Sport

24 entries

Oliver Kahn*1969

Oliver Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper who became a legend at Bayern Munich and the national team, nicknamed 'the Titan'.

More ›

Kahn played for Bayern Munich from 1994 to 2008, winning eight league titles and the 2001 Champions League. At the 2002 World Cup he became the only goalkeeper ever awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, even though Germany lost the final. His nickname 'the Titan' reflects his extreme drive and on-field aggression. He later worked as a TV football pundit and was Bayern Munich's CEO from 2021 to 2023.

What to know

Goalkeeping legend of Bayern Munich and the German national team - Torwart-Legende des FC Bayern München und der DFB-Nationalmannschaft
Golden Ball as best player of the 2002 World Cup - Goldener Ball als bester Spieler der WM 2002
2001 Champions League win with Bayern Munich - Champions-League-Sieg 2001 mit dem FC Bayern
Nicknamed 'the Titan' for his willpower and ambition - Spitzname 'Titan' für Willensstärke und Ehrgeiz
Famous for the line 'Eier, wir brauchen Eier!' (a call for guts/boldness) - Berühmt für den Spruch 'Eier, wir brauchen Eier!'

Hallmark

Guts, we need guts! (literally 'eggs, we need eggs' - Kahn's call for more courage on the pitch)

Eier, wir brauchen Eier!

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ Video ↗▶ WM-Finale 2002 Deutschland Brasilien ↗▶ Kahn Champions League Finale 2001 ↗▶ Eier wir brauchen Eier ↗

Franz Beckenbauer1945-2024

Franz Beckenbauer, known as 'the Kaiser', was one of Germany's greatest footballers and won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach.

More ›

Beckenbauer redefined the game as an elegant, attacking libero (sweeper) for Bayern Munich and the national team. He won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990, one of only a few people to achieve this in both roles. He later served as Bayern president and led the organizing committee of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His final years were overshadowed by publicly documented corruption and tax allegations connected to the 2006 World Cup bid.

What to know

Nicknamed 'the Kaiser', an icon of German football - Spitzname 'Der Kaiser', Ikone des deutschen Fußballs
World Cup winner as a player (1974) and as a coach (1990) - Weltmeister als Spieler 1974 und als Trainer 1990
Pioneer of the modern attacking libero (sweeper) role - Erfinder des modernen offensiven Liberos
Long-time Bayern Munich icon and later club president - Langjährige Bayern-Ikone und späterer Präsident
Organizer of the 2006 'Sommermärchen' World Cup in Germany - Organisator der 'Sommermärchen'-WM 2006 in Deutschland

Hallmark

We'll see. (Beckenbauer's famous laid-back catchphrase)

Schau'n mer mal.

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ WM-Finale 1974 Deutschland ↗▶ WM 1990 Finale Deutschland ↗▶ Beckenbauer Sommermärchen 2006 ↗

Boris Becker*1967

Boris Becker is a former German tennis player who in 1985, aged 17, became the youngest man to win Wimbledon.

More ›

Becker won six Grand Slam titles and triggered a tennis boom in Germany in the 1980s. His 1985 Wimbledon win as an unseeded teenager made him world-famous; in Germany he was nicknamed 'Bobbele'. After his career he worked as a TV commentator and coached Novak Đoković. He later faced financial and legal trouble and in 2022 was sentenced in London for insolvency offences, before being released later that year and deported to Germany.

What to know

Youngest and first unseeded Wimbledon champion (1985) - Jüngster und erster ungesetzter Wimbledonsieger (1985)
Six Grand Slam singles titles - Sechs Grand-Slam-Einzeltitel
Olympic doubles gold in 1992 - Olympia-Gold im Doppel 1992
Nicknamed 'Bobbele'; sparked a tennis boom in Germany - Spitzname 'Bobbele', löste in Deutschland einen Tennisboom aus
Later financial and legal turbulence - Spätere finanzielle und juristische Turbulenzen

Hallmark

Boris Becker won Wimbledon when he was only 17 years old.

Boris Becker gewann Wimbledon, als er erst 17 Jahre alt war.

Wikipedia ↗▶ YouTube search ↗▶ Video ↗▶ Becker Wimbledon Finale 1985 ↗▶ Becker Olympia Gold Doppel 1992 ↗

Pro

Showing a free sample

3 of 24 entries in this category are free to read. Subscribe to unlock the other 21.

The Culture reference is part of the subscription. Unlock what a German speaker assumes you know: the profiles, the origin of the lines everyone quotes, and the customs nobody explains any more.

See plans →