A great sportsman's career ending

[Skybird]

This weekend, one of the best football goalies ever - at least a lot of people would agree to that description - will end his career after 20 years. Feared for his furious outbreaks, being listened to because of his marking, sometimes biting comments, respected for his world class performance which made him being elected three times as the world's best goalie, on Sunday Oliver Kahn - nicknamed "The Titan", a nick he never liked - will play his last match for the 1st FC Bayern Munich. That pretty much marks the end of an era.

German national teams, despite the very varying team qualities, always were lucky in having a tradition of constantly having absolute top world class goalies available, for which German football is envied by lot of football nations. Beyond doubt, Kahn must be listed as one of the very best Germany ever had.

After he was only second choice at the championship in 2006, he experienced an amazing change in his personality showing to the public. No longer being the undisputed, undefeatable "Titan", he found the public opinion rewarding his fair sense for team play, and not blowing up, with a spike in sympathies even from people, who before stayed away from him due to his difficult and sometimes rude behavior and signs of aggression and "madness" during a match. I respected the goalie Kahn always, but I never liked the man. But in the past 2 years, when he became somewhat "softer", I learnd to like him much more. He surprised many people in these two years, including me.

Good luck, Olli! Due to several other extremely good goalies in Germany you maybe do not leave an unfillable gap - but you leave certainly a mark greater than that of most.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...553495,00.html

[jpm1]

i didn't knew OK pratised also kung fu but well from my french place i keep an image of a good goalkeeper

[Jacky Fisher]

Bayern will miss him, but should worry too much with Luca Toni and Franck Ribery in the lineup.