Oliver Kahn never got the World Cup winner's medal he had hoped for.
Kahn retired from international soccer after Germany's 3-1 win over Portugal
in the third-place match Saturday, ending one chapter of a stellar career in
which he won just about everything else.
Germany's Oliver Kahn
waves to fans after Germany defeated Portugal in their World Cup 2006
third place soccer match in Stuttgart July 8,
2006.[Reuters] |
"I always said I absolutely wanted to be world champion. Unfortunately, I
only made it to runner-up four years ago," Kahn said.
The 37-year-old said it would be "utopian" to think he could fill the gap in
his career record in the 2010 tournament.
"I'm still young but no longer the youngest," he said, dismissing his chances
of emulating Italy's Dino Zoff, who won the trophy aged 40. "Times have changed
and you have to be realistic and find a sensible moment" to stop.
Kahn, now only backup in Germany's goal, got within two minutes of keeping a
final clean sheet against Portugal.
After 15 minutes, he did well to stop a close-range effort by Pauleta and, in
the second half, diverted a long-range drive by Deco. He also twice thwarted
Christian Ronaldo before he was beaten in the 88th by Nuno Gomes' diving header.
After the final whistle, Kahn went to the stands and threw his gloves into
the crowd, then led a slow procession around the stadium to greet the ecstatic
fans.
"It was one of the most emotional, if not the most emotional moment that I
can remember. You can hardly wish a for more beautiful final game," Kahn said.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann decided to play Kahn against Portugal after
consulting his No. 1 Jens Lehmann. Kahn, playing his 86th cap, was also captain
again because Michael Ballack missed the game with a knee injury.
"He was fantastic," Klinsmann said. "I can only speak about Oliver with the
highest respect."
It was Kahn's first World Cup game since the 2002 final, when his fumble
opened the way for Brazil to win 2-0 on a pair of goals from Ronaldo. While
Brazil celebrated, a disconsolate Kahn leaned back against one of his posts and
stayed motionless for minutes.
Despite that blunder, Kahn won FIFA's player of the 2002 tournament award and
the nickname of "Titan" back in Germany.
