Total dedication

A picture dated 23 February 2000 shows Oliver Kahn, goalkeeper of the German national soccer team, in Amsterdam's ArenA stadium. Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Kahn was voted German footballer of the year in a poll conducted by German sports magazine Kicker, published 09 August 2000.

It was probably patience and a high work rate that earned Oliver Kahn the goalkeeping job in the German national side after eight years spent in the Bundesliga.

He once went 13 hours and 22 minutes without conceding a Bundesliga goal, showing his concentration to be consistent too.

Unsurprisingly his 1994 transfer from Karlsruhe to Bayern Munich for 4.6 million Deutschmarks (1.8 million euros), was a then record high fee for a goalkeeper in Germany.

Kahn started to play competitively at the age of six in his home town club Karlsruhe, a year after Germany won the 1974 World Cup on home soil.

At 18 he was playing for the professional team and had seven years in goal with this mid-table club before Bayern recruited him.

Technical skills

This was just before the World Cup in the United States, where he was in the squad with Andreas Kopke as a replacement for Bodo Illgner.

Goalkeeper of European Champions Cup finalists Bayern Munich, Oliver Kahn, holds the German Bundesliga champions trophy before the match against VfL Bochum at Olympic stadium in Munich 22 May 1999. President of the German Football Association (DFB) Egidius Braun handed over the trophy one week before the end of the German football season. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE)

He started his international career with a win (2-1) in Switzerland a year later, but Kopke was first choice.

At Bayern Oliver Kahn completed his range of technical skills under the orders of the former West German hero Sepp Maier and with the Bavarian club he began to build up his honours list: a UEFA cup in 1996 (against Bordeaux) then the first of his five German Championship titles.

God of football

Euro 96 was the scene of his first international title, but he was again Kopke's understudy and did not play a game, just as at the World Cup in 1998.

His patience was rewarded when Kopke retired from international football following the disatrous World Cup quarter-final in 1998 when Croatia humiliated Germany 3-0 in France.

German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (L) stops a shot by Romanian defender Dan Petrescu (R) 12 June 2000, during the Euro 2000 group A match opposing Germany to Romania in Liege. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE)

Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Oliver Kahn holds the trophy as his teammates celebrate after winning the European football Champions League final match between Bayern Munich and Valencia 23 May 2001 at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Bayern Munich won the title after extra time and penalty kicks.

After the Champions Leage victory against Valencia he was elevated by the German press to the rank of "God of football" when the blonde German stopped two Spanish penalties in the shoot-out.

Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Oliver Kahn stops a penalty kick during the European football Champions League final match between Bayern Munich and Valencia 23 May 2001 at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Bayern Munich won the title after extra time and penalty kicks.

From that moment the Bavarian giants, who pay him an annual salary of 2.2 million euros, were determined to keep him for the rest of his career.

The 2002 World Cup provided mixed fortunes for Kahn as he soaked up accolades as the world's greatest 'keeper by carrying Germany into the final.

Punished

Brazil's forward Ronaldo scores the first goal against Germany's team captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn during the final match of the FIFA 2002 World Cup Korea Japan at International Stadium Yokohama 30 June, 2002, in Yokohama, Japan. Brazil won the final 2-0. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK HERTZOG

But in the match against Brazil he failed to hang on to a low drive from Rivaldo, allowing Ronaldo to tap home the rebound and give the Selecao a crucial 1-0 lead.

Germany never recovered and the South American's added a second goal to walk away with a record fifth title (2-0).

In 2003, his health took a turn for the worse when he suffered serious eye and ear problems and woke up one day with such inflamed eyes, he was almost unable to see. He also needed to have his eardrums pierced.

However, when putting in his 100th Champions League appearace against Lyon in October 2003, Kahn seemed to be back in full command of his colossal skills.

He recently stated he would like to still be in goal when Germany host the 2006 World Cup but first there is the little matter of Euro 2004.