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Kahn retires from international soccer
The 37-year-old said it would be utopian to think he could fill the gap in his career record in the 2010 tournament.
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 on Saturday, ending one chapter of a stellar career in which he won just about everything else.
"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.
Kahn, who made his Germany debut back in 1995, won the European Championships with Germany in 1996. With Bayern Munich, he captured a haul of honors including the 2001 Champions League and seven Bundesliga titles.
But the appointment of Klinsmann to national team coach marked the beginning of his demise.
Klinsmann took away the captaincy from Kahn and give it to Ballack. He then fired Kahn ally Sepp Maier as goalkeeping coach and began to alternate Kahn and Lehmann from game to game.
This only increased tensions between the two, who were never friends and who often feuded publicly.
Finally, in April, Klinsmann picked Lehmann to be his No. 1. Lehmann had a standout year for Arsenal, helping the club reach the Champions League final with 10 straight shutouts.
Kahn, usually seen as egoistical, surprised the nation a few days later when he accepted to be Lehmann's understudy at the World Cup, saying he felt the team needed him.
Kahn admitted he was having a hard time sitting on the dugout but stoically accepted his role.
"It was a special challenge for me personally to deal with all these things, to sit on the bench and watch, to deal with the frustration, while not letting it show and helping the young players where you can," Kahn said.
"That maybe did more for me than if I had played."
The 36-year-old Lehmann was Kahn's understudy at the World Cup in 1998 and 2002, and the European Championship in 2000 and 2004, but never entered a game.
The pair appears to have improved their relationship during the World Cup.
Moments before the team's quarterfinal shootout against Argentina, Kahn left the bench to clasp Lehmann's hand and speak a few words of encouragement. After Lehmann helped the hosts to a 4-2 win in the shootout, the two briefly embraced.
A few days later, after Lehmann allowed two late goals in the semifinal with Italy, Kahn walked through the Italian celebrations and hugged Lehmann.
"It's a wonderful story of two rivals for the same position. Even though it hurt Oliver a great deal not to be between the posts," Klinsmann said. "It shows they have commendable character and they are fantastic guys."
Kahn said he had learned from coming off second best for once and would now focus on winning more honors with Bayern in the last two years of his contract.
"Jens has performed outstandingly during the World Cup, after he had to sit for many years on the bench. He knows how it feels," Kahn said. "I think this World Cup went well for both of us."
