2001 Intercontinental Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2001 Champions League winner (Bayern Munich) 1996 UEFA Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 1997 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 1999 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 2000 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 2001 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 2003 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 2005 Bundesliga Champions (Bayern Munich) 1998 German Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2000 German Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2003 German Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2005 German Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2001 League Cup winner (Bayern Munich) 2002 World Cup Finalists (Germany) 2001 European SuperCup Finals (Bayern Munich)
Biography
Oliver Kahn (born 15 June 1969 in Karlsruhe, Germany) is a
German football goalkeeper. He plays for the German national
team (since 1995) and Bayern München (since 1994). He is known
as King Kahn or Kahn, the Titan for his prowess in the game.
Kahn began his football odyssey in 1976, in his native town,
Karlsruhe. A year later, he was playing for Karlsruher SC's
youth team. He worked his way up through the youth teams but
never quite made it into the international youth set-up. He
subsequently made his Bundesliga debut in the autumn of 1990 and
left an indelible stain from the outset. It took him only three
seasons to establish himself as one of the best last lines of
defence in the Bundesliga and his excellent displays were
rewarded with a call-up to the national team in October 1993. He
was drafted into the German squad at the 1994 World Cup as
reserve keeper to Bodo Illgner, but never made the starting line-up.
He was signed by Bayern Munich at the beginning of the 1994/95
season, and has gone on to win many honors, both at domestic and
international level. The 2.5 million euros paid by the Bavarian
club was a record fee for a goalkeeper at the time, and from the
very beginning Kahn was made Bayern's first-choice. Although
suffering a rupture of his cruciate ligament in the next season,
he developed into a most formidable goalkeeper.
His international debut came in a match against Switzerland on
June 23, 1995. He had to still make do with being the reserve
keeper at Euro 96 in England. At the 1998 World Cup in France he
had to play second fiddle for the third successive major
international tournament. It was not until Andreas Köpke
announced his retirement at the end of the tournament that
Oliver Kahn was finally given his chance as the unquestionable
German number one.
In 2002, he won the adidas Golden Ball for best player and the
Yashin Award for top goalkeeper of the 2002 World Cup, after
allowing only two out seven national sides to score on him: the
Republic of Ireland and the ultimate champions Brazil. Despite
being beaten only three times overall, he was widely blamed for
losing the final after allowing the first goal to Brazilian
striker Ronaldo. He also starred for his country at Euro 2000
and Euro 2004.
He and his wife Simone split in 2003 after he was romantically
linked to former barmaid Verena Kerth; he and Kerth have been in
a relationship since then. He has two children.
