Stefan Effenberg had it all: 12 titles, a Champions League with Bayern Munich and the nickname ‘Der Tiger’ for his untamable character on the pitch. But on June 27, 1994, during the World Cup in the United States, something broke.
Germany was leading 3-2 against South Korea when Berti Vogts took him off. The fans booed him. Effenberg responded by raising his middle finger, in front of the cameras of the entire world.
That single image cost him Euro 96 and his place in the national team. Years later came the second scandal, more intimate and more painful.
Effenberg fell in love with Claudia Strunz, the wife of his teammate Thomas Strunz, who discovered everything through a message on his wife’s phone
Strunz confronted Effenberg with a phrase that went down in the history of German football: ‘You pig, you’ve stolen my wife.’
Effenberg separated from his first wife in 2002 and married Claudia in 2004. A footballer who always had madness as his companion.