Oliver Kahn - Retired, legendary Bayern goalkeeper

[Oliver_Kahn]

The German Football Association (DFB) executive committee has agreed to a Bayern Munich proposal for a jointly-staged farewell match for Oliver Kahn at the Allianz Arena. The meeting between Bayern and a Germany XI will take place on Tuesday 2 September 2008 at 8.45 pm.

Kahn, a runner-up at the 2002 World Cup and third at the 2006 event, will end his career after the 2007-8 season. The 38-year-old joined Bayern in 1994 and has made a total of 549 Bundesliga appearances. He earned the first of 86 Germany caps in a 2-1 win over Switzerland on 23 June 1995 in Berne.

Zwanziger praises Kahn

After playing in his country’s 3-1 win over Portugal in Stuttgart on 8 July 2006 in the 2006 World Cup third-place play-off, the man who captained Germany from 2002 to 2004 announced his retirement from international football. With Bayern, Kahn won the Champions League and World Club Cup in 2001, and the UEFA Cup in 1996. He has won the German championship seven times and the DFB Cup five times.

“Oliver Kahn is an outstanding sportsman and an exceptional person,” commented DFB President Dr. Theo Zwanziger. “The 2002 World Cup, where he was named best player of the tournament, is inextricably linked to his incomparable performances. He showed himself to be a wonderful sportsman at the 2006 World Cup, behaving with fairness and consideration in a difficult situation for him personally, and providing an important impulse to the team."

Rummenigge thanks DFB

“Furthermore,” Zwanziger continued, "he has only played for two clubs as a professional and has thus showed great loyalty, which is not always evident nowadays. We wish Oliver Kahn all the best for the time after his career, and hope he has a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable farewell match."

“We are delighted we are able to provide Oliver Kahn with the farewell this consummate professional deserves after 20 years in German football,” commented Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “He has performed with distinction for the DFB, FC Bayern Munich, Karlsruher SC, the Bundesliga and German football as a whole. Our thanks go to him, and to the DFB for making a major farewell evening to Oliver Kahn possible, by providing a DFB team to play Bayern Munich."

Kahn: Great evening of football in store

Commented Oliver Kahn: “It will not be an easy moment for me when I finally bring an end to 20 years as a professional footballer. However, I am thoroughly looking forward to the second of September 2008. It will be a wonderful evening of football, and it is a tremendous accolade to have the honour of Germany playing Bayern for my farewell. Even today, I would like to thank the DFB, the German Football League and Bayern Munich."

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It's going to be a huge match. Oliver Kahn undoubtely deserves it.

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Oliver Kahn will have mixed memories of Saturday’s trip to Energie Cottbus. The Bayern captain racked up his 550th Bundesliga appearance, but the leaders’ second defeat of term at the hands of the league’s bottom club was certainly not part of the pre-match plan.

The spoilsport of the day from the point of view of Bayern and their goalkeeper was two-goal marksman Branko Jelic. The 18th-minute opener was the 400th time Kahn has conceded in the German top flight, while the Serbian striker’s second was Munich’s 1,700th goal against in the Bundesliga. Kahn himself prevented the total from rising still further with three excellent saves.

The former Germany international and three-time World Goalkeeper of the Year, who made 128 top flight appearances for Karlsruher SC before switching to Bayern, has kept a total of 203 clean sheets and remains fourth in the all-time Bundesliga appearances chart. The 38-year-old requires just three more appearances this term to claim third place, the highest he can achieve before ending his career this summer.

All-time Bundesliga appearances: Top ten

1. Karl-Heinz Körbel (Eintracht Frankfurt) 602
2. Manfred Kaltz (Hamburger SV) 581
3. Klaus Fichtel (Schalke 04) 552
4. Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich) 550
5. Mirko Votava (Werder Bremen) 546
6. Klaus Fischer (Schalke 04) 535
7. Eike Immel (VfB Stuttgart) 534
8. Willi Neuberger (Eintracht Frankfurt) 520
9. Michael Lameck (VfL Bochum) 518
10. Uli Stein (Hamburger SV) 512

Note: The club listed is the club where the player made the most appearances.
Kahn is the only member of the top ten still playing.

[USBayernMunichFan]

King Kahn!

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congratulions lion heart !!
luve yu so much ..
kahn rulez

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A report in Bild has speculated that Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn could become a TV pundit when he hangs up his boots at the end of this season.

The veteran shotstopper is never shy of giving an opinion and has been linked with terrestrial channel ZDF's coverage of the German national team.

Current pundit, the ever-popular Mainz 05 coach Jürgen Klopp, is out of contract with the channel after this summer's Euro 2008 and is thought to be reluctant to renew the deal, possibly with a view to taking over the managerial reigns at Hamburg.

Kahn himself hasn't yet commented on what he'll be doing post-Bayern, but having played for the German national team on 86 occasions, leading them to the 2002 World Cup final, he certainly knows his stuff.

Kahn's interviews after Bayern defeats, where he's unafraid to lay into anyone and everyone, have become almost legendary in Germany for the straight-up manner in which he speaks his mind.

"From our position it's not yet clear whether Jürgen Klopp will stay on or not," commented ZDF sports boss Dieter Gruschwitz to Bild. "If he decides to step down then there are of course a few candidates. Oliver Kahn is an interesting option."

Kahn will play for Bayern in a testimonial against the German national team on 2nd September.

Goal.com - Germany - Kahn Tipped For TV Pundit Job

[BlackNess]

His amazing save against Bayer ...

TalkSoccer Media Player

[Vargas_4]

Indian club Mohun Bagan will honour Oliver Kahn with an honorary lifetime club membership when Bayern Munich visit the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on May 27 for the goalkeeper's final match.

The German giants will visit India at the end of this season.

The General Secretary of Mohun Bagan, Anjan Mitra expressed his pleasure over the fact that Kahn will play his final game in the football crazy city of Kolkata.

“Since Kahn is playing his last game, we have decided to honor him with a lifetime club membership of Mohun Bagan," Mitra said.

Mr.Mitra declared the game as the third biggest in the history of Mohun Bagan after the earlier visits of New York Cosmos and a Cameroonian team.

“In 1976, Pele came with Cosmos which was followed by a Cameroonian team in the eighties. This is the third most glorious occasion for Mohun Bagan.”

Meanwhile, Indian national team coach Bob Houghton recently expressed his displeasure over the Bayern Munich match.

The Englishman was quoted as saying: “There is no reason to get overawed by the big names of Europe. It is not going to help Indian football much. A couple of million would be spent on Bayern’s visit. That money could have been used for the development of an U-16 team.”

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Goal.com - Asia - Indian Honour For Oliver Kahn

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He Is A legend ....
he is a great leader !!

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Oliver Kahn suffered a neck injury in the first half against BVB and was replaced by Michael Rensing at the break. The club captain is a doubt for Wednesday's Bundesliga trip to Frankfurt. "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play on Wednesday,“ Uli Hoeneß reflected, although the FCB general manager insisted the keeper would be fit for Saturday's German Cup final in Berlin. "He'll definitely turn out,“ Hoeneß smiled.

fcb.de

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Ohh!bad news !!
but now the test for rensing ! ...

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Bayern captain Oliver Kahn discusses Luca Toni, personal "alarm bells", Luca Toni and the business of collecting titles at the club press meet.

Question: In the wake of the Stuttgart game, do you believe FC Bayern are already German champions?

Oliver Kahn: That's difficult to answer. I really don't think so. And we shouldn't be concerning ourselves with when we take the title, just making sure we win it at all. Of that, I've no doubt. The question of "when" shouldn't be in our heads.

Question: Are you worried that on Saturday you might be deprived of one of your three possible titles?

Kahn: I'm zero point zero concerned about that eventuality. I'm very grateful as it is that we've had such a great season so far - in contrast to last season, where we finished a mediocre campaign in fourth. We're looking good for one title at least this time out. At the start of the season, I said that would be wonderful. Anything more is a bonus. So I don't feel the fear, I'm just thankful the season is going so well.

Question: Saturday will be your seventh cup final. Does it still mean anything special to you?

Kahn: There are certain things in football that never become routine, things you never get used to or tired of. The cup final is always a great occasion, with an electric atmosphere. You always look forward to it, and you're always really glad to be part of the proceedings at the final in Berlin.

Question: Is the cup the hardest title to win?

Kahn: In what sense the hardest? For me, the situation is nothing new. But you saw in Getafe how a cup game can hang by a thread. You also need a bit of luck at the right moment. It's about your form on the day, about yellow and red cards, about fresh injuries. There are so many factors involved, you need to stay focussed all the time on what's coming at you, and never take anything for granted.

Question: How's your neck problem?

Kahn: Well, I took a break as a precautionary measure. I was having cervical spine trouble the week before, and thought it was flaring up again. But it was nothing, really. I could train fully all week.

Question: What do you think about Luca Toni - he's in some form?

Kahn: He's a poacher, a goalgetter. As typical as they come. He's the complete penalty-box player, always in the right place at the right time. Goalscorers in the Luca Toni mould are few and far between. He doesn't need many opportunities, and he puts them away. He's netted over 30 goals this season. That's an excellent return. His attributes as a striker are phenomenal.

Question: Dortmund lost again on Wednesday. Can they deny Bayern victory in the cup?

Kahn: It's a final. Nothing that came before matters - whether we beat them 5-0, whether they're on a bad run. We can't take victory for granted. Dortmund have nothing to lose, even less now than before. Things can happen in a final that you wouldn't have dreamed of. We have to focus on the job in hand, and forget everything else. If anything, the mood in training has been almost too laid-back and happy-go-lucky. That's the kind of thing that sets off alarm bells with me.

Question: What's more important to you - the DFB Cup or the UEFA Cup?

Kahn: That's a hard one to answer. If I said the UEFA Cup, Saturday's headline in the papers would be, 'Kahn doesn't take the cup seriously". As a player, you then find yourself in an odd situation. The fact is, the next game is always the most important.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, Mr Grumpy himself, has admitted that for the first time in his career he actually enjoyed a game while playing in it. Must be time to retire!

The Münchner took the honours in Saturday's DFB-Pokal final in Berlin thanks to a 2-1 extra time win over Borussia Dortmund.

That was Kahn's sixth German cup, the most any player has ever won, and the fact that he's to hang up his boots at the end of this season means it will be his last.

Significant Moment

As the rest of the squad partied with the fans in front of the terraces, the shotstopper strolled alone across the turf of the Olympiastadion, savouring both the triumph and sorrow of his last trip to the Berlin showpiece as a player.

And this late into a spectacular career that has seen him win everything going in German domestic football plus the Champions League, with a chance to add this year's Bundesliga and UEFA Cup to the haul, it appears the serious goalkeeper, famous for never being satisfied, is finally finding room for sentiment.

"This is the first time in my career that I've just enjoyed a game," he commented to Bild upon leaving the after-match party. "I didn't even care about the goal we conceded. Their are moments in life when certain things become more important than winning or losing. It was clear to me today that something ended forever, and on a high. I wanted to savour the moment and needed some peace."

Goal.com - Bayern Munich - Kahn: I Actually Enjoyed Cup Win

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As he meandered across the confetti-strewn turf at the Olympic stadium for the last time, alone with himself and his thoughts, Oliver Kahn was a world away from the moment at twenty minutes to eleven when he was the sole focus of attention, receiving the DFB Cup from Federal President Horst Köhler and hoisting it into the Berlin night sky.

”I’m feeling a pleasant mixture of sadness and joy, because I know it was my last final, but I’m certainly enjoying it all at the moment,” he declared. The 2-1 win over brave Borussia Dortmund handed Kahn a sixth Cup winners’ medal, more than any other player in German football history.

Magnet for celebrations

Luca Toni was the obvious match-winner with both the goals for his side, but Kahn’s contribution to the victory was nevertheless immense. With the score at 1-1, he turned away a Florian Kringe piledriver with the kind of magnificent save only a handful of keepers could even contemplate, hurling himself to the foot of his left-hand upright and turning the awkward bouncing ball round the post.

”Olli gave a great display. He was really strong in a difficult phase when we were under pressure. He was especially commanding in the air, he caught and held crosses which weren’t always easy to deal with. He gave the team an incredibly solid base,” general manager Uli Hoeneß remarked afterwards.

Rummenigge joins chorus of praise

Kahn was the first to receive his team-mates’ wild congratulations at the final whistle. Ottmar Hitzfeld also made a bee-line for the man who has served him for so long in the Bayern goal. The pair spent the entire period before the presentation ceremony deep in intimate conversation. “We each add something to the other,” Hitzfeld publicly mused recently.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had already praised Kahn in the highest tones before the match. “We’ve had plenty of outstanding players, Steffan Effenberg, Lothar Matthäus, but for our sporting and public image, Kahn has always been the most important. He personifies this club’s genetic make-up.“ Having Bayern genes means winning trophies, and then going out and winning some more.

First part of triple?

Saturday’s win means Kahn has lost only one of his seven DFB Cup final appearances, a penalty shoot-out defeat to Werder Bremen in 1999 just a few days after the Champions League nightmare against Manchester United in Barcelona. “We’d have won that match with our eyes closed if we hadn’t lost the Champions League final beforehand,” Kahn maintains.

This summer, Kahn will finally and irrevocably hang up his proverbial gloves, “and there comes a point where you’re glad it’s over,“ he reflected. However, he is determined to mount the victory podium two more times: on the last day of the Bundesliga season to receive the championship shield, and on 14 May in Manchester after the UEFA Cup final.