Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in the professional squad. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for the fee of DM4.6 million, where he played until the end of his career in 2008. His commanding presence in goal and aggressive style earned him nicknames such as Der Titanfrom the press and Vol-kahn-ofrom fans...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth15 June 1969
CityKarlsruhe, Germany
CountryGermany
It took me a long time to realize that football isn't martyrdom, but a game that's enjoyable, and one in which getting better at it is supposed to be fun. Perhaps it would have been better if I had understood this as a young man.
The realization that you're not always standing down there on the field merely to win, to be successful, was very liberating. One can be successful by helping the team, the other players. All of a sudden I felt the kind of empathy for people that I hadn't felt before.
I was so obsessed with football that you could say I was taking the goal home with me at night. And then one day the system fell apart.
I have always seen myself as an athlete. Of course, I made the mistake of unintentionally opening the door to my private life by just a crack. I wouldn't do the same thing again. It has to be accepted that my private life is private, and if that isn't the case, I have to do something about it.
Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.
After a decade in a club it's quite normal and necessary that you seek and take a new challenge.
Of course, success is a relative term. It can be something completely different from winning the German championship eight times or making millions.
I've never really seen myself in the role of the victim.
It looked pretty wild, but I was actually in control of myself. I've never really injured anyone throughout my career.
We are Bayern Munich and English teams always have trouble as soon as they leave the island.
It's part of my game to occasionally send a message, one that may be unpopular to the outside world, but can be important for the team.
After the 2006 World Cup, I knew that you don't always need success, success, success on the pitch.
A Germany team should not be afraid going into a tournament. History shows that we can raise the level of our game when it matters.
We knew before the tournament that this would be like a final for us, that it would be a tough group and that it wouldn't be a cakewalk. But everything is in our hands and that's why I am very confident,