Oliver Kahn. Gorilla, bulldog, pithecanthropus
The headline contains only a small part of the nicknames that the public and 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 he is empathized with. For almost ten years now, Olli has been one of the ten most popular Germans.
And there is nothing to be surprised about. A strong goalkeeper is doomed to popularity, both positive and negative. A strong goalkeeper for 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 his appearance, which left its mark on Oliver’s character and became the reason for numerous nicknames. Since birth, Kahn has had a malocclusion - his 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? They called him a bulldog, and they called him a monkey, and they imitated his 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 impediments. True, it is unknown how clearly those who had to experience the strength of Kahn’s fists pronounce the words.
MAYER'S GLOVES
Quite early on, Ollie answered the traditional question for children: “What will you be when you grow up?” Of course, a football player, like dad. Oliver couldn't say he was better than dad. Out of respect for his father, because Rolf Kahn was not an important player. He played as a midfielder for Karlsruhe. But from a mediocre football player he turned into an excellent 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 football players, but only one goalkeeper. Goalkeepers are always appreciated and loved. So go to the gate,” the father said to 7-year-old Oliver and gave him a fateful gift – gloves from the famous Sepp Maier. How can you not become a goalkeeper?
18 years will pass, and the legendary Sepp Maier will recommend Oliver to Bayern, and then long and hard to 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 in the goal of the modest Karlsruhe.
FORMULAS AND FAMULLA
“I have never been called up to various youth and junior teams in Germany. It’s just that none of the coaches of these teams knew about my existence. And it didn’t bother me or bother me at all. I was thinking more about how to quickly start playing in the first team,” recalls Oliver. Kahn waited in the wings and worked until he worked up a sweat in training. Moreover, he developed his own formulas for the flight of the ball, which allowed him to take the correct position and make interceptions in time. In training 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 in the Karlsruhe goal was taken by Alexander Famulla, a goalkeeper who may not be the strongest, but quite experienced. Coach Winfried Schäfer had complete confidence in his goalkeeper, and Kahn had to wait quite a long time for his turn on the bench. Once he waited - Famulla received a red card. And, apparently, Kahn burned out. In his debut match, Ollie simply failed - he conceded four goals against Cologne. In the next game - against Werder - Kahn missed half as much, but did not play much better. And there Famulla’s disqualification ended and he returned to the goal again. Kahn had to serve as a substitute for two more years. He did not take advantage of the rare chances that were presented to him.
And Kan would have perished in the unpromising leagues or would have played somewhere in the lower leagues, if not for Famulla. The Karlsruhe goalkeeper completely deteriorated in the absence of competition, he made mistakes in every match, and as a result, Schaefer’s patience ran out. In the match with Bochum, Famulla scored two goals and was replaced. And his backup played very well. And in the next match he looked decent. And in the next one too. That's how 22-year-old Oliver Kahn became Karlsruhe's main goalkeeper. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, as soon as Ollie gained a foothold in the first team, the club began to progress sharply.
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 invited to the national team, but in Munich they were used to having a goalkeeper of the level of Mayer or Pfaff defend the goal. So Sepp Maier, who was responsible for training goalkeepers at Bayern, was tasked with finding a worthy successor. I didn't have to search for long. “Of course, Kahn is from Karlsruhe,” Mayer told the club management, and very soon the strong, broad-shouldered blond moved to Munich. The Bavarians did not skimp, paying two and a half million dollars for Olli - a record goalkeeper transfer at that time. As we can see, we made the right decision. Kahn very quickly got used to the Bavarian goal and very soon became a cult figure, a symbol of the Munich club.
Sepp Mayer was greatly surprised when the newcomer showed him the most expensive relic - those same Mayer gloves with which the biography of Kahn the goalkeeper began. Mayer, the greatest of German goalkeepers, had a very high regard for Oliver's talent. But with my experienced eye I couldn’t help but notice that Oliver’s training was very weak and he needed to be worked long and hard. After each training session, Mayer and Kahn stayed for another hour and a half or two. “Sepp hit me from three meters and came up with all sorts of exercises. After his lessons, any game seemed like fun to me." The lessons of the great master could not help but have an impact; during the year at Bayern, Kahn noticeably improved and soon made his debut in the national team.
KAHN AND LEHMANN
Germany has always been rich in goalkeeping talents, and therefore there was fierce competition for a place in the national team, which sometimes turned into war. And before becoming the first number of Bundesteam, you had to wait a very long time for your chance and at the same time face various intrigues. Oliver was first called up to the country's main team when he was the goalkeeper of Karlsruhe, and even went to the 1994 World Cup as third after Bodo Illgner and Andreas Köpke. But his debut came on June 23, 1995 - Olli defended the Bundestim goal in a friendly game with the Swiss national team. Illgner had left the national team by that time, but he had to seriously compete with Andreas Köpke. Köpke, whose club career was extremely unsuccessful, was very successful in goal for 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 Köpke always believed that Kahn wanted to trick him. Before the 1998 World Cup, the relationship between the two “Ks” completely deteriorated - Andreas and Oliver didn’t even say hello. The Germans failed the world championship, Köpke left the national team, and the number one jersey went to Kahn. But Oliver had a strong, ambitious, sharp-tongued rival - Jens Lehmann. The same age as Kahn believed that he was in no way inferior to the Bavarian, and by hook or by crook he tried to oust Ollie from the frame.
Jens did not skimp on his philippics towards his opponent. “I hate standing in traffic jams, sitting on a bench and Oliver Kahn.” Or: “Someday I will go to Bayern, and Kahn will serve me balls, at least he will be of some use.” And one more thing: “Oliver has no time for football now, he is having an affair with a waitress. Maybe it would be better for him to become 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? Who is this?
No matter how much Jens puffed himself up, no matter how much he called himself the best goalkeeper in the country, he had to be a backup in the national team at the 98 World Cup, and Euro 2000, and at the 2002 World Championship, which was 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 the difficult relationship 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 was shining at Arsenal at that time. Don’t forget who was responsible for training goalkeepers under Klinsmann – the already mentioned Andreas Köpke. It is clear that in such conditions Ollie felt uncomfortable in the Bundesteam.
To take the edge off the rivalry, Klinsmann announced in advance that Lehmann would be the main goalkeeper at the World Championships. Not everyone liked this news, but Oliver himself took it stoically. The second is the second. True, he himself announced that he would leave national team after the World Cup.
It was at the World Championship that the reconciliation of two outstanding goalkeepers took place. After the quarter-final match with the Argentines, in which Lehmann won a penalty shootout, Kahn came up and congratulated Jens. The two enemies shook hands and ceased to be enemies. The whole world saw this scene. “Jens had a great World Cup. He deserves to be the main goalkeeper,” said Olli, played in the match for third place with the Portuguese and left the Bundesteam. It is unlikely that this decision was simple, because Kahn defended the goal of the German national team 86 times and led the team with the captain's armband in 49 matches.
BLOODTHIRST AND RELENTLESS
“I love playing at Bayern. And not only because it is the strongest and most titled club in the country. Not only do they not love us, they envy us and hate us. And I like it when they hate us. It turns you on and motivates you to be the best to spite them all.”
Fans dedicated a lot of chants to Kan – censored and not so censored. Perhaps not a single German football player has so many nicknames (mostly offensive) - Bulldog, Monster, Gorilla and Godzilla. And at away matches, fan stands chant poems of their own composition throughout the game. Ollie never misses a moment to applaud his ill-wishers, and sometimes even to direct them. Since the chants fail to get under the skin of thick-skinned Kahn, fans resort to more drastic measures. “Since the Bayern goalkeeper is a gorilla, it means he must love bananas,” was the logic of the one who threw the tropical fruit at Oliver. Kan calmly picked up the banana, peeled it, ate it, and threw the skin onto the podium where his offender was sitting. Bananas are nothing compared to what happened in Freiburg. There, one idiot (it’s hard to find another word) threw a golf ball at Kahn and hit him in the head. Have you ever held such a ball in your hands? Quite weighty. Now imagine what it was like for Oliver when such an object hit his head. It turned out quite easily, the ball went tangentially and only scratched the goalkeeper's head until it bled. And then the police held back the enraged Kahn, who was trying to break into the podium and catch the offender. If he had succeeded, the ball thrower could only have envied Eric Cantona's sacrifice; Oliver would not have limited himself to just one kick.
The police identified an 18-year-old attacker. He was sentenced to pay a heavy fine and was permanently banned from visiting football matches. But most of all, the bully was afraid of a confrontation with Oliver. For Kan is terrible in anger.
His former teammate Andreas Herzog can confirm this. At one of Bayern's training sessions, Kahn caught the midfielder in a dishonest attitude towards his duties and gave him a serious beating. As he grabbed his throat with his iron hands, Herzog immediately lost his breath. The German comedian Harald Schmidt learned about this incident and portrayed the “feat” of the Bavarian goalkeeper. Since then, Ollie’s reputation as “bloodthirsty and merciless” has been established.
Borussia midfielder Andreas Möller also got it from Kahn. In the fight for the high ball, Andi stuck out his knee, for which he was... bitten by Kan. “Now I know how bulldogs bite,” Möller later said, hinting at his abuser’s malocclusion. Another Borussia player, Heiko Herrlich, had to feel for himself what the ball felt like when it was kicked into the field by the Bayern goalkeeper - 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 play on the fields of Korea and Japan reconciled him with the rest of non-Bavarian Germany. After all, everyone understood to whom the Germans owed their passage to the finals. The bullying of Kahn stopped. And Oliver himself settled down and stopped taking all sorts of liberties.
Kahn earned one of his red cards (and there were very few of them in Ollie’s career) for... being like Diego Maradona, namely, scoring the ball with his hand. Bayern lost to Hansa 0:1. On last minute Oliver went into someone else's penalty area to help. And he hit the goal of Martin Pickenhagen, playing along with himself with his hand. The referee saw and showed the goalkeeper a yellow card, his second of the match.
Oliver dreamed of scoring a goal for a very long time. As we can see, the game didn’t work out. I tried from the penalty spot. Bayern beat Energa 6:0, so we can experiment. The Bavarians were entitled to a penalty kick, and their captain went to shoot. But Oliver shot so artlessly that his counterpart Tomislav Piplica caught the ball and then laughed for a long time, forgetting about the six goals he conceded. After which Kahn abandoned the idea of scoring goals. Let those who are entitled by status do this.
WAITRESS WAITRESS
Oliver met his wife Simone when he was the second goalkeeper of Karlsruhe. Ollie spent a very long time, almost ten years, seeking his lover’s hand in marriage, until Simone finally said “yes.” At that moment, Kan felt like the happiest person in the world. Soon a 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 what a stern-looking Oliver was a loving husband and father. Their family was called almost exemplary.
And this idyll collapsed in an instant. In the fall of 2002, Bayern in full force went to Oktoberfest - a traditional autumn beer festival. And at this holiday, Kan took a fancy to the young waitress Verena Kert. The romance broke out 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 make a man look good, 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 had a very hard time with her husband's betrayal. 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 has improved, and anger towards ex-spouse faded away. Oliver was able to visit his 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 up his gloves. “I haven’t played enough yet. Many goalkeepers played until they were forty, why am I worse? Moreover, I feel younger, about thirty years, no more. So I’ll play some more.” At one time, Kahn was invited to many famous clubs - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Milan. But Kahn remained faithful to Bayern. And he wants to serve her even after finishing his career, especially since they will certainly find him a position in the club. The Bavarians don't throw away their stars. But it is possible that before the end of his career, Ollie will also play in another club. Old acquaintances Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthäus, who coach the Austrian Red Bull, are calling us. And there are rumors that Kahn is considering their proposal.
Oliver Kahn was born on June 15, 1969 in Karlsruhe. His father Rolf was in his time quite famous football player and played for the KSC Karlsruhe club from 1963 to 1965. Later, Rolf Kahn was even a coach and consultant to his eminent son. Despite his excellent data, Oliver Kahn was never included in the German youth team, and in the Karlsruhe team he was only a reserve goalkeeper. “I have only one goal - to get into the main team no later than at the age of 23,” he said in one of his interviews at the time.
In the main cast
This opportunity came to him in 1990 after several weak games from Karlsruhe's first goalkeeper Alexander Famulla. Oliver immediately managed to prove himself and, thanks to his skill, the football players from Karlsruhe began to play so successfully that in 1993 they received the right to compete in the UEFA Cup, and they only dropped out of the fight for this honorable trophy in the semi-finals. 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 German journalists elected him “Best Goalkeeper of the Year,” he had to be content 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, a turning point came in Kahn's career. By the way, for this action the Munich club had to transfer an astronomical amount for that time - five million marks - to the bank account of Karlsruhe. Kahn immediately replaced Raimond Aumann, who had been the first goalkeeper of the Munich club for many years.
In 1995, Oliver Kahn's long-time dream finally came true - he had the honor of defending 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 a reserve goalkeeper. Only after Andi Köpke left the national team did Oliver Kahn become the first goalkeeper.
Oliver Kahn achieved his greatest successes as a member of Bayern Munich. Until now, he has been German champion four times - in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. In 1996, Oliver Kahn won the UEFA Cup with Bayern, and in 1998 he won the national cup. In 1999, Bayern made it to the European Champions League final against Manchester United. Two minutes before the end of this meeting, the Munich players were leading with a score of 1:0, but in the end they lost 1:2. Football fans will probably remember this match for a long time, as well as the final of the 2001 European Champions League Cup, in which Bayern managed to snatch victory from Valencia after extra time as a result of penalty kicks. The hero of this match should rightfully be called Oliver Kahn, who saved three penalties from his opponent.
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. That same year, as well as over the next two years - best football player 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 not very successful game put an end to the claims of the team and his own.
Cannes played his last match for the national team in the summer of 2006 - in the game for third place, he helped his teammates win bronze at the world championship.
In January 2007, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper announced that he intended to retire after his current contract expired in June 2008. “I will carry out my duties until 2008, and at the age of 39 I intend to hang up my boots,” he added. “I think this right time to switch to something else."
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Biography, life story of Oliver KAHN
Oliver KAHN as a 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. The son's popularity exceeded that of his father many times over; his father gained popularity as the coach of the Karlsruhe children's team. There the little boy took his first steps towards football Oliver.
Even at the age of six, the unfriendly Oliver was distinguished by great hard work and perseverance. However, Oliver had problems with his bite and tried his best to correct this noticeable defect. Which caused mocking smiles from those around. But thanks to his efforts, Oliver’s speech soon became clear to others.
He played 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 immediately assigned as the second goalkeeper after the main one, Alexander Famulla.
However, the moment came when Oliver was given the opportunity to show his talent, but that was not the case. Before the upcoming match with Cologne, Famulla received a red card and was suspended for three games. Against Cologne, Oliver came out to defend the goal and ended the game with a crushing defeat of 0:4. But troubles continued for Oliver Kahn before the start of the match with Werder Bremen and it seemed 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 bullied him, Oliver missed 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 Famulla's unsuccessful game, Oliver came on as a substitute and no one was able to hit the goal that Oliver Kahn was defending. Which led his team to victory.
From these days, Kahn became the main goalkeeper in the team. In addition, around 1992, Sergei Kiryakov played in the same club with him.
According to the stories of Oliver Kahn, the brightest moments in his career were when he was still playing for Karlsruher, which happened during the 93/94 season in the UEFA Cup. They managed to beat not just anyone, but Valencia itself, but that’s in the future. First, the German team lost 1:3 in a foreign land in favor of Valencia. But after this game the team had a big appetite and they managed to avoid all the mistakes of “Valencia” and beat them with a huge score of 7:0.
CONTINUED BELOW
The efforts of Germany's No. 1 goalkeeper were not appreciated in vain; he was invited to play by one of the most best teams Germany and this Bayern team. With a team that can no longer be imagined without Oliver Kahn, and on July 1, 1994, he signed a contract with Bayern. But it didn't take long before Oliver earned a negative reputation among fans thanks to his rude disposition. And so he himself received the nicknames “Bulldog”, “Vampire”, “Gorilla”, and many, many other ear-piercing nicknames, and what’s most interesting is that his teammates call him Olya. And these disgusting nicknames were a raft of the imagination of fans and journalists.
But Oliver was not left without an answer, one day the fans, out of habit calling him “Gorilla,” began to throw bananas at him, and all Oliver did was he simply caught one banana and ate it, which made him famous to some extent.
In the old days, Oli was not loved by Bayern fans. To achieve such dislike from the fans is that his teammates can hear a considerable amount of German obscenity, a tough and rude type of play from Oliver in their direction. Married to the beautiful Simone, he has a daughter, Katarina - Maria. Having married and become a father, Oliver has become much more balanced.
He has played for the German national team since 1994. During the 1994 World Cup he was number three goalkeeper, at the 1998 World Cup he became number two goalkeeper and, finally, the main goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup, reaching the final where Germany played Brazil, but after conceding two goals from Ronaldo and losing to Brazil, Kanu never managed to become 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 the match for 3rd place in the match with Portugal, where he scored two for the German national team goals by Bastian Schweinsteiger and an own goal scored by the Portuguese Petit. After a tense game for 3rd place, the Germans, led by Jurgen Klinsmann, beat Portugal 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, Intercontinental Cup 2001 (Kahn earned these trophies while playing for Bayern). And finally, the rest of the trophies - 2nd place at the 2002 World Cup; 3rd place at the 2006 World Championships; Participation in the World Championships 98,2002,2006; Participation in the European Championships 96,2000,2004; Silver Ball 2001; Ballon d'Or 2002; Best Goalkeeper Award final tournaments named after Yashin. And finally, Oliver Kann best goalkeeper of his wonderful homeland, Germany, of the current decade.
Date of birth: 06/15/69
Favorite number:1
Home club: Bayern
Height:188cm
Weight:87 kg.
Position: goalkeeper
Approximate cost: 5,000,000?
In the homeland of the stern Oliver Kahn, they call him Oli. Such an affectionate name addressed to this football player sounds somewhat strange, because he looks terrifying, fans note. Not only is the German quite impressive in size (with a height of 188 cm, he weighs 91 kg), but also his facial expression is ominous due to his malocclusion.
Kahn gained a reputation ruthless player. He was adored by Bayern fans and hated by fans of other clubs. The man heard a bunch of obscene chants behind him, they even threw bananas at him because of his nickname Gorilla. During his career, the athlete experienced many ups and downs, but came out of all situations with his head held high.
Childhood and youth
The brilliant German goalkeeper was born in the city of Karlsruhe, located near the border of Germany and France. Father Rolf Kahn, also a former footballer, played as a midfielder in the local club of the same name. Later he took off his player’s T-shirt, trying on the role of a coach of the younger generation. The mentor produced a scattering of stars in the game on the grass, but his own son became the best.
Oliver Kahn today Rolf forged the heir into a goalkeeper. I thought that there were a lot of football players around, but a goalkeeper was worth his weight in gold. When the boy was seven years old, his father gave him gloves from the legendary fellow countryman, goalkeeper Sepp Maier, as an incentive.
As a child, Oliver experienced first-hand the cruelty of children. The boy was teased because of his incorrect bite, which prevented him from even speaking normally. Then the nicknames Gorilla, Bulldog, Pithecanthropus were attached.
Kahn made a lot of efforts to smooth out the defect and make his speech understandable to others. The diction returned to normal, but the nicknames remained.
Oliver Kahn played for the youth team of the Karlsruhe club until the age of 17, and in 1990 he finally joined the team.
Football
In the main team of FC, the young man was listed as only the third goalkeeper. But soon, flashing natural talents, became the second goalkeeper. Alexander Famulla was on the front line at that time. The aspiring football player really wanted to take the place of his teammate, but he had to wait a little. And fate smiled on the German: one day Famulla stumbled, receiving a “vacation” for three matches, and Oliver stood in goal.
However, Kahn did not live up to expectations. The young man missed four goals in the first game. In total, in three matches, during which he was entrusted with the goal, he allowed his opponents to score nine goals. A series of failures threatened the goalkeeper with relegation from the team; miraculously he remained, but spent a year on the reserve bench.
Hard training, the desire to prove that he has potential and abilities, again brought the young man to the gate. And victories rained down on the team one after another. So much so that in 1993 Karlsruhe received a ticket to the UEFA Cup, where Oliver guarded the goal. At the same time, the goalkeeper, who had already become the main goalkeeper, was called up to the German national team.
The five-year plan flashed by without Kahn's participation in the national team; the footballer was kept in reserve. Only fought twice with the Georgians and the Swiss. He got a chance to play for the national team with the departure of Andreas Köpke.
Having performed well in the UEFA Cup, the German attracted the attention of famous clubs - Bracelona and Juventus were contenders. In 1994, Oliver Kahn agreed to move to Bayern for a transfer fee of 5 million marks. The money was astronomical at that time. The first goalkeeper of the strongest German team was Raymond Aumann, whom Oliver managed to replace.
Bayern and Kahn immediately won the UEFA Cup. The next season brings another major achievement - gold in the German Bundesliga. No one doubted the goalkeeper’s skill; the young man quickly acquired an army of thousands of fans, Oliver was called the leader of the football club.
In 2001, he brought the club victory in the Champions League, saving three penalties at the end of the match with Valencia. These saves are included in the selection of the most striking ones in Kahn’s career, which are circulating on the Internet. The goalkeeper is also the winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Oliver Kahn's best savesThe German’s biography is not without records. In the spring of 2007, the Bayern goalkeeper installed new record German Championship in terms of the number of victorious matches for an individual football player. The Munich team beat Bayer Leverkusen 2:1, the victory was Kahn's 292nd in the national championship.
The team successes were supplemented by the awards that the German won on the international stage. Kahn managed to become a silver medalist at the 2002 World Championships. The goalkeeper retired from the national team in 2006.
Along with the awards, the football player also acquired titles. At the beginning of the new millennium, he became the world's best goalkeeper three times, as well as best player Germany. Oliver also surpassed other goalkeepers in the number of goals conceded at the World Championships. Ranked third in the number of games in home championships - 552 matches.
European clubs fought for the goalkeeper, but Bayern did not want to part with the talented goalkeeper. Every time Oliver thought about a new offer, the management of his native club certainly increased his salary.
In the early autumn of 2008, Kahn ended his football career.
Games with Oliver Kahn are full of fights and funny incidents. A football player could easily start a quarrel with an opponent or kick a colleague at the club. So, at one of Bayern’s training sessions, the goalkeeper grabbed a player’s neck because he neglected his football duties. And once, in a duel with the Belarusians, he bit his own midfielder. The victim later noted in an interview that he now knows how bulldogs bite, hinting at Kahn’s nickname.
In 2001, fans of the grass game laughed at the Bayern goalkeeper for scoring a goal with his hands. The fact is that Oliver dreamed of sending the ball into the opponent’s goal at least once. The opportunity presented itself in the game against Hansa. Kahn forgot that he entered the field as a player, came into the opponent's penalty area and scored the ball with his hands. The referee did not count the goal and showed the goalkeeper a yellow card.
Oliver Kahn's goal with his handsFor many years, Kahn feuded with Jens Lehmann, who slept and saw himself as the No. 1 goalkeeper in the national team. And the footballer still waited for his finest hour. Oliver's 2004-2005 season was not successful, and at the next World Championship Lehmann was put in goal.
This championship led to the reconciliation of enemies: after the quarterfinal match with the Argentines, in which Lehmann “won” the penalty shootout, Kahn came up and congratulated Jens.
However, Oliver Kahn was remembered by fans and rivals as an empathetic person. A touching story happened in the 2001 Champions League final. Bayern played Valencia. Opposing goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares' mother died during the match. The football player sat down on the grass and cried. Oliver hurried to the goalkeeper, whom he consoled with words
“Kanyi, don’t cry, your mother is looking at you now and she is really proud that she gave birth to the legendary goalkeeper, you.”
After that, Santiago stood up and continued playing.
Personal life
The German's personal life is not stable. Oliver persistently sought the hand and heart of a former classmate named Simone for 14 years. As a result, in 1999 she became the goalkeeper’s wife. She got married pregnant. From this woman, Kan has two children - daughter Katharina and son David.
However, the football player did not turn out to be an exemplary head of the family. Four years after the wedding, Oliver left his wife for a young waitress, Verena Kert. Moreover, the wife was carrying a second child and was about to give birth.
With Verena, who is 11 years younger, the athlete never walked down the aisle, he simply lived under the same roof. Later, the girl decided to renew her relationship with her former lover, the young Greek Alexander. And Oliver returned to the family. But the old feelings were never returned, and the couple broke up completely.
However, the football player was not left alone - in 2011 he married again. The chosen one was a woman named Svenzha.
Kahn is the author of two books. In 2004, the publication “Number One” was published from the pen of the football player, and four years later - the book of memoirs “Ya. Success comes from within." The man has an economic education, so he plays brilliantly on the stock exchanges.
Oliver Kahn now
After graduation football career Oliver went to conquer television, where he rose to become a popular TV presenter and sports commentator. Matches of the Bundesliga and the German national team take place under his voice. The former goalkeeper runs a page on "Instagram", regularly updating the gallery with new photos.
The footballer also commented on Germany's departure from the 2018 World Cup. He believes that the defeat of the national team was quite fair; the players lacked unity.
Awards
- Eight-time German champion
- Winner of six German Cups
- Winner of five German League Cups
- UEFA Cup winner
- 2000/01 – UEFA Champions League winner
- 2001 – winner of the Intercontinental Cup
- 1996 – European champion
- 2002 – silver medalist world championship
- 2005 – bronze medalist of the Confederations Cup
- 2006 – bronze medalist at the World Championships
I got into football thanks to my father. Rolf Kahn was not a great player, he played only 11 matches in the Bundesliga, but he became famous as the coach of the Karlsruhe children's team. Little Oliver took his first steps in it.
The unsociable six-year-old child was distinguished by gigantic hard work and perseverance. However, Olya spent the greatest effort on correcting the main defect - malocclusion; due to his jaw being pushed forward, his speech was incomprehensible to others, which caused a lot of ridicule, but gradually he managed to correct his diction.
Until the age of 17, Oliver played for the youth team. From 18 summer age was enrolled as the third goalkeeper in the main team, but immediately became number 2 and sat in reserve for the main goalkeeper, Alexander Famulla.
The terrible debut took place a year later - Famulla received a red card and was disqualified for 3 games. Kahn became the rightful owner of the “frame” and in 3 games he set his “record” by conceding 9 goals and quarreling with the fans.
He was practically expelled, but he was saved by the lack of candidates for Famulla’s backup.
Three years of sitting on the bench - the consequences of that three-game series. The next chance came after Famulla's mediocre game in 90 against Bochum, when he missed 2 stupid goals and was replaced by Kahn, who did not miss his chance, not missing more than one goal, and his team won.
Since then, Kahn has become the team's main goalkeeper. Since 1992, his teammate was Sergei Kiryakov.
According to his recollections, the most best match Oli played for Karlsruhe in the 93/94 season in the UEFA Cup against Valencia, losing the first game away 1:3, at home, thanks to the courage caught by Kahn, the Spaniards did not have the slightest chance and Karlsruhe won 7: 0. The consequence of this was Kahn's invitation to the national team and recognition as goalkeeper of the year in Germany.
Best of the day
Also in 1994, Kahn was invited to Bayern and signed a contract on July 1, 1994. The team with which his name is now associated. Thanks to his violent temper, Kan quickly spoiled relations with the fans, earning nicknames: “Gorilla”, “Vampire”, “Bulldog” and others, and these nicknames are given by fans and journalists, but in the team they call him Oli (with emphasis on the first syllable).
Olya weaned fans off nicknames in a very original way: when he was called “Gorilla,” the fans threw bananas at him, Kan calmly caught one of the bananas, peeled it and ate it.
It’s paradoxical, but until recently Kahn was the most disliked player of Bayern fans. This was facilitated by his peculiar manner of behavior on the field: in 90 minutes of play, teammates can hear the entire stock of German profanity, he plays very harshly on exits (which only cost a straight leg kick Herrlich), failures also drive Bulldog crazy - Timo Lange and Andreas Möller were bitten.
Olya became much calmer after his wedding with Simone, whom they had been dating for 14 years, and the birth of their daughter Katarina-Maria.
The collection of trophies collected by Kahn as part of Bayern deserves respect:
German champion 1997, 1999-2000.
Winner of the German Cup 1998, 2000.
Winner of the German League Cup 1997-99.
Winner of the Champions League 2001.
Winner of the 1996 UEFA Cup.
Winner of the Intercontinental Cup 2001.
In the German national team since 1994. He was number three at the 94 World Cup, second at the 98 World Cup. May Kahn's admirers forgive me, but he became the first in the national team after the voluntary departure of Klos, who announced that he was concentrating on club career and the conclusion of Andreas Köpke's speeches. Since then, Kahn has been synonymous with goalkeeping reliability, coming within one step of winning the 2001 Ballon d'Or. Let's see what happens in 2002.
Other titles:
Vice world champion 2002.
Participant of the 1996 European Championship, 1998 World Cup, 2000 European Championship.
Winner of the Silver Ball 2001.
The best goalkeeper in Germany of the last decade.
