Oliver Kahn. Gorilla, bulldog, pithecanthropus
The headline contains only a small part of the nicknames that the public and the press awarded Oliver Kahn.
There are no fans in Germany who are indifferent to this colorful character. Kan is loved, Kan is hated, he is cursed and empathized. For almost ten years, Ollie has been one of the ten most popular Germans.
And there is nothing to be surprised at. A strong goalkeeper is doomed to popularity, both with a plus sign and with the opposite. A strong goalkeeper of a super club like Bayern is doubly popular by default. Well, if he has such a striking appearance as our hero, then his popularity can be limitless.
By the way, about the appearance, which left an imprint on Oliver's character and became the reason for numerous nicknames. Kahn has a malocclusion from birth - the lower jaw protrudes forward. This is noticeable visually, and problems with diction are inevitable. Can you imagine how little Ollie got it from his peers? And they called a bulldog, and a monkey, and mimicked speech. And to get rid of ridicule, you had to have strong muscles and powerful fists. Well, work with speech therapists. Now Oliver speaks quite clearly, without any signs of speech defects. True, it is not known how clearly the words are pronounced by those who had to experience the strength of Kahn's fists.
MAYER'S GLOVES
Quite early, Ollie gave an answer to the traditional question for children, "What will you be when you grow up?" Of course, a football player, like dad. Oliver could not say that he was better than dad. Out of respect for his father, because Rolf Kahn was not an important player. He played as a midfielder at Karlsruhe. But the mediocre footballer turned out to be a wonderful children's coach. Many of Rolf Kahn's students became famous players. The most successful was Oliver Kahn, the son of a children's coach.
It was his father who identified Ollie as a goalkeeper, although the boy tried himself in almost all roles. “There are many footballers, but only one goalkeeper. Goalkeepers are always appreciated and loved. So go to the gate, ”said the father to 7-year-old Oliver and made a fateful gift - the gloves of the famous Sepp Mayer. How can you avoid becoming a goalkeeper?
18 years will pass, and the legendary Sepp Meyer will recommend Oliver to Bayern Munich, and then for a long time and persistently make his ward the best goalkeeper in the world. In the meantime, the blond boy had to work hard in training and dream of a place at the gates of the modest Karlsruhe.
FORMULAS AND FAMULLA
»I have never been called up to the various youth and junior teams in Germany. It's just that none of the coaches of these teams knew about my existence. And it did not bother me at all and did not bother me. I thought more about how to quickly start playing in the first team ", - recalls Oliver. Kahn waited in the wings and worked in training until the seventh sweat. Moreover, he developed his own formulas for the flight of the ball, which made it possible to correctly take a position, go out on time to interceptions. everything worked out great - apparently, the formulas turned out to be useful.
But it took a long time to break into the main team. The place at the Karlsruhe goal was taken by Alexander Famulla, the goalkeeper, perhaps not the strongest, but quite experienced. Coach Winfred Schaefer completely trusted his goalkeeper, and Kahn had to wait a long time for his turn on the bench. I waited once - Famulla got a red card. And, apparently, Kahn burned out. In his debut match, Ollie simply failed - he conceded four goals from Cologne. In the next game - against Werder Bremen - Kahn conceded half as much, but played not much better. And there Famulla's disqualification ended, and he returned to the goal again. Kahn had to go on shift for another two years. He did not use the rare chances presented to him.
And Kahn would have disappeared in the hopeless or would have played somewhere in the lower leagues, if not for Famulla. The Karlsruhe goalkeeper has completely deteriorated in the absence of competition, made mistakes in every match, and as a result, Schaefer's patience snapped. Famulla scored two goals against Bochum and was substituted. And his understudy played very well. And in the next match he looked decent. And the next one too. This is how 22-year-old Oliver Kahn became the main gatekeeper of Karlsruhe. Coincidence or not, but as soon as Ollie gain a foothold in the first team, the club began to progress dramatically.
AND AGAIN MAYER
After Jean-Marie Pfaff ended his illustrious career, the most titled club in Germany - Bayern - had serious problems with the number one post. Richard Aumann, of course, was a good goalkeeper, he was involved in the national team, but in Munich they got used to the goal being defended by a goalkeeper of the level of Mayer or Pfaff. Here is Sepp Mayer, who was responsible for the training of goalkeepers at Bayern, and was entrusted with the search for a worthy successor. It didn't take long to search. “Of course, Kahn from Karlsruhe, - said Mayer to the club management, and very soon the strong, broad-shouldered blonde moved to Munich. The Bavarians did not stint, paying two and a half million dollars for Ollie - a record goalkeeper transfer at that time. As you can see, it was right. Kahn very quickly settled into the Bavarian gates and very soon became a cult figure, a symbol of the Munich club.
Sepp Meyer's surprise was great when the newcomer showed him the most expensive relic - the very Meyer's gloves, with which the biography of Kahn the goalkeeper began. Meyer, the greatest of German goalkeepers, highly regarded Oliver's talent. But with his experienced eye he could not help but notice that Oliver's training is very weak and that one needs to work with him for a long time and hard. After each training session, Mayer and Kahn stayed another hour and a half or two. “Sepp beat me from three meters and came up with all kinds of exercises. After his lessons, any game seemed fun to me. "The lessons of the great master could not but affect, over the year at Bayern, Kahn significantly improved and soon made his debut in the national team.
Kahn and Lehmann
Germany has always been rich in goalkeeping talents, and therefore fierce competition unfolded for a place in the national team, sometimes turning into a war. And before becoming the first number of the Bundestim, one had to wait a very long time in the wings and face various intrigues. Oliver was first called up to the main team of the country when he was Karlsruhe's goalkeeper; he even went to the 1994 World Cup as the third after Bodo Illgner and Andreas Köpke. But his debut came on June 23, 1995 - Ollie defended the gate of the Bundestim in a friendly game with the Swiss national team. Illgner had left the national team by that time, but Andreas Köpke had to compete seriously. Koepke, whose club career was extremely unsuccessful, was very successful at the gates of the national team. Largely thanks to him, the Germans won the 1996 European Championship, and Andreas became the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Of course, Oliver was happy for his colleague, but his relationship with Andreas was very difficult. The suspicious Koepke always thought that Kahn wanted to hook him up. Before the 1998 World Cup, the relationship between the two “Ks” deteriorated completely - Andreas and Oliver did not even say hello. The Germans failed the world championship, Köpke left the national team, and the sweater with the first number went to Kahn. But Oliver has a strong, ambitious, sharp-tongued rival - Jens Lehmann. Kahn's peer believed that he was in no way inferior to the Bavarian, and by hook or by crook tried to push Ollie out of the frame.
Jens did not skimp on philippics addressed to the opponent. "I hate to stand in traffic jams, sit on the bench and Oliver Kahn." Or: "Someday I will move to Bayern, and Kahn will serve me balls, at least some sense will come from him." And also: “Oliver has no time for football now, he has an affair with a waitress. Maybe he'd better go as a bartender or head waiter? I would visit his establishments and leave a tip. " Kahn was not so verbose and usually answered questions about Lehmann with another question - “Lehmann? And who is it?"
No matter how puffed up Jens, no matter how he called himself the best goalkeeper in the country, and in the national team he had to be an understudy at the 98 World Cup, and at Euro 2000, and at the 2002 World Cup silver for the Germans, and at the 2004 European Championship. But Jens still waited in the wings. Kahn was forced to give up the first number to his longtime enemy. Why? It is hardly worth seeing the reason only in Lehmann's intrigues and difficult relations with Jurgen Klinsmann, which developed back in Bayern. The 2004/05 season was clearly not a success for Oliver, and the next one was not the most successful. And Jens at this time shone at Arsenal. Do not forget who, under Klinsmann, was responsible for the training of goalkeepers - the already mentioned Andreas Köpke. It is clear that in such conditions Ollie felt uncomfortable in the Bundestim.
To remove the severity of the rivalry, Klinsmann announced in advance that Lehmann would be the main goalkeeper at the World Championship. Not everyone liked the news, but Oliver himself took it stoically. The second is so the second. True, he himself announced that he would leave the national team after the World Cup.
It was at the World Championship that the reconciliation of two outstanding goalkeepers took place. After the quarterfinal match with the Argentines, in which Lehmann won the penalty shootout, Kahn approached and congratulated Jens. The two enemies shook hands and ceased to be enemies. The whole world saw this scene. “Jens had a great world championship. He deserves to be the main goalkeeper, "said Ollie, played in the match for third place with the Portuguese and left the Bundestim. It is unlikely that this decision was easy, because Kahn defended the goal of the German national team 86 times and in 49 matches took the team out with the captain's armband.
BLOODY AND RELIABLE
“I like playing for Bayern. And not only because it is the strongest and most titled club in the country. After all, not only do they dislike us, they envy us and hate us. And I like it when we are hated. It turns them on, encourages them to be the best in spite of all of them. "
The fans dedicated a lot of chants to Kahn - censorship and not so much. Perhaps not a single German footballer has so many (mostly offensive) nicknames - Bulldog, Monster, Gorilla and Godzilla. And at away matches, the fans' stands chant their own rhymes throughout the game. Ollie does not miss a moment to applaud his ill-wishers, and sometimes to cheer on them. Since the chants cannot offend the thick-skinned Kahn, fans are resorting to more drastic measures. “Since the goalkeeper of“ Bayern ”is a gorilla, it means he must love bananas,” was the logic behind the one who launched the tropical fruit at Oliver. Kan calmly picked up the banana, peeled it, ate it, and threw the skin onto the podium where his abuser was sitting. Bananas are nonsense compared to what happened in Freiburg. There, one idiot (another word is difficult to find) launched a golf ball at Cana and hit him in the head. Have you ever held such a ball in your hands? Quite weighty. Now imagine what it felt like for Oliver when such an object hit him in the head. It was done quite easily, the ball passed tangentially and only scratched the goalkeeper's head to the point of blood. And then the police restrained the furious Kahn, who was trying to break through to the podium and catch the offender. If he succeeded, then the ball thrower could only envy the sacrifice of Eric Cantona, Oliver would not have limited himself to one kick.
The police have identified the 18-year-old malefactor. He was sentenced to pay a large fine and permanently banned from attending football matches. But most of all, the bully was afraid of a confrontation with Oliver. For Kahn is terrible in anger.
His former teammate Andreas Herzog can also confirm this. At one of the Bayern Munich training sessions, Kahn caught the midfielder in an unfair attitude to his duties and gave him a serious bashing. As he grabbed his throat with his iron hands, Herzog immediately caught his breath. The German comedian Harald Schmidt learned about this incident and portrayed the "feat" of the Bavarian goalkeeper. Since then, Ollie has a reputation for being "bloodthirsty and merciless."
Borussia midfielder Andreas Möller also got from Kahn. In the fight for the riding ball, Andy put out his knee, for which he was ... bitten by Kahn. "Now I know how bulldogs bite," Möller said later, hinting at his abuser's wrong bite. Another Borussia player - Heiko Herrlich - had to feel how he felt the ball when the goalkeeper of Bayern kicked it into the field - Kahn's kick was very painful. There were many similar episodes in Oliver's biography. But after the 2002 World Cup, the name of Germany's most famous goalkeeper disappeared from football conduits.
Ollie's excellent performance on the fields of Korea and Japan reconciled him with the rest of non-Bavarian Germany. After all, everyone understood to whom the Germans owe their entry to the final. Kahn's bullying stopped. Yes, and Oliver himself settled down and ceased to allow any liberties.
Kahn earned one of his red cards (and there were very few of them in Ollie's career) because ... he became like Diego Maradona, namely, scored the ball with his hand. Bayern were losing to Hansa 0: 1. At the last minute, Oliver went to someone else's penalty area - to the rescue. And he struck the gate of Martin Pickenhagen, playing along with his hand. The referee saw and presented the goalkeeper with a yellow card, the second in the match.
Oliver dreamed of scoring a goal for a very long time. As we can see, it didn't work out from the game. I tried it from the penalty spot. Bayern beat Energa 6: 0, and you can experiment. The Bavarians got the right to the 11-meter, and their captain went to punch. But Oliver shot so ingeniously that his counterpart Tomislav Piplica caught the ball and then laughed for a long time, forgetting about six conceded goals. Then Kahn dropped the idea of scoring goals. Let it be done by those who are supposed to be on the status.
PARTY WAITRESS
He met his wife Simone Oliver when he was the second goalkeeper of Karlsruhe. Ollie spent a very long time, almost ten years, seeking the hand of his beloved, until Simone finally said yes. At that moment, Kan felt like the happiest person in the world. Soon the daughter Katarina-Maria appeared in the family. The pages of newspapers were full of articles about the family of the goalkeeper of the German national team, about how severe-looking Oliver is a loving husband and father. Their family was called almost exemplary.
And this idyll collapsed in an instant. In the fall of 2002, Bavaria went to the Oktoberfest, a traditional autumn beer festival. And on this holiday, Kan took a liking to the young waitress Verena Kert. The novel flared up and began to develop rapidly. Soon all of Germany knew about Oliver's hobby. Meanwhile, Simone was expecting her second child. Oliver left the family a month before the birth of his son David. Of course, such actions do not paint a man, but let's not judge Oliver harshly. After all, we know about the details of this case only from newspaper publications. Since then, Oliver and Verena, who is 13 years younger, have been together, but they are in no hurry to register their relationship.
Simone took her husband's betrayal very hard. For two years, she did not appear in public, did not give any interviews and did not allow Oliver to see the children. But now she seems to be doing well. Life improved, and anger towards the ex-spouse subsided. Oliver got the opportunity to visit the children and finally saw his son David.
Oliver Kahn is already 37 years old, a critical age even for a goalkeeper. But he is in no hurry to hang his gloves on a nail. “I haven't played enough yet. Many goalkeepers played until forty years old, why am I worse? Moreover, I feel younger, about thirty years, not more. So I'll play some more. " At one time, Cana was invited to many famous clubs - Barcelona, Real, Manchester United, Milan. But Kahn remained loyal to Bayern Munich. And he wants to serve her even after the end of his career, especially since he will certainly find a position in the club. The Bavarians don't throw their stars around. But it is possible that before the end of his career, Ollie will also play in another club. Old acquaintances - Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matteus, coaching the Austrian Red Bull, are calling to them. And there are rumors that Kang is considering their proposal.
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Biography, life story of Oliver KANA
Oliver Kahn as the symbol of the modern German national football team.
Born June 15, 1969. Oliver was brought into football by his father, Rolf Kahn played for Karlsruhe as a midfielder for about 11 matches. His son's popularity surpassed his father's popularity many times over, his father gained popularity as a coach of the Karlsruhe children's team. Oliver.
Even at the age of six, the unfriendly Oliver was distinguished by great diligence and resilience. However, Oliver had problems with the bite, and he tried with all his might to correct this noticeable defect. Which caused mocking smiles from others. But thanks to his efforts, Oliver's speech soon became clear to those around him.
He spent his first games under 17 for the youth team. When he was already 18 years old, he was taken as the third goalkeeper in the main team. However, they were instantly credited as the second goalkeeper after the main goalkeeper Alexander Famulla.
However, the moment came when Oliver was given the opportunity to show his talent, but it was not there. Before the upcoming match with “Cologne” Famulla received a red card and was suspended for three games. Oliver defended the gate against “Cologne” and ended the game with a crushing defeat 0: 4. But the troubles for Oliver Kahn continued, before the start of the match with “Werder Bremen” and it seemed that Oliver would be able to show his talent again, but the team lost with a score of 0: 2. In addition, thanks to disagreements with the fans who were bullying him, Oliver conceded nine goals in three matches! The only thing that saved him from being forced to leave was that there was no other goalkeeper to replace Famulla. After a year spent on the bench, Oliver was given a chance, and he did not miss it, after an unsuccessful game of Famulla, Oliver came on as a substitute and no one could hit the gate, which was defended by Oliver Kahn. Which led his team to victory.
From these days Kahn became the main goalkeeper in the team. In addition, in about the ninety-second year, Sergei Kiryakov played with him in the same club.
According to Oliver Kahn, the brightest moments of his career were when he still played for Karlsruhe happened during the 93/94 UEFA Cup season. They managed to beat not someone there, but the very “Valencia”, but this is in the future. Initially, the German team lost in a foreign land 1: 3 in favor of “Valencia”. But after this game the team had a great appetite and they managed to comply with all the mistakes of “Valencia” and beat them with a huge score of 7: 0.
CONTINUED BELOW
The efforts of the goalkeeper of Germany No. 1 were not appreciated in vain, he was invited to play by one of the best teams in Germany and this team “Bavaria”. With a team that can no longer be imagined without Oliver Kahn, and on July 1, 1994, he signed a contract with Bayern Munich. But it didn't take long before Oliver earned a negative reputation with the fans thanks to his rude disposition. And therefore, in itself, he received the nicknames "Bulldog", "Vampire", "Gorilla", and many, many other ear-cutting nicknames, and what is most interesting is that his teammates call him Oli. And these disgusting nicknames were a raft of the imagination of fans and journalists.
But Oliver did not go unanswered, once the fans, calling him “Gorilla” out of habit, started throwing bananas at him, and all that Oliver did, he just caught one banana and ate it, which to some extent became famous.
In the old days, Oli was not liked by Bayern fans. To achieve such dislike from the fans is that his teammates can hear from Oliver in their direction a considerable amount of German swearing, a tough and rude type of game. He is married to the beautiful Simone, has a daughter Katarina - Maria, having married and becoming a father, Oliver has become much more balanced.
Has played for the German national team since 1994. During the 1994 World Cup he was goalkeeper number three, at the 1998 World Cup he became the number two goalkeeper and finally the main goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup reaching the final where Germany played Brazil, but conceding two goals from Ronaldo and losing to Brazil, Cano and failed to become the world champion. For the 2006 World Cup, the last coach of the German national football team, the legendary Jurgen Klinsmann, decided to leave Kahn as a substitute and make Jens Lehmann the main goalkeeper, but Kahn was able to play for the national team at the 2006 World Cup in a match for 3rd place in the match with Portugal, where she scored two for the German national team. goals by Bastian Schweinsteiger and an own goal scored by Portuguese Petit. After a tense game for 3rd place, the Germans under the leadership of Jurgen Klinsmann won the Portuguese national team 3: 1. And here are the trophies won by Oliver Kahn - UEFA Cup 96; German Champion 97.99-2000; German League Cup 97-99; German Cup 98, 2000; Champions League 2001, 2001 Intercontinental Cup (Kahn earned these trophies playing for Bayern Munich). And finally, the rest of the trophies - 2nd place at the 2002 World Cup; 3rd place at the 2006 World Cup; Participation in the World Championships 98,2002,2006; Participation in the European Championships 96,2000,2004; Silver Ball 2001; Golden Ball 2002; The prize for the best goalkeeper of the Yashin final tournaments. And finally, Oliver Kann is the best goalkeeper of his wonderful homeland of Germany of the current decade.
Date of birth: 15.06.69
Favorite number: 1
Home club: Bayern Munich
Height: 188cm
Weight: 87 kg.
Position: goalkeeper
Estimated cost: 5.000.000?
Oliver Kahn was born on June 15, 1969 in Karlsruhe. His father Rolf was once a very famous footballer and played for the KSC Karlsruhe from 1963 to 1965. Later, Rolf Kahn was even a coach and consultant for his eminent son. Despite the excellent data, Oliver Kahn never entered the youth national team of Germany, and in the Karlsruhe team he was only a reserve goalkeeper. "I have only one goal - no later than 23 years old to get into the main team," - he said in one of the data then interview.
The main line-up
The opportunity came in 1990 after a few weak games by Karlsruhe's first goalkeeper Alexander Famulla. Oliver immediately managed to prove himself and, thanks to his skill, the players from Karlsruhe began to play so well that in 1993 they got the right to play in the UEFA Cup, and they dropped out of the fight for this honorable trophy only in the semifinals. In October of the same year, Kahn was invited to the German national team for the first time. However, despite the fact that in 1994 the German journalists elected him "The best goalkeeper of the year", he had to be content here with the role of a reserve goalkeeper for several more years.
Five million marks and a career change
However, in 1994, after his transfer from Karlsruhe to the strongest German team of all time, Bayern Munich, Kahn's career came to a turning point. By the way, for this action the Munich club had to transfer to the bank account of "Karlsruhe" an astronomical amount for that time - five million marks. Kahn immediately ousted Raimond Aumann, who had been the Munich club's first goalkeeper for many years.
In 1995, Oliver Kahn's old dream finally came true - he had the honor to defend the goal of the German national team in two matches - against the national teams of Switzerland and Georgia. But at the 1996 European Championships and the 1998 World Championships, he again had to come to terms with the role of the reserve goalkeeper. Only after Andi Köpke left the national team, Oliver Kahn became the first goalkeeper.
Oliver Kahn achieved his greatest successes with Bayern Munich. Until now, four times - in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001 - he was the champion of Germany. In 1996, Oliver Kahn, together with Bayern Munich, won the UEFA Cup, and in 1998 - won the Cup of the country. In 1999, Bayern made their way to the European Champions League final against Manchester United. Two minutes before the end of this meeting, the Munich footballers were leading with a score of 1: 0, but in the end they lost - 1: 2. Football fans will surely remember this match for a long time, as well as the final of the 2001 European Champions League Cup, in which Bayern after extra time managed to snatch victory from Valencia as a result of penalty shots. The hero of this match, by right, should be called Oliver Kahn, who deflected three penalties from his opponent.
The best goalkeeper in the world
And this happens in a goalkeeper's career: naked fans on the field.
In 1999, Oliver Kahn was named the best goalkeeper in the world. In the same year, and also over the next two years - the best football player in Germany, and in 2002 - the best football player in the world.
The final match against the Brazilians at the 2002 World Cup could have been Oliver Kahn's finest hour, but his poor performance put an end to the claims of the team and his own.
The last meeting for the Cannes national team was held in the summer of 2006 - in the game for third place he helped his partners win the bronze of the world championship.
In January 2007, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper announced that he intends to retire after his current contract expires in June 2008. "Until 2008, I will be in charge, and at 39, I intend to hang up my boots," he added. "I think this is the right time to switch to something else."
early years
One of the greatest goalkeepers Oliver Rolf Kahn was born on June 15, 1969, in the German city of Karlsruhe, which was located near the French-German border.
Since childhood, the future football player had a bite problem, which caused the ridicule of others. But the diligence and hard work of young Oliver helped to cope with the defect and achieve understandable speech. Now with the diction of the football player, everything is in order, but because of a child's problem, such nicknames as bulldog, gorilla, pithecanthropus and vampire clung to him. See also .
Since childhood, Oliver Kahn had a desire for football, especially since he received a good example from his father. At one time, his father - Rolf Kahn acted as a midfielder in the football club "Karlsruhe", where he later became the coach of the children's team. Many graduates of the coach received the status of famous players, but the most successful was the footballer Oliver Kahn.
Oliver tried himself in almost all roles, but his father decided to make a first-class goalkeeper out of the boy. “There are many players, but only one goalkeeper,” as Rolf Kahn put it. At the age of seven, he presented Sepp Mayer gloves to Oliver Kahn, which determined the future career of a football player. See also .
Oliver Kahn's football career
Until his seventeenth birthday, the footballer played in the youth team. After the footballer turned eighteen (1990), he was transferred to the base of the team as the third goalkeeper. But thanks to his abilities, he was immediately appointed the second goalkeeper, after the goalkeeper Alexander Famulla. Oliver Kahn waited a long time for his turn to enter the field as the first goalkeeper. This opportunity presented itself to him when Famulla received a red card and was disqualified for 3 games. It would seem that all the cards are in the hands of Oliver Kahn. But everything went awry, and the footballer failed to prove himself in the game.
First comes the defeat with a score of 0: 4, in favor of Cologne, then Oliver Kahn concedes two goals in the battle with Werder Bremen. In three games, the goalkeeper concedes almost nine goals. But since there was no alternative replacement for Alexander Famulla, the footballer escaped the forced departure. After a year on the reserve bench, Oliver Kahn again has the opportunity to defend the team's goal, and the player shows himself from his best side and leads the team to victory, since not a single goal could be in the goal, which Oliver Kahn was guarding. After the end of the "successful" match, Oliver Kahn becomes the main goalkeeper of the team.
In 1993 he was honored to defend the goal at the UEFA Cup and was invited to play for the German national team. But for five years, Oliver Kahn was content exclusively with the position of reserve goalkeeper. Only in 1995 did Oliver Kanu have the opportunity to prove himself in the role of the goalkeeper of the national team in meetings against the Georgian and Swiss teams. Then came the bench again and only after the departure of Andi Keppke, the German was awarded the title of the main goalkeeper of the national team.
In 94, the footballer signs a contact with the Munich "". The amount of the transfer at that time was quite a record - 2.3 million euros. The player's salary is no less impressive - 2.5 million. Oliver Kahn immediately replaces Raymond Aumann, who has held the position of the club's main goalkeeper for a long time. The footballer achieves the greatest success among the "Bavaria". In the 96th the UEFA Cup is won, and in the 98th the Cup of the country. Oliver becomes six-time German champion six (at 97,99,2000,2001,2003,2005). By the way, such leading clubs as "" and "" fought for the footballer, but as soon as the footballer stuttered about leaving, he was offered a more lucrative contract by the leadership of "Bavaria". As a result, Oliver Kahn's annual salary was 4.5 million euros and the goalkeeper was recognized as the highest paid football player in Germany.
In 1999, 2001 and 2002 he became the best goalkeeper in the world, and in 2000-2001 he was awarded the title of the best player in Germany.
In 2006, at the World Cup matches in Germany, he ends his career in the national team, and in 2008 he ends his career as a goalkeeper with Bayern Munich.
Throughout his football career, Oliver has played eight hundred and sixty-four games, including five hundred and fifty-four matches in the Bundesliga, one hundred and forty-one matches of Euro cups and eighty-six games as the goalkeeper of the national team.
Oliver Kahn has a reputation for being a ruthless and bloodthirsty player. A lot of obscene chants are dedicated to him, they threw bananas at him (because of the nickname Gorilla), threw a golf ball at his head, but the football player came out of all situations with his head held high and even played up to the attackers.
At one of the training sessions of the Bayern club, the goalkeeper grabbed the neck of his teammate, due to an unfair attitude towards his football duties. And in the match against Borussia, the team's midfielder was bitten by the goalkeeper, to which he replied that now he knows how bulldogs bite (again, because of the nickname of the football player).
Goalkeeper
Germany
Played for clubs: "Karlsruhe" (Germany) 1986-1994; Bayern Munich (Germany) 1994-2008;
Achievements:
The best player and the best goalkeeper World Cup 2002,
The best goalkeeper in the world 1999, 2001, 2002,
Best goalkeeper in Europe 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
The best football player in Germany 2001, 2002
The best goalkeeper in Germany 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Vice World Champion 2002
European Champion 1996
Winner of the Intercontinental Cup 2001
Champions League Winner 2001
UEFA Cup Winner 1996
Champion of Germany 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
German Cup Winner 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
League Cup Winner 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008
Oliver Kahn was born in 1969 in Karlsruhe. There he began to play football, where his father brought him, also, by the way, a former football player. Oliver made his first steps in the youth team “Karlsruhe”, and at the age of 18 he got into the senior team as the third goalkeeper. His career was not easy and Kahn remained on the bench for a long time, until he finally had a chance.
In 1990, after the main goalkeeper of “Karlsruhe” Famula earned a three-match suspension, Kahn finally got into
main cast. However, the first games did not impress the fans: Oliver conceded 9 goals in these three matches. So Kahn spent another year on the bench. The situation with the goalkeepers in the team was critical at that time and left the future star in his native club. Kahn worked on himself for a long time and when he got the chance again, he presented himself in all his glory and firmly took his place in the goal.
In many ways. thanks to him, “Karlsruhe” at the end of the 1992/1993 season received the right to participate in the UEFA Cup. At that time, Russian Sergei Kiryakov played on the same team with Oliver Kanom. Since then, Kahn's career has grown.
In the 1993/1994 season, “Karlsruhe” performed quite well in the UEFA Cup, reaching the semifinals, and in the summer of 1994, Oliver “reached” the Munich “Bavaria”. The same season was marked by participation in the Champions League, and the next 1995/1996 - by a victory in the UEFA Cup. In 1997, Oliver Kahn finally becomes the champion of Germany.
In “Bavaria” by that time he was not only the gatekeeper number one, but also the real leader of the team. But the relationship with the fans was not going so smoothly. Because of his extraordinary appearance and rude disposition, they came up with many offensive nicknames for him: "Gorilla", "Bulldog", etc. However, over time, a much less negative "Ollie" took root.
Meanwhile, his career continues to grow rapidly and in 1999, in addition to the next championship in Germany, Kahn is recognized as the best goalkeeper in the world. Winning the main trophy - the Champions Cup that season was prevented by the irrepressible Manchester United and, in general, luck: the Champions Cup left the hands of Munich in a matter of minutes of added time, when the Mancunians scored two goals. Such an event could unsettle anyone, but not Kahn. He was waiting in the wings and he presented himself to him two years later. The Champions League final of the 2000/2001 season, held in Milan, turned out to be unusually tense, in the end it came to the penalty shootouts, where Kahn stood and finally lifted the coveted Champions Cup over his head. It was a real triumph.
Despite the obvious successes in the club, Ollie could not get through to the main team. And although he formally participated in the World Cup-94, European Championship-96, World Cup-98, he actually remained the second, or even the third goalkeeper. Only in 1998, Kahn became number one in the national team in the selection for Euro 2000. At the European Championship itself, the national team performed unsuccessfully, taking the last place in the group and losing to the Portuguese in the last game - 0: 3. Oliver's finest hour was the championship in Japan and Korea in 2002. With the overall rather inexpressive game of the team and rather weak rivals, Kahn became the best figure in the national team, leading the team to the final, where no one could reproach Oliver, despite the defeat from the Brazilians 0 : 2. In the same year, he again became the best goalkeeper in the world.
At Euro 2004, Kahn's place at the gate was unattainable, despite the clear negative attitude of the second number of the national team Jens Lemmann towards him. But at the home world championship, the scales tipped towards Lemman. However, Kahn was given a place at the gate in the match for third place, where he tried on bronze medals. On this, the legendary goalkeeper ended his career in the national team.
The 2007/2008 season was the last for Oliver Kahn. And he spent it, of course, in “Bavaria”, which has become not only his home. He himself became the symbol of “Bavaria”. They said “Bayern”, meant Oliver Kahn, and vice versa. Probably nowhere at that time were there such strong associations as this one. At the end of last season, the Munich team failed to take a league-championship place in the championship and were content with playing in the UEFA Cup, taking the place of the unconditional favorite. In the final season for himself, Oliver, of course, wanted to shine and leave the winner, and in part he succeeded: “Bavaria” won the championship and the German Cup. But in the UEFA Cup, things did not turn out so rosy. In the quarterfinals, the Bavarians only miraculously managed to go further, overcoming the resistance of the modest “Getafe” only in extra time. And the last game of the legendary German goalkeeper took place in St. Petersburg, where Zenit not only prevented the favorites from reaching the final, but hammered four unanswered goals behind Kahn's back.
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