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'.
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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!
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.
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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.
Boris Becker*1967
Boris Becker is a former German tennis player who in 1985, aged 17, became the youngest man to win Wimbledon.
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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.
