Jens Lehmann
Encyclopedia
Jens Gerhard Lehmann (ˈjɛns ˈleːman; born 10 November 1969 in Essen
) is a German
former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup
squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning season. He also holds the UEFA Champions League
record for the most consecutive clean sheets, having not conceded a goal in 10 matches whilst at Arsenal.
, playing for them for nearly a decade. His first years were rocky, notably a game against Bayer Leverkusen in 1993 in which he conceded three goals and was substituted after 45 minutes, causing him to flee the stadium alone by tram rather than taking the team bus, but Lehmann gradually established himself as a strong keeper lauded for his ability to intercept crosses.
He scored his first league goal on 12 March 1995 in a 6–2 victory over 1860 Munich
in the 84th minute, scoring Schalke's sixth goal from the penalty spot. His second goal was a last-minute equaliser scored against Borussia Dortmund on 19 December 1997.
Lehmann became Schalke's team hero in their 1997 UEFA Cup Final
victory over Internazionale
, after playing a strong season and saving an Iván Zamorano
penalty in a penalty shootout
.
in 1998, however his performances didn't match the standards set at Schalke. In one game Gabriel Batistuta
scored a hat-trick against him, including a goal from a free kick in the box which Lehmann had conceded by handling a back pass. In another game he was substituted after giving away a penalty. Lehmann was dropped after just five matches and believing he wouldn't get another chance at Milan he left during the winter.
replacing long-time goalkeeper Stefan Klos
. Lehmann had a difficult start with the team with several poor performances and a lack in his discipline and reliability. Rumors of an early parting of Lehmann arose, who was viewed critically by both supporters and critics.
However, Borussia Dortmund began the 2001–02 season strongly. Lehmann's overall performance improved and he became more reliable for the team. He contributed significantly to the team's return to success, winning the Bundesliga
in 2001–02 and reaching the UEFA-Cup final that same year which the team lost in a match against Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Lehmann was a key player in a solid performance by Borussia Dortmund, winning the German League in an impressive finish, eventually triumphing over Bayer 04 Leverkusen which led the league by five points with only three matches left in the season – beating 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen back-to-back, Lehmann and Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 2002.
During the same season Lehmann became known for his poor disciplinary record. In a match against SC Freiburg
, Lehmann kicked opposing attacker Soumaila Coulibaly
after they collided in the penalty area. Lehmann was suspended afterwards and currently still holds the record for most red cards for any player of Borussia Dortmund as well as for any goalkeeper in the German Bundesliga.
After a weak season in 2003, which saw Borussia Dortmund slip into mediocrity, increasingly unreliable performances by Lehmann led to his departure from the team. He was replaced by Roman Weidenfeller
and Guillaume Warmuz
, who had just left Arsenal.
on 25 July 2003 as a replacement for David Seaman
, and played every match as Arsenal went unbeaten for the entire 2003–04 FA Premier League season, becoming the first English club to accomplish this feat since Preston North End
in the 1888–89 season. However, Lehmann's style of play, often coming out of his goal to intercept passes occasionally led to mistakes, such as in the title-winning match at local rivals Tottenham Hotspur
when Lehmann pushed Tottenham striker Robbie Keane
as the pair waited for a Tottenham corner, and made a mistake that led to the equalising goal in Arsenal's Champions League defeat at home to Chelsea the same season. Arsenal continued unbeaten until 24 October 2004. At the end of his first season at Arsenal, he had already played 54 times earning himself a Premier League winners medal at the end of the season.
season, Lehmann did not play well, and was no longer automatic first-choice, with Spaniard Manuel Almunia
starting in several matches instead. However, Almunia made a series of mistakes himself, thus allowing Lehmann to regain his position. At the end of that season, as speculation again began to mount that he would be replaced over the summer, Lehmann cemented his position in the Arsenal goal with a man-of-the-match performance against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup
final. He made several important saves and demonstrated great positional sense to keep the score 0–0 after extra time, and then crucially saved Paul Scholes
' shot in the penalty shootout, which Arsenal won 5–4.
with Arsenal, making his 100th Premier League appearance for the club in their game against West Bromwich Albion
on 15 April 2006. He was a key factor in his side's first-ever accession to the Champions League
final; during their run Arsenal broke the record for the most consecutive clean sheets
in the Champions League with ten, breaking the record of seven that Milan had set just one year before. That run formed the bulk of an 853-minute spell without conceding a goal, overtaking the CL record for an individual goalkeeper set by Edwin van der Sar
.
Bayern Munich's Hasan Salihamidžić
had been the last to net against Lehmann, in the 64th minute of a last 16 first leg match on 22 March 2005; Lehmann kept a clean sheet in the second leg, and then a further seven during Arsenal's run in 2005–06 (Almunia played in the other five matches in the group stages). The final clean sheet was earned in the semi-finals against Villarreal
, after Lehmann saved an 89th minute Juan Román Riquelme
penalty. Lehmann maintained his shutout run despite an ignominious end to his 2006 UEFA Champions League Final
against FC Barcelona
; with the score still at 0–0 he was sent off in the 18th minute for a professional foul
after bringing down Samuel Eto'o
, making him the first player and only goalkeeper to ever be sent off in a Champions League/European Cup final, but it did not stop him from being named the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2005–06 season after going 853 minutes without conceding a goal.
's Boubacar Sanogo
, who scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute of Arsenal's first group stage match of the 2006–07
Champions League season.
Lehmann's contract at Arsenal was due to expire in summer 2007 and during the 2006–07
season there was much speculation he would leave the club on a Bosman
transfer. However, it was reported on 26 April 2007 that he had signed a year's extension on his contract, tying him to the club until 2008.
to score for Fulham
. However, Lehmann's blushes were spared late in the game as Arsenal won 2–1. In his second league match against Blackburn Rovers
he fumbled a David Dunn
shot to allow Blackburn to equalise, in a game that finished 1–1. On 24 August, the BBC reported that he returned to Germany to treat an Achilles tendon
injury which he picked up during international duty against England
, meaning Manuel Almunia
took his place for Arsenal's third match.
Lehmann subsequently had to wait nearly four months to make another competitive appearance for Arsenal, which came in their final Champions League group match against Steaua Bucharest. Nearly one month later, he played only his fifth competitive game of the season for Arsenal, against Burnley
in the third round of the FA Cup
; meanwhile third-choice goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was selected for the League Cup
games. Lehmann expressed frustration at being number two to Manuel Almunia fearing it could cost him the number one jersey in the German national team for the European Championship 2008. However, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described Lehmann's attitude as “super-professional”.
On 26 January 2008, Lehmann appeared in Arsenal's second FA Cup game of the season, keeping his second successive clean sheet as Arsenal beat Newcastle United
3–0. Manager Arsène Wenger later promised Lehmann that, if he stayed at Arsenal, he would play every game in the FA Cup. On 29 January 2008, Lehmann suggested that he will stick with Arsenal until his contract expires at the end of the season. Lehmann gave his reasons as his relationship with the fans, players, family situations and his chance to still be able to win things at the club; believing he "wouldn’t have had this chance somewhere else." On 2 February 2008, following an injury to Almunia, Lehmann returned in goal for Arsenal in the Premiership for an away fixture against Manchester City
, more than five months after his last league appearance; Arsenal won the match 3–1. Due to Almunia catching flu straight after the injury, Lehmann kept his place in goal for the following three matches in February, including the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against AC Milan, but also the 4–0 loss to arch rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup.
After another injury to Almunia in early April 2008, Lehmann was back in goal for the away game against Manchester United on 13 April 2008. Arsenal lost that game 2–1, virtually ending their Premier League title hopes for the season, their third consecutive season without a major trophy. There was speculation that would be his last game for Arsenal, but on 19 April Lehmann played in the home game against Reading
, which Arsenal won 2–0. The following week, Łukasz Fabiański was given his Premier League debut against Derby County
and Almunia returned to the bench for the game. However, Lehmann made another appearance and was brought on as a substitute for Fabiański in the last 20 minutes of the game against Everton
on 4 May 2008, Arsenal's final home game of the season. He was given a standing ovation at the final whistle as he bowed and clapped to the fans. Later that day, Wenger confirmed that it was Lehmann's farewell appearance.
. He joined the team's pre-season training on 24 July 2008, and made his debut for the club on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against former team Arsenal. His competitive debut for the club came on 10 August 2008 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal
, a 5–0 away victory over FC Hansa Lüneburg
, and his Bundesliga
debut one week later in Stuttgart's 3–1 away victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach
On 3 April 2009 Lehmann extended his contract at VfB Stuttgart until the summer of 2010 and announced in August 2009 that he would retire on 30 June 2010.
. Lehmann was also scheduled to spend six weeks working on his coaching badges at his old club. Due to the injury of Arsenal reserve goalkeepers Wojciech Szczęsny
, Lukasz Fabianski
and Vito Mannone
, on 17 March 2011 Lehmann signed for Arsenal on a rolling contract until the end of the season. Lehmann was a substitute in Arsenal's match against West Bromwich Albion on 19 March 2011, but despite newspaper reports that he might replace goalkeeper Manuel Almunia
, due to the latter's poor performances, Arsène Wenger admitted that Lehmann is not match fit. Lehmann made his first appearance in Arsenal's reserves on 29 March 2011 against Wigan as Arsenal lost 2–1.
On 10 April 2011, Lehmann started for the first team in an away game against Blackpool
. He was forced to start the game when Almunia was injured in the warm up. This was his 200th appearance for Arsenal as they won 3–1. Lehmann became the oldest player to play for Arsenal in the Premier League but not the oldest to play for the Gunners in all competitions, a record held by Jock Rutherford
. Lehmann's contract with Arsenal expired at the end of the season, and then he retired again.
in February 1998 and has since earned 61 caps
for his country, most of which were friendlies. He had a well-publicised rivalry with former Bayern Munich
goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
whose presence long prevented Lehmann from becoming the number one goalkeeper of the German national team
. He was in the squad runners-up of World Cup
2002, but he didn't play any single match in the competition as Oliver Kahn
was still at best performances in club and as number one of the German national team
. On 7 April 2006, however, German national coach Jürgen Klinsmann
announced that Lehmann would be Germany's first-choice goalkeeper for the upcoming World Cup
.
Lehmann conceded two goals in Germany's opening match of the World Cup, both scored by Costa Rica's
Paulo Wanchope
although Germany won the match 4–2. Lehmann played strongly in the next three games, conceding no goals and allowing Germany to sweep their group undefeated and beat Sweden convincingly in the Round of 16.
The highlight of Lehmann's international career came in the quarterfinal match (30 June 2006, Olympiastadion, Berlin) against Argentina. The game remained tied 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. The game came down to penalty kicks and Lehmann carried his team through. He made two critical saves of Argentinian penalty kicks, one from Roberto Ayala
and another from Esteban Cambiasso
. He managed to pick the right direction for all the penalties, and came close to saving a third. Meanwhile, the Germans made all 4 of the necessary penalties to win the penalty shoot-out 4–2. Lehmann's prowess in the shootout was aided by notes given to him before the kicks – an idea from Germany's chief scout, Swiss-born Urs Siegenthaler – with Lehmann keeping the paper in his right sock. Before the last shot from Cambiasso, Lehmann looked at the paper for a long time even though Cambiasso's name was not even on it. The story around the paper features in the film Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen
.
Lehmann was considered a hero by the German public after these saves, and he received praise even from long-time rival Oliver Kahn.
Germany's opponent in the semifinals was Italy. The Italians had the better chances to score but Lehmann made several spectacular saves, including one in extra time where he dived out of goal to intercept an Italian player who had broken loose from the defense, punching the ball clear with his fist and temporarily knocking out the Italian in the process. He allowed two goals within a minute of each other with only a few seconds remaining in overtime, which put Italy into the World Cup final. The retiring Oliver Kahn was given the honour of starting in the third place play-off match, an offer made by Lehmann himself. Kahn was made captain for that game.
In August 2006, Lehmann revealed that during the World Cup he was suffering with a foot injury that he claims was a result of wearing different boots. The German Football Association
ordered their players to wear only those manufactured by principal sponsor Adidas
as opposed to Lehmann's sponsor Nike
. This has now been overturned thanks to Lehmann and several other players protesting about the decision and the players are now free to wear boots made by other companies.
In August 2006, Lehmann suggested that he may retire from league and international football after playing for Germany in Euro 2008. However, he subsequently stated in January 2007 that he had not made any decision on retirement.
Lehmann set a national team record of not conceding a goal for 681 minutes in a friendly against Switzerland
on 26 March 2008.
On 8 August 2008, Lehmann announced his retirement from international football. He made his decision following a two-hour talk with the German national team's coach Joachim Löw and goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke
, stating that he was not able to give them any guarantee that he will continue to play football following the end of his one-year contract with VfB Stuttgart in June 2009.
at the University of Münster
between 1992 and 1998 while continuing his football career.
In 1999, he married Conny, an elementary school teacher. Lehmann later adopted Conny's son with footballer Knut Reinhardt
, Lasse. The pair also has two children Mats (born 2000) and Lieselotta (born 2006).
. Lehmann also acts as ambassador of the foundation Power-Child Campus South Africa that supports children affected by HIV and well as foundations of Bert Trautmann
, Christoph Metzelder
and former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson.
He participated in the Soccer Aid
football match on 6 June 2010 for the Rest of the World team in aid of UNICEF.
. The movie is based on a novel by Lutz van Dijk and premiered at the Berlinale 2010.
|1988–89||rowspan="10"|Schalke
||rowspan="3"|2. Bundesliga
||13||0||||||||||0||0||13||0
|-
|1989–90||27||0||||||||||0||0||27||0
|-
|1990–91||34||0||||||||||0||0||34||0
|-
|1991–92||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga||37||0||||||||||||||37||0
|-
|1992–93||8||0||||||||||||||8||0
|-
|1993–94||21||0||||||||||||||21||0
|-
|1994–95||34||1||||||||||||||34||1
|-
|1995–96||32||0||||||||||||||32||0
|-
|1996–97||34||0||||||||||||||34||0
|-
|1997–98||34||1||||||||||||||34||1
|-
|1998–99||AC Milan||Serie A
||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="5"|Borussia Dortmund
||rowspan="5"|Bundesliga||13||0||||||||||||||13||0
|-
|1999–00||31||0||||||||||||||31||0
|-
|2000–01||31||0||||||||||||||31||0
|-
|2001–02||30||0||0||0||2||0||11||0||43||0
|-
|2002–03||24||0||0||0||0||0||12||0||36||0
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Arsenal||rowspan="5"|Premier League||36||0||5||0||0||0||10||0||51||0
|-
|2004–05||28||0||5||0||0||0||7||0||40||0
|-
|2005–06||38||0||0||0||0||0||8||0||46||0
|-
|2006–07||36||0||0||0||0||0||8||0||44||0
|-
|2007–08||7||0||3||0||0||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Stuttgart
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||34||0||3||0||0||0||8||0||45||0
|-
|2009–10||31||0||2||0||0||0||8||0||41||0
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Arsenal||rowspan="1"|Premier League||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
468||2||0||0||2||0||23||0||493||2
5||0||||||||||||||5||0
146||0||13||0||0||0||36||0||195||0
619||2||13||0||2||0||59||0||693||2
|}
|1998||2||0
|-
|1999||8||0
|-
|2000||2||0
|-
|2001||1||0
|-
|2002||3||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||5||0
|-
|2005||7||0
|-
|2006||14||0
|-
|2007||9||0
|-
|2008||10||0
|-
!Total||61||0
|}
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning season. He also holds the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
record for the most consecutive clean sheets, having not conceded a goal in 10 matches whilst at Arsenal.
FC Schalke 04
Lehmann started his career in 1988 with Schalke 04FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, playing for them for nearly a decade. His first years were rocky, notably a game against Bayer Leverkusen in 1993 in which he conceded three goals and was substituted after 45 minutes, causing him to flee the stadium alone by tram rather than taking the team bus, but Lehmann gradually established himself as a strong keeper lauded for his ability to intercept crosses.
He scored his first league goal on 12 March 1995 in a 6–2 victory over 1860 Munich
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
in the 84th minute, scoring Schalke's sixth goal from the penalty spot. His second goal was a last-minute equaliser scored against Borussia Dortmund on 19 December 1997.
Lehmann became Schalke's team hero in their 1997 UEFA Cup Final
1997 UEFA Cup Final
The 1997 UEFA Cup Final was contested between Schalke 04 of Germany and Internazionale of Italy. The tie was a tight affair, with each leg being won 1–0 by the home-team. After 210 minutes of football, the tie was eventually settled on penalties, with Schalke winning 4–1 at the Stadio...
victory over Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, after playing a strong season and saving an Iván Zamorano
Iván Zamorano
Iván Luis Zamorano Zamora is a retired Chilean football striker. Along with former world-class forward Marcelo Salas and former world player of the year Elias Figueroa he is regarded as one of Chile's most recognized footballers.He was a member of the Chilean national team and played in the 1998...
penalty in a penalty shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
A.C. Milan
He left Schalke for A.C. MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in 1998, however his performances didn't match the standards set at Schalke. In one game Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
scored a hat-trick against him, including a goal from a free kick in the box which Lehmann had conceded by handling a back pass. In another game he was substituted after giving away a penalty. Lehmann was dropped after just five matches and believing he wouldn't get another chance at Milan he left during the winter.
Borussia Dortmund
In late 1999, Lehmann returned to Germany to play for Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
replacing long-time goalkeeper Stefan Klos
Stefan Klos
Stefan Klos is a retired German football goalkeeper who played for Borussia Dortmund and Rangers during his career.He played for Borussia Dortmund from 1991, until he moved to Glasgow on 24 December 1998....
. Lehmann had a difficult start with the team with several poor performances and a lack in his discipline and reliability. Rumors of an early parting of Lehmann arose, who was viewed critically by both supporters and critics.
However, Borussia Dortmund began the 2001–02 season strongly. Lehmann's overall performance improved and he became more reliable for the team. He contributed significantly to the team's return to success, winning the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
in 2001–02 and reaching the UEFA-Cup final that same year which the team lost in a match against Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Lehmann was a key player in a solid performance by Borussia Dortmund, winning the German League in an impressive finish, eventually triumphing over Bayer 04 Leverkusen which led the league by five points with only three matches left in the season – beating 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen back-to-back, Lehmann and Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 2002.
During the same season Lehmann became known for his poor disciplinary record. In a match against SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
, Lehmann kicked opposing attacker Soumaila Coulibaly
Soumaila Coulibaly
Soumaila Coulibaly is a Malian football player who currently plays for Chinese club Yanbian FC.- Career :On 8 July 2009, he signed a one year contract for FSV Frankfurt after being released by Borussia Mönchengladbach...
after they collided in the penalty area. Lehmann was suspended afterwards and currently still holds the record for most red cards for any player of Borussia Dortmund as well as for any goalkeeper in the German Bundesliga.
After a weak season in 2003, which saw Borussia Dortmund slip into mediocrity, increasingly unreliable performances by Lehmann led to his departure from the team. He was replaced by Roman Weidenfeller
Roman Weidenfeller
Roman Weidenfeller is a German footballer who plays for Fußball-Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a goalkeeper.-Early career:...
and Guillaume Warmuz
Guillaume Warmuz
Guillaume Warmuz is a French former football goalkeeper.He started his career at Olympique Marseille. He spent a season at L'OM without making any first team appearances. He then made a move to CS Louhans-Cuiseaux where he quickly established himself as first-choice goalkeeper...
, who had just left Arsenal.
2003–04 season
Lehmann joined ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on 25 July 2003 as a replacement for David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
, and played every match as Arsenal went unbeaten for the entire 2003–04 FA Premier League season, becoming the first English club to accomplish this feat since Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the 1888–89 season. However, Lehmann's style of play, often coming out of his goal to intercept passes occasionally led to mistakes, such as in the title-winning match at local rivals Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
when Lehmann pushed Tottenham striker Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
as the pair waited for a Tottenham corner, and made a mistake that led to the equalising goal in Arsenal's Champions League defeat at home to Chelsea the same season. Arsenal continued unbeaten until 24 October 2004. At the end of his first season at Arsenal, he had already played 54 times earning himself a Premier League winners medal at the end of the season.
2004–05 season
By the middle of the 2004–052004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
season, Lehmann did not play well, and was no longer automatic first-choice, with Spaniard Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
starting in several matches instead. However, Almunia made a series of mistakes himself, thus allowing Lehmann to regain his position. At the end of that season, as speculation again began to mount that he would be replaced over the summer, Lehmann cemented his position in the Arsenal goal with a man-of-the-match performance against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final. He made several important saves and demonstrated great positional sense to keep the score 0–0 after extra time, and then crucially saved Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being...
' shot in the penalty shootout, which Arsenal won 5–4.
2005–06 season
Lehmann had an outstanding 2005–06 season2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
with Arsenal, making his 100th Premier League appearance for the club in their game against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on 15 April 2006. He was a key factor in his side's first-ever accession to the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final; during their run Arsenal broke the record for the most consecutive clean sheets
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
in the Champions League with ten, breaking the record of seven that Milan had set just one year before. That run formed the bulk of an 853-minute spell without conceding a goal, overtaking the CL record for an individual goalkeeper set by Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
.
Bayern Munich's Hasan Salihamidžić
Hasan Salihamidžic
Hasan Salihamidžić is a Bosnian football midfielder currently playing for VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.-Early life:His father Ahmed and mother Šefika gave him the nickname "Braco" meaning "little brother" in Bosnian since Hasan has an older sister, hence his current nickname "Brazzo". He...
had been the last to net against Lehmann, in the 64th minute of a last 16 first leg match on 22 March 2005; Lehmann kept a clean sheet in the second leg, and then a further seven during Arsenal's run in 2005–06 (Almunia played in the other five matches in the group stages). The final clean sheet was earned in the semi-finals against Villarreal
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, after Lehmann saved an 89th minute Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine footballer who plays for Boca Juniors. A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme is best known for his spells with Boca Juniors and Villarreal...
penalty. Lehmann maintained his shutout run despite an ignominious end to his 2006 UEFA Champions League Final
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
; with the score still at 0–0 he was sent off in the 18th minute for a professional foul
Professional foul
In sports, a professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play, usually to prevent an opponent's scoring.-Association football:The concept gained notoriety in association football after an infamous incident in the 1980 FA Cup Final when Willie Young of Arsenal committed a deliberate foul on Paul...
after bringing down Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
, making him the first player and only goalkeeper to ever be sent off in a Champions League/European Cup final, but it did not stop him from being named the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2005–06 season after going 853 minutes without conceding a goal.
2006–07 season
His remarkable run was finally ended on 13 September 2006 by Hamburger SVHamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
's Boubacar Sanogo
Boubacar Sanogo
Boubacar Sanogo is an Ivorian footballer who currently plays for AS Saint-Étienne in the French Ligue 1.- Career :...
, who scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute of Arsenal's first group stage match of the 2006–07
UEFA Champions League 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
Champions League season.
Lehmann's contract at Arsenal was due to expire in summer 2007 and during the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season there was much speculation he would leave the club on a Bosman
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
transfer. However, it was reported on 26 April 2007 that he had signed a year's extension on his contract, tying him to the club until 2008.
2007–08 season
In the first league game of the 2007–08 season, Lehmann made a serious error after just 52 seconds, allowing David HealyDavid Healy (footballer)
David Jonathan Healy, MBE is a Northern Ireland international footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premier League champions Rangers...
to score for Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. However, Lehmann's blushes were spared late in the game as Arsenal won 2–1. In his second league match against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
he fumbled a David Dunn
David Dunn
David John Ian Dunn is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.-Blackburn Rovers:...
shot to allow Blackburn to equalise, in a game that finished 1–1. On 24 August, the BBC reported that he returned to Germany to treat an Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
injury which he picked up during international duty against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, meaning Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
took his place for Arsenal's third match.
Lehmann subsequently had to wait nearly four months to make another competitive appearance for Arsenal, which came in their final Champions League group match against Steaua Bucharest. Nearly one month later, he played only his fifth competitive game of the season for Arsenal, against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
in the third round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
; meanwhile third-choice goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was selected for the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
games. Lehmann expressed frustration at being number two to Manuel Almunia fearing it could cost him the number one jersey in the German national team for the European Championship 2008. However, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described Lehmann's attitude as “super-professional”.
On 26 January 2008, Lehmann appeared in Arsenal's second FA Cup game of the season, keeping his second successive clean sheet as Arsenal beat Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
3–0. Manager Arsène Wenger later promised Lehmann that, if he stayed at Arsenal, he would play every game in the FA Cup. On 29 January 2008, Lehmann suggested that he will stick with Arsenal until his contract expires at the end of the season. Lehmann gave his reasons as his relationship with the fans, players, family situations and his chance to still be able to win things at the club; believing he "wouldn’t have had this chance somewhere else." On 2 February 2008, following an injury to Almunia, Lehmann returned in goal for Arsenal in the Premiership for an away fixture against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, more than five months after his last league appearance; Arsenal won the match 3–1. Due to Almunia catching flu straight after the injury, Lehmann kept his place in goal for the following three matches in February, including the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against AC Milan, but also the 4–0 loss to arch rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup.
After another injury to Almunia in early April 2008, Lehmann was back in goal for the away game against Manchester United on 13 April 2008. Arsenal lost that game 2–1, virtually ending their Premier League title hopes for the season, their third consecutive season without a major trophy. There was speculation that would be his last game for Arsenal, but on 19 April Lehmann played in the home game against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, which Arsenal won 2–0. The following week, Łukasz Fabiański was given his Premier League debut against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Almunia returned to the bench for the game. However, Lehmann made another appearance and was brought on as a substitute for Fabiański in the last 20 minutes of the game against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 4 May 2008, Arsenal's final home game of the season. He was given a standing ovation at the final whistle as he bowed and clapped to the fans. Later that day, Wenger confirmed that it was Lehmann's farewell appearance.
VfB Stuttgart
In early June 2008, it was announced that Lehmann had signed a one-year contract for VfB StuttgartVfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
. He joined the team's pre-season training on 24 July 2008, and made his debut for the club on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against former team Arsenal. His competitive debut for the club came on 10 August 2008 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
, a 5–0 away victory over FC Hansa Lüneburg
FC Hansa Lüneburg
FC Hansa Lüneburg is a football club from the Lower Saxon Hanseatic town of Lüneburg in North Germany. The club was founded in spring 2008 as part of the planned merger of the football divisions of the two sports clubs Lüneburger SK and Lüneburger SV....
, and his Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
debut one week later in Stuttgart's 3–1 away victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
On 3 April 2009 Lehmann extended his contract at VfB Stuttgart until the summer of 2010 and announced in August 2009 that he would retire on 30 June 2010.
2010–11 season
On 14 March 2011, German tabloid Bild reported that Lehmann was in talks to come out of retirement, due to an injury crisis at Arsenal leaving them with only one fit senior keeper, Manuel AlmuniaManuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
. Lehmann was also scheduled to spend six weeks working on his coaching badges at his old club. Due to the injury of Arsenal reserve goalkeepers Wojciech Szczęsny
Wojciech Szczęsny
Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny is a Polish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal and the Poland national football team. He is the son of former Polish goalkeeper Maciej Szczęsny....
, Lukasz Fabianski
Lukasz Fabianski
Łukasz Fabiański is a Polish footballer who plays for English Premier League side Arsenal and the Polish national team as a goalkeeper.-Early career:...
and Vito Mannone
Vito Mannone
Vito Mannone is an Italian footballer who plays for Arsenal, as a goalkeeper and is a 'homegrown' player in Arsenal's official . He has made 9 appearances for Arsenal, the most notable of which was his Man of the Match display against Fulham in the 2009/2010 season that earned his side all 3...
, on 17 March 2011 Lehmann signed for Arsenal on a rolling contract until the end of the season. Lehmann was a substitute in Arsenal's match against West Bromwich Albion on 19 March 2011, but despite newspaper reports that he might replace goalkeeper Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
, due to the latter's poor performances, Arsène Wenger admitted that Lehmann is not match fit. Lehmann made his first appearance in Arsenal's reserves on 29 March 2011 against Wigan as Arsenal lost 2–1.
On 10 April 2011, Lehmann started for the first team in an away game against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He was forced to start the game when Almunia was injured in the warm up. This was his 200th appearance for Arsenal as they won 3–1. Lehmann became the oldest player to play for Arsenal in the Premier League but not the oldest to play for the Gunners in all competitions, a record held by Jock Rutherford
Jock Rutherford
John "Jock" Rutherford , also known as Jackie Rutherford, was an English footballer.-Football career:Born in Percy Main, Northumberland, Rutherford was known for his longevity; he played nearly six hundred Football League and FA Cup matches, despite four seasons of football being cancelled due to...
. Lehmann's contract with Arsenal expired at the end of the season, and then he retired again.
International career
Lehmann made his debut for the national team against OmanOman national football team
The Oman national football team is the national team of Oman. Although the team was officially founded in 1978, the squad was formed long before, and has established a proper football association in only December, 2005...
in February 1998 and has since earned 61 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for his country, most of which were friendlies. He had a well-publicised rivalry with former Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
whose presence long prevented Lehmann from becoming the number one goalkeeper of the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. He was in the squad runners-up of World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
2002, but he didn't play any single match in the competition as Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
was still at best performances in club and as number one of the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. On 7 April 2006, however, German national coach Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
announced that Lehmann would be Germany's first-choice goalkeeper for the upcoming World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
.
Lehmann conceded two goals in Germany's opening match of the World Cup, both scored by Costa Rica's
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
Paulo Wanchope
Paulo Wanchope
Pablo César Wanchope Watson , more commonly known as Paulo Wanchope, is a Costa Rican former professional footballer. As of February 2009, Wanchope is the second most prolific goalscorer in the history of the national football team, behind Rolando Fonseca, with 45 goals in 73 international...
although Germany won the match 4–2. Lehmann played strongly in the next three games, conceding no goals and allowing Germany to sweep their group undefeated and beat Sweden convincingly in the Round of 16.
The highlight of Lehmann's international career came in the quarterfinal match (30 June 2006, Olympiastadion, Berlin) against Argentina. The game remained tied 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. The game came down to penalty kicks and Lehmann carried his team through. He made two critical saves of Argentinian penalty kicks, one from Roberto Ayala
Roberto Ayala
Roberto Fabián Ayala , nicknamed el Ratón , is a former Argentine football centre back.Regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation, Ayala captained the Argentine national team for more matches than anyone else...
and another from Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau , nicknamed "Cuchu" , is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale....
. He managed to pick the right direction for all the penalties, and came close to saving a third. Meanwhile, the Germans made all 4 of the necessary penalties to win the penalty shoot-out 4–2. Lehmann's prowess in the shootout was aided by notes given to him before the kicks – an idea from Germany's chief scout, Swiss-born Urs Siegenthaler – with Lehmann keeping the paper in his right sock. Before the last shot from Cambiasso, Lehmann looked at the paper for a long time even though Cambiasso's name was not even on it. The story around the paper features in the film Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen
Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen
Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen, or Germany. A summer's tale is a 2006 documentary film, written, filmed and directed by Sönke Wortmann. The film records German national football team's World Cup 2006 journey, all the way from boot camp in Sardinia to the 3rd-place play-off with Portugal. The title...
.
Lehmann was considered a hero by the German public after these saves, and he received praise even from long-time rival Oliver Kahn.
Germany's opponent in the semifinals was Italy. The Italians had the better chances to score but Lehmann made several spectacular saves, including one in extra time where he dived out of goal to intercept an Italian player who had broken loose from the defense, punching the ball clear with his fist and temporarily knocking out the Italian in the process. He allowed two goals within a minute of each other with only a few seconds remaining in overtime, which put Italy into the World Cup final. The retiring Oliver Kahn was given the honour of starting in the third place play-off match, an offer made by Lehmann himself. Kahn was made captain for that game.
In August 2006, Lehmann revealed that during the World Cup he was suffering with a foot injury that he claims was a result of wearing different boots. The German Football Association
German Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
ordered their players to wear only those manufactured by principal sponsor Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
as opposed to Lehmann's sponsor Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
. This has now been overturned thanks to Lehmann and several other players protesting about the decision and the players are now free to wear boots made by other companies.
In August 2006, Lehmann suggested that he may retire from league and international football after playing for Germany in Euro 2008. However, he subsequently stated in January 2007 that he had not made any decision on retirement.
Lehmann set a national team record of not conceding a goal for 681 minutes in a friendly against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
on 26 March 2008.
On 8 August 2008, Lehmann announced his retirement from international football. He made his decision following a two-hour talk with the German national team's coach Joachim Löw and goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke
Andreas Köpke
Andreas Köpke is a former German football goalkeeper who was in the German squad that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and was also part of the 1994 FIFA World Cup squad...
, stating that he was not able to give them any guarantee that he will continue to play football following the end of his one-year contract with VfB Stuttgart in June 2009.
Personal life
Jens Lehmann and his elder brother grew up in Essen. After graduating from high school with A-levels in 1988, he studied EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
between 1992 and 1998 while continuing his football career.
In 1999, he married Conny, an elementary school teacher. Lehmann later adopted Conny's son with footballer Knut Reinhardt
Knut Reinhardt
Knut Reinhardt is a German former footballer who played as a midfielder. Reinhardt had successful spells with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, before ending his career at 1. FC Nuremberg...
, Lasse. The pair also has two children Mats (born 2000) and Lieselotta (born 2006).
Charity
He is board member of the youth football foundation Stiftung Jugendfußball, founded 2000 upon the initiative of Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
. Lehmann also acts as ambassador of the foundation Power-Child Campus South Africa that supports children affected by HIV and well as foundations of Bert Trautmann
Bert Trautmann
Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann, OBE is a German former professional footballer who played for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Brought up during times of inter-war strife in Germany, Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, serving as a paratrooper...
, Christoph Metzelder
Christoph Metzelder
Christoph Tobias Metzelder is a German footballer who plays for FC Schalke 04 as a central defender....
and former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson.
He participated in the Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
football match on 6 June 2010 for the Rest of the World team in aid of UNICEF.
Acting career
Lehmann made his film acting debut with the German/South African production Themba. He plays Big John Jacobs, a football trainer and talent scout, who discovers Themba, a young and ambitious football youth, who is faced with poverty, AIDS and violence, but eventually makes his way on to the South African national teamSouth Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. The movie is based on a novel by Lutz van Dijk and premiered at the Berlinale 2010.
Club
- Schalke
- UEFA Cup: 1996–97 UEFA Cup
- A.C. Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1998–99
- Serie A
- Borussia Dortmund
- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: 2001–02 - UEFA Cup Runner-up: 2001–02
- Bundesliga
- Arsenal
- Premier League: 2003–04
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 2004–05 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 20042004 FA Community ShieldThe 2004 FA Community Shield was the 82nd FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Runner-up: 2005–06
International
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Runner-Up: 20022002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... - FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
Third Place: 20052005 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:-Goal scorers:5 goals Adriano4 goals Luciano Figueroa John Aloisi Michael Ballack... - FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Third Place: 20062006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... - UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
Runner-up: 2008
Individual
- UEFA Goalkeeper of the YearBest European GoalkeeperThe Best European Goalkeeper award is a football award given annually since 1990 to the most outstanding Goalkeeper in Europe, as voted by the UEFA magazine, in 2009 the ESM become the donor of the award .- List of winners :*1990 – Walter Zenga...
: 1997, 2006 - UEFA Club Football AwardsUEFA Club Football AwardsThe UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season. The awards were presented in August each year at a special gala in Monaco ahead of the UEFA Super Cup. Since 2005, the awards are presented at the UEFA Champions League draw...
Best Goalkeeper: 2005–06 - FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006
Club statistics
|-|1988–89||rowspan="10"|Schalke
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
||rowspan="3"|2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
||13||0||||||||||0||0||13||0
|-
|1989–90||27||0||||||||||0||0||27||0
|-
|1990–91||34||0||||||||||0||0||34||0
|-
|1991–92||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga||37||0||||||||||||||37||0
|-
|1992–93||8||0||||||||||||||8||0
|-
|1993–94||21||0||||||||||||||21||0
|-
|1994–95||34||1||||||||||||||34||1
|-
|1995–96||32||0||||||||||||||32||0
|-
|1996–97||34||0||||||||||||||34||0
|-
|1997–98||34||1||||||||||||||34||1
|-
|1998–99||AC Milan||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="5"|Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
||rowspan="5"|Bundesliga||13||0||||||||||||||13||0
|-
|1999–00||31||0||||||||||||||31||0
|-
|2000–01||31||0||||||||||||||31||0
|-
|2001–02||30||0||0||0||2||0||11||0||43||0
|-
|2002–03||24||0||0||0||0||0||12||0||36||0
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Arsenal||rowspan="5"|Premier League||36||0||5||0||0||0||10||0||51||0
|-
|2004–05||28||0||5||0||0||0||7||0||40||0
|-
|2005–06||38||0||0||0||0||0||8||0||46||0
|-
|2006–07||36||0||0||0||0||0||8||0||44||0
|-
|2007–08||7||0||3||0||0||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||34||0||3||0||0||0||8||0||45||0
|-
|2009–10||31||0||2||0||0||0||8||0||41||0
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Arsenal||rowspan="1"|Premier League||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
468||2||0||0||2||0||23||0||493||2
5||0||||||||||||||5||0
146||0||13||0||0||0||36||0||195||0
619||2||13||0||2||0||59||0||693||2
|}
National team statistics
|-|1998||2||0
|-
|1999||8||0
|-
|2000||2||0
|-
|2001||1||0
|-
|2002||3||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||5||0
|-
|2005||7||0
|-
|2006||14||0
|-
|2007||9||0
|-
|2008||10||0
|-
!Total||61||0
|}
External links
- Last-minute equaliser against Dortmund
- Profile at 4thegame.com
- Profile at sporting-heroes.net
- Profile at premierleague.com
- Career stats at Fussballdaten.de