Oliver Kahn assets

Short introduction

Oliver Kahn was a professional football player at Karlsruher SC and FC Bayern Munich, with whom he won numerous titles. He also played 86 times for the German national team. Since the end of his career, he has worked as a TV expert and entrepreneur. From 2024 he will be a board member of his former club FC Bayern Munich.

Early life

Oliver Kahn was born the son of former Bundesliga player Rolf Kahn in the summer of 1969. This set the course early that Oliver Kahn would also turn to football. Already at the age of 6 he joined Karlsruher SC, where he received his training as a goalkeeper until 1987. From 1987 onwards he started his career as a professional at Karlsruher SC.

Career

Oliver Kahn made his professional debut at his first Bundesliga game at the end of 1987. However, it was not until 1990 that he became the goalkeeper of Karlsruher SC. Here he was also in the so-called “miracle of the game park” in goal when his KSC defeated Valencia CF 7-0. In 1994 he moved to Bayern Munich for DM 4.6 million, where he immediately became goalkeeper, which he remained there until the end of his career in 2008. Oliver Kahn has 557 appearances in the Bundesliga.

He also played an important role in the national team of Germany. Here he had been part of the team since 1993, but did not become a goalkeeper until the EM 2000. So he took part in four world championships between 1994 and 2006, but was only once (2002) goalkeeper. The fact that he wished his eternal rival Jens Lehmann good luck before the penalty shoot-out against Argentina in the quarter-finals brought a lot of sympathy to Oliver Kahn, who was considered dogged. His last game for the national team was the third place game, which Germany won 3-1 in Stuttgart against Portugal.

Two years later he also ended his career as a club player and quickly, in the same year in 2008, became a TV expert at ZDF. An activity that he still does today. In this, with increasing ease, he gained further sympathy beyond that of fans of FC Bayern Munich. Previously, Kahn had been seen as an enemy of many fans of other clubs.

Then there were other activities such as a goalkeeper show on Chinese television, its own goalkeeper school, which is mainly represented in the Middle East, and activities as a testimonial for various companies. In addition to completing a course of study at a private university in the field of management, he also continued his education through a number of his own entrepreneurial projects.

In 2009, he declined an offer from FC Schalke 04 to join as manager. Instead, he will join the FC Bayern Munich board of directors at the beginning of 2024. There he is expected to close the gap created by Uli Hoeneß’s departure in the area of the interface between sporting and economic know-how, as Uli Hoeneß embodied. Since he also reached a higher level rhetorically in the long years of his work as a TV expert, many trust him to be successful here.

Career highlights

In his active time, he won several titles. In total there were eight German championships, six wins in the DFB Cup, the UEFA Cup in 1996 and the same year the title as European champion. Here, however, he was not used. In 2002 Oliver Kahn was runner-up world champion with the German national team and player of the tournament in Japan and South Korea. He succeeded as the first goalkeeper ever.

He also received numerous individual awards. He has been named goalkeeper of the year three times and UEFA goalkeeper of the year four times, making him the record holder in this ranking. He also finished second – also unusual for a goalkeeper – in the election for footballer of the year 2002.

The most important title in his career was certainly winning the 2001 Champions League when he saved several penalties in the penalty shootout against Valencia CF and thus became the match winner. Two years earlier he had suffered the most bitter defeat of his career with the 1: 2 against Manchester United. It is unclear whether the lost World Cup final from 2002 gnawed at him even more. In the same year of winning the title in the Champions League, Oliver Kahn also won the 2001 World Cup.

Famous quotes

“These are century players, as they occur at most every 50 years.”

“The coach said we should bite our opponents. I tried to take it to heart ”

“I am the only animal in our home.”

“There are crises in the intensive care unit or in the Middle East, but not in football.”

“The only thing that really interests me is: what can you do to be successful?”

Amazing facts

His nickname is “Titan”, which was given to him by the tabloid press. The Leipzig pop group “Die Prinzen” released a song called “Olli Kahn”. During his time as an active player, he caused a number of sensational escapades. He once indicated a bite in the neck of Heiko Herrlich and jumped just past Stephane Chapuisat in kung fu style. He also scored a goal with his hands in a game against Hansa Rostock when he boxed the ball in goalkeeper manner into the opposing goal – which was punished with a smooth red.