When it comes to individual awards, only a few goalkeepers have managed to step into the limelight – but Oliver Kahn is one of them. While Lev Yashin remains the sole keeper to collect the Ballon d’Or, back in 1963, Der Titan is the only one to have been named player of the tournament at a FIFA World Cup.
The UEFA Champions League winner delivered a series of formidable performances at Korea/Japan 2002 to help his team reach the Final. And while he could not prevent Germany from finishing runners-up to Brazil, his contribution was impressive enough to earn the now 46-year-old the adidas Golden Ball. “It’s a shame, of course – I would have loved to become world champion,” said the former Bayern München recently.
The eight-time Bundesliga champion also managed to finish among the top three for that year’s FIFA World Player of the Year, where he was once again beaten to the title by Brazilian superstar Ronaldo. While football is, first and foremost, a team sport for Kahn, this was still a special moment for him and similar to what Manuel Neuer experienced last year.
Kahn discussed the goalkeeper’s place in the FIFA Ballon d’Or vote and the differences between him and Germany’s current No1 in a recent interview with DFB.de.
Question: Five Germans were among those nominated for the FIFA Ballon d’Or last year after winning the FIFA World Cup, including a goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer. Were you disappointed by the decision? Did you watch the Gala?
Oliver Kahn: I can remember there being plenty of talk about Manuel in Germany in the run-up to the Gala, but I don’t think many people overseas completely understood why a goalkeeper was nominated for that kind of award at all. I think the Ballon d’Or should be for outfield players and that keepers should be recognised separately in another category. That way we wouldn’t be confronted with this issue anymore, as it always triggers a big discussion.
Question: Why does the wider world not yet understand that a goalkeeper can be among the nominees for such an award?
Kahn: Although goalkeepers are held in very high regard in Germany, I suspect that the world has caught on to the ideas that can be one of a team’s most crucial players, if not the most vital of all, and that you can only win major titles with a fantastic shot-stopper. Nevertheless, I think greater emphasis is placed on goalkeepers in Europe than in South America, for example.