The legendary, world famous football goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was born in the small German town of Karlsruhe on June 15, 1969. Oliver instilled a love of the ball with his father, Rolf Kahn, who had played at one time for a local club as a midfielder.
Carier start. Series of failures
Kahn made his first steps in football as a member of the Karlsruhe Club. Until 17 years, Oliver played for the youth team, and with the coming of age he was accepted as the third goalkeeper in the main team. Madam fortune was supportive to the novice footballer, and he was instantly credited with the second goalkeeper after Alexander
Famullahs.
Soon the long-awaited moment came when Kan had the opportunity to show his skills, but it wasn’t there. On the eve of the upcoming match with Cologne, Famulla, having received a red card, was disqualified for the next three games. In the absence of the main goalkeeper, the honor of defending the goal fell to Oliver Kahn, who, not meeting the coach’s expectations, conceded 4 goals, and the team lost dry.
Troubles for Oliver did not end there. In the game with Werder Bremen, he was unable to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of those around him and made it possible for the enemy to hit his goal twice. In total, over 3 matches Kahn conceded 9 goals. The only thing that Oliver Kahn remained in the team is the absence of another goalkeeper to replace Famullah. Kang sat on the bench for a whole year.
On the road to fame
The painstaking work on his football talent after a while completely paid off, and when Oliver once again had a chance, he showed himself in all its glory, thanks to which he firmly took his place on the goal.
After the unsuccessful game of Famullah, goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was replaced. None of the opposing teams managed to hit the gates guarded by Oliver, as a result, “Karlsruhe” won. In the same year (1992), the Kahn team received the right to take part in the UEFA Cup. From that moment, Kahn's career began to go uphill, as they say.
Munich Bavaria
Having successfully performed at the UEFA Cup, reaching the semifinal stage, Karlsruhe began to gain in popularity, and Oliver himself aroused interest among coaches of various teams. A turning point in the career of a novice footballer came in the summer of 1994, after moving from his native club to the strongest German team - Bayern Munich. The transfer amount at that time was simply astronomical - 5 million marks. Oliver Kahn immediately supplanted Raymond Aumann, who was the first goalkeeper of the Munich club for many years.
Finally, in 1995, Kahn’s old dream came true - he had to defend the gates of the national German team in matches against the national teams of Georgia and Switzerland. But the 1996 European Championship , Oliver still had to spend on the bench. Only after leaving the German national team, Andy Köppke Oliver Kahn received the place of honor of the first goalkeeper.
First achievements
Season 1995-1996 marked the victory of the Munich club in the UEFA Cup. And next year, Oliver for the first time in his career became the gold medalist of the German Bundesliga, taking first place and proving his unsurpassed skill. By this time, Kahn’s popularity in Bavaria was growing rapidly, and very soon he became not only the No. 1 goalkeeper, but also the real leader of the team.
But with all this, relations with fans sometimes did not develop quite smoothly. Due to the rude nature and non-standard appearance, especially active fans came up with various offensive nicknames, for example, “Bulldog”, “Monkey”, “Gorilla”. True, over time, a completely innocent and even affectionate “Olli” took root.
Career continues to develop successfully, and in 1999, having won a victory in the next German championship, football player Oliver Kahn was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the planet. Oliver did not manage to get the main club trophy in Europe, since in the final match against Manchester United, the Germans, winning 1-0, were able to concede 2 goals in the added referee for 3 minutes. This alignment, however, did not knock Kahn out of the rut, on the contrary, the goalkeeper found strength and continued to train hard.
Peak of popularity
Oliver Kahn performed amazingly in the UEFA Champions League 2000-2001, becoming a real triumph of the championship. However, despite the unsurpassed results at the club level, Kahn could not manage to register in the main team of the German national team. And although he participated in world championships in 1994 and 1998, at the European Championships in 1996, Oliver was regarded only as the second goalkeeper - the Bundesmanschaft.
In 1998, Oliver Kahn, whose photo adorned the covers of numerous sports magazines, became the No. 1 goalkeeper in a German football machine in the selection of the main team for the Old World Championship.
The stellar hour for Olli was the Mundial of 2002, where the goalkeeper literally pulled his team into the finals, which made him known as the best figure in the Bundesmanschaft. Defeat from the Brazilians in the battle for gold cast a shadow on Caen's class and skill. Nevertheless, at the end of the year he again received the title of the best soccer goalkeeper on the planet.
At the 2004 European Championships, Kahn’s role as the main defender of the goal was untouchable. True, losing to the Italian team in the semifinals, the Germans were able to win only bronze. At the same time, at the ceremony, he applauded the whole of Berlin, which was a kind of turning point for German football.
Final season
The 2007/2008 season was the final in Kahn’s playing career. He spent it in his native Munich “Bavaria”, which became the second home for the football player. Moreover, Oliver was recognized as a real symbol of the famous club, which forever went down in its history.
In the final season for himself, goalkeeper Oliver Kahn wanted, of course, to shine and leave football in the rank of winner. To some extent, he succeeded - Munich “Bavaria” won the Cup and the national championship.
And things in the European arena have turned out worse. The team, by a happy coincidence, was able to get around the modest Spanish Getafe and reach the semifinals, where it was defeated by the St. Petersburg Zenit with a huge score.
Farewell match
September 2, 2008 ... There is not a single empty seat at the Munich Alliance Arena stadium. Here the farewell match of the legendary Bayern footballer Oliver Kahn against the German national team took place. At the 33rd minute, “Olli” missed his last goal.
In total, Kahn played 86 matches for the German national team, 49 of which played in the status of captain. The famous goalkeeper chalked up 190 games played “dry”, a series of 736 minutes without a single conceded goal, as well as other wonders of football statistics.
Personal life
Currently, Oliver Kahn, whose biography is full of bright events, is officially divorced. “Ollie” married July 10, 1999 to Simon, whose hands he sought for 14 years. The reason for the marriage was the pregnancy of the chosen one, because at the end of 1998 Oliver became a father, the daughter Katarina was born.
Rumors reached Simone about the affair of her husband with the club waitress Verena Kert led to numerous scandals. When the wife carried Kan's second child under the heart, the football player began to openly demonstrate to the public his relationship with Verona, which led to the collapse of the family. A year later, Oliver decided to return to his wife, who at that time had already raised two of his children (son David was born). However, the feelings cooled down, and two once once loving hearts failed to reunite.
Oliver Kahn is an outstanding, famous goalkeeper who made a huge contribution to the development of German football.