Cardiff on April 1 against Wales, both qualifying games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The German coach has refilled some open slots with Arne Friedrich, Marcell Jansen and Lukas Podolski – all three players sat out the year’s opening game against Norway due to injury.

Hannover's Robert Enke, recently sidelined due to a fractured left hand, returns as one of three goalkeepers on the roster.

"I felt that he has had a rather successful convalescence, he’s found his old form quickly", said Löw about Enke.

Löw also commented on Lukas Podolski’s reappearance in the ranks: "The fact that he battled back into Bayern's starting line-up did not have an effect on our nomination. We’d have called upon him either way, as we rate him highly. Lukas is an excellent forward."

Marcell Jansen from Hamburger SV is yet another returnee following a prolonged injury phase.

"As Piotr Trochowski reports injured, we needed a midfield alternative. We will check back with the HSV to get another read on his ability to perform. But disregarding Trochowski's injury status, Marcell Jansen has performed well in the Bundesliga following the winter break. He is certainly a valid option."

Berlin's Arne Friedrich (64 caps) is one of the most experienced players on the team, overbid only by Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings.

"Arne is such a versatile player, he can play on the wings but also in the center of our defense. His outstanding play is a major reason for Hertha leading the standings right now", said Löw.

Hello everyone! Happy Friday the 13th! I have no idea why they always say this day is cursed, I always tend to have good luck on the 13th. Anyway, to the hunk. Let me present to you the latest hunk to be added to the hunky brotherhood.

Let me present to you the hunk of the day....Mike Hanke! Before you say ANYTHING HelterSkelter, Hanke is amazing! Anyway, Mike here was born on November 5, 1983. He plays the position of striker with the Bundesliga's Hannover 96.

Hanke made his debut in the 2001–02 season of the German Bundesliga for Schalke 04. He was transferred to VfL Wolfsburg during the 2005–06 season upon request by then Wolfsburg manager Thomas Strunz.

In May 2007, Hanke moved to Hannover 96, and netted eleven league goals, while the side achieved a midtable final position.

Hanke was first capped for the Germany national football team on 8 June 2005, at the 2005 Confederations Cup, in a 2–2 draw against Russia. He netted his first international goal on 29 June, against Tunisia, but was sent off in his second match against Mexico.

He was a member of the German squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but missed the first two group stage matches due to the red card received in the Confederations Cup. He appeared as a substitute in the third place play-off against Portugal.

Hanke and his former long term girlfriend Jenny have a daughter named Janatha-Fey Mcmanus, born on 15 March 2007 and a son named Jayron-Cain, born on 20 February 2008.

(I think that this is his WAG, but IDK.)

Something else about Mike that I found interesting is that he is allergic to lawn/grass. Kind of funky for him being a footballer and that. According to the English Wikipedia page for Mike Hanke it says,

"Mike Hanke is, ironcally for being a football player, allergic to lawn. He gets blisters and sore skin from contact with grass"

For more about Mike and his hunkyness, please visit his website! Anyway, that is it for the day, I am back to bed so I can shake off this sickness and maybe get to go to school. Missing a whole week is B-R-UTAL for me because I have the "hard" classes this year. Anyway, also, please welcome Stephanie to the blog. :)

Yes, I realize that it is still Friday here, but I am so bored, that I am posting ahead of time! :D Anyway, let me present to you the newest hunk to be added to the hunky brotherhood!

He looks so cute here, and to think, these are the official team photos for Bayer! *drools* :D  

May I present to you Simon Rolfes!! Sorry Stephanie, I will have to do Serdar on Sunday! Simon here was born on January 21, 1987. He is 21 years old and currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen. He started his senior career with Werder Bremen, where he played for their academy. At Bremen, he made 100 apps and put the ball in the net 18 times. He plays defensive midfielder and wears #6 for both club and country. He spent a season on loan at SSV Reutlingen from 2002 to 2003, making 13 appearances. In 2004 he moved to Alemannia Aachen and played 28 times in his one season there. In 2005, Bayer Leverkusen signed him and since then he has made 113 appearances and scored 19 goals. He made his international debut on March 28th, 2007 against Denmark. He was also part of the Euro 2008 Runner-up team. He has already proved to be a very vital asset for both club and country. For more on Simon and his hunkyness, please visit his official website.

WOOOOO! Wow! Welcome back the "ever so popular" hunk of the day post! :D Today's hunk comes to us from the country of Germany! :D WOO!

This is Sebastian Rudy! Seb here was born on the same day as my bf (who, happens to have the same first name too! :D). Seb will be turning 19 on February 28th! He plays for the German giants VfB Stuttgart. Seb here though is going through a rehab session...(for lack of a better term)... to strengthen his ankle that he hurt in a training session back in November of 2008. He joined the VfB academy in 2003 and started his senior career in 2007, playing for the reserve team. This last summer, he signed his first real professional contract with the team and he played his first senior match on August 10, 2008 in the 5:0 win against Hansa Luneburg. He is currently a member of the German U-18 squad.

His father's name is Claude and he has 3 brothers and 1 sister.