Former Germany international and member of the country’s 1990 World Cup-winning squad, Frank Mill, has died at the age of 67.
Mill suffered a heart attack back in late May and is believed to have passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
German outlet Bild reported that Mill had a cardiac arrest moments after getting into a taxi at Milan Malpensa Airport, as he arrived in the city to partake in a documentary about Germany’s World Cup triumph.
Mill was airlifted to hospital and is believed to have been dead for several minutes before he was resuscitated by doctors.
The German was initially placed into an artificial coma as his condition stabilised following the life-threatening incident, before he was allowed to return to his hometown of Essen in Germany to continue his recovery.
However, after battling for 10 weeks, Mill is believed to have died at 2:30am.
Former Germany international striker Frank Mill has passed away at the age of 67
Mill suffered a cardiac arrest in late May and had to be brought back to life, but is believed to have died in the early hours of Tuesday morning
The former attacker was a part of the Germany squad that won the World Cup in 1990
The former striker, who turned out 17 times for his country, secured an Olympic bronze medal for West Germany in 1988, two years before the World Cup triumph in Italy.
His career began at his hometown club Rot-Weiss Essen before he was pinched by Bundesliga giants Borussia Monchengladbach in 1981.
Mill made over 150 appearances for ‘Die Fohlen’, spending five years at the club, before making the move to Borussia Dortmund.
Eight years and a DFB Pokal followed before the final two years of his career at Borussia Dusseldorf.
Tributes have poured in from fans and many of Mill’s former clubs. The German national team have also taken to social media to pay their respects to their former star.
‘We mourn the loss of Frank Mill, our 1990 World Champion,’ the German FA wrote in a statement. ‘Rest in peace, Frank. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.’
Mill’s boyhood club, and local team, Rot-Weiss Essen have also taken to X to post a heartfelt tribute.
The club statement read: ‘Rot-Weiss Essen mourns the loss of its former striker Frank Mill. The Essen native passed away in the night from Monday, 4 August, to Tuesday, 5 August, due to the consequences of a severe heart attack. He was only 67 years old.
‘In total, Frank Mill, who joined RWE from Eintracht Essen in 1972 at the age of 14, played 165 professional matches (90 goals) for Rot-Weiss. Rest in peace, legend!’
Mill is survived by his three children, Vanessa, Kevin, and Max.
