Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German international football player who used to feature prominently during the 1990s and 2000s. He played as a goalkeeper and is considered as one of the greatest ever goalkeepers and a German football legend. He won eight German champiomships, six German Cups, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Champions League. He won the “German Footballer of the Year” twice, the UEFA Best European Goalkeeper award for four successive years and the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year three times. Kahn also won the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup finals.
Oliver Kahn commenced his progessional club football career at German side Karlsruher SC in the 1987-1988 season but could establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper only from 1990. He played a key role in Karlsruher in the UEFA Cup when they reached the semi-finals.
Oliver Kahn was signed by German and European powerhouse Bayern Munich at the start of the 1994-1995 season for a then record transfer fee for a goalkkeeper of 2.5 million euros. Kahn went onto become a legend for Bayern and played for the Bavarians for the rest of his career. In 1999 he led Bayern to the final of the UEFA Champions League and was declared the Man of the Match in the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2001, when he won with Bayern on a penalty shoot-out against Spanish club Valencia. He also received the UEFA Fair Play Award for this match after he walked up to Valencia custodian Santiago Canizares and comforted him.
| Height / weight | 1.88 m / |
| Born | 15 Jun 1969 |
| Nationality |
Germany
|
| Nickname | Olli |
| Team History | |
Bayern
|
1994 - 2008 |
Karlsruher
|
1990 - 1994 |
|
Karlsruher
|
1987 - 1990 |
Kahn was also instumental in Bayern winning the German Bundesliga on a number of occasions. On September 2,2007 he became the Bundesliga’s all time leader in matches played among goalkeepers when he featured in his 535th Bundesliga match. Kahn decided to retire from football in 2008. His final European appearance for Bayern was against Zenit Saint Petersburg in the UEFA Cup semi-final on May 1,2008 while his last Bundesliga match for Bayern was on May 17 against Hertha Berlin.
Oliver Kahn made his last professional appearance for Bayern against Mohun Bangan in a friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata,India on May 27, 2008.
Oliver Kahn made his international debut for Germany against Switzerland on June 23,1995. Intially he played as a reserve for his nation and featured at Euro ‘96. He was also a part of the German squad for the 1998 World Cup finals and was the number one goalkeeper for Germany at Euro 2000. He subsequently became the captain of his team.
Oliver Kahn was one of the best players at the 2002 World Cup finals and was the best for Germany. He won the Lev Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament and also picked up the Golden Ball award for the best individual performance. He also became the first German custodian to keep five clean sheets in a World Cup finals. Kahn was also the captain of the German national team at Euro 2004.
Oliver Kahn also featured at the 2006 World Cup finals but was not the first choice for his nation. His last match for the German national team came against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup third/fourth playoff.
