Former Tottenham and Liverpool star Christian Ziege, 52, mourns death of his wife Pia as his 'world stops' after her long battle with serious illness

Former Tottenham and Liverpool star Christian Ziege revealed that his wife Pia passed away on Monday after a long battle with 'a serious illness'.

Taking to Instagram on Friday, Ziege wrote: 'Our world has stood still since November 4th. Pia has closed her eyes forever after a long and serious illness.

'We would like to thank everyone who has walked this long and difficult path with us, as well as for the great sympathy and compassion. Pia, you will live on forever in our hearts.'

'And there are always traces of your life, thoughts, pictures, moments. They will remind us of you, make us happy and sad and never let us forget you.'

The former football star and Pia had been married since 1997. They have two children, Alessandro and Maria. Pia also had another daughter, Katharina, from a previous marriage.

After playing for the likes of Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Tottenham and Borussia Monchengladbach, Ziege retired from professional football in 2005.

During his one season with Liverpool he won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup. He also finished League Cup runner-up with Tottenham in 2001-02.

He spent seven seasons with Bayern Munich at the beginning of his career - making 227 appearances for the side before eventually departing for AC Milan.

On top of his impressive club career, he was also capped 72 times by the German national team.

After retiring, the 52-year-old went on to pursue a career in management, however, his most recent job saw him leave FC Pinzgau in September 2022.

He coached just six games, winning three, drawing one and losing two.