Oliver Kahn

Throughout your lifetime, there are some players that you are just lucky to witness live in action. One of them being Oliver Kahn, popularly called Der Titan (The Titan).

Born on 15th June 1969, Kahn started his footballing journey at the age of 6 playing for Karlsruher FC where he made the transition from being an outfield player to a goalie. In 1994, he was signed by Bayern Munich for a record fee of 2.385 million euros. He played some amazing football with this club and retired here in 2008.

His achievements speak volumes about his talent and charisma. 8 German Championships, 6 German cups, the UEFA cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup. He has been phenomenal when it comes to taking his team out of tricky spots. His performances for Germany earned him 2 German Footballer of the Year trophies. He was also graced with 4 consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper.

But his biggest personal achievement was getting the Golden Ball in 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is the only keeper in the tournament’s history to get this prestigious trophy.

His determination in front of goal was one of the prime reasons that Germany made it to the finals of 2002 World Cup. Klose and Ballack admitted that Kahn covering the post gave them a lot of confidence up front to push for goals. His unmatched reflexes and his ability to push the ball out of danger were acclaimed by one and all. He was a dominating figure in front of goal who commanded the respect of his teammates and opponents alike. You could hit the best shot in the world and just be stunned by the brilliance of Kahn shows to stop you from scoring. Freekicks, penalties, through balls, corners, you name it and he has saved it all.

He retired in May 2008 in Kolkata when Bayern Munich played Mohun Bahgan in a friendly. We really miss this Number 1 walking into tumultuous applause at the Allianz Arena.