Oliver Kahn was one of the best goalkeepers in the history of soccer. Kahn's irrepressible will to win and his agressive mentality earned him the nickname "Titan" on the soccer field.
Oliver Rolf Kahn was born on June 15, 1969, in Karlsruhe, Germany. He is the son of former German Bundesliga player Rolf Kahn and Monika Kahn. He graduated from the Helmholtz Gymnasium in 1988 and started a distance learning program at the University of Hagen.
He started his career playing in the field before he realized that he wanted to be a goalkeeper. His first team was Karlsruhe SC, a club for which his father, Rolf, had played.
Kahn played for several youth teams of Karlsruhe. He made his Bundesliga debut on November 27th, 1987.
His final breakthrough was the 1990 season when he finally became the starting goalie for Karlsruhe. His good performances in the following years helped him draw the interest of several other Bundesliga teams.
In 1994 he moved to German record Champion, Bayern Munich. They paid about $2 million for him. It was the highest fee that had ever been paid for a goalkeeper at the time.
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Oliver Kahn was signed to replace keeper Raimond Aumann, who had left Bayern Munich.
In his time in Munich, Kahn won 8 National championships, 6 German Cups, the Champions League, and the European Winners' Cup.
His most successful season was 2001. It was a season with events that every German soccer fan will remember. Bayern Munich was losing by one goal in the last game of the season. Then, in the 94th minute, during stoppage time, they scored a freekick, making them national champions!
Oliver Kahn ended his fantastic career on May 17th, 2008, being replaced in the 89th minute against Hertha BSC Berlin.
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Kahn was chosen for the German national team for the first time in 1993 and was part of the squad for the FIFA World Cup in 1994. He made his debut on June 23, 1995, against Switzerland.
Since Germany had always been a nation of good goalkeepers, he continued to be the backup goalkeeper in the following years.
He finally became Germany's new number one keeper after the World Cup in 1998 when Andreas Köpke retired.
Kahn was named the best player of the World Cup 2002. His only mistake, in the final against Brazil, prevented Germany from winning the World Cup, though.
Kahn retired from the national team after World Cup 2006 because Jens Lehmann had become the new number one goalkeeper.