When the World Cup kicks off in Germany on June 9 this year, Oliver Kahn will be celebrating his 37th birthday. If the World Cup can give the fierce man, who has been considered one of the best goalkeepers in Europe since 1999, another chance, it is believed that he will choke Ronaldo by the neck and burst into his unique stunt Lion's Roar at the head of Afo.

All because of a mistake by Kahn, who had already been named the best goalkeeper of the 2002 World Cup, gave Ronaldo a chance to break the deadlock. The goal came so suddenly that even Kahn himself couldn't believe it. He stood on his knees for a long time before he straightened up, silently returning to the net and picking up the ball. Maybe as a goalkeeper, no matter how good you are, you're bound to experience the moment of picking up the ball from the net in frustration against the backdrop of cheers from your opponents.

A door god from Karlsruhe

Kahn's history of picking up balls from the net dates back to 1976 when he was seven years old. Born in Karlsruhe, Kahn trained with the youth team of Bundesliga side Karlsruhe since he was a child, which also gave him a solid foundation. In 1990, he officially became part of Karlsruhe. After three seasons of training, he finally got the opportunity to play for Karlsruhe in the 92-93 season. The young goalkeeper quickly caught the attention of German national team head coach Vogtz. He was given a ticket to the United States. Despite being the team's third-choice goalkeeper, Kahn, who is not afraid of tigers, still says he has what it takes to keep the door in the hands of the champions.

With Irgener netted by Stoichkov and Lechekov in succession, Germany went home in the quarter-finals. Kahn also failed to get a minute to play. Back in Germany, however, Kahn set a record. He moved to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for the highest price of a goalkeeper at the time, and soon became Bayern's first goalkeeper.

In June 1995, Kahn was finally given the opportunity to officially represent Germany in a European Championship qualifier against Switzerland. At this time, the 26-year-old is still a little immature, and he still has the old goalkeeper Koepke in front of him. Koepke held the door firmly in Germany's Euro 96 triumph and Kahn was once again denied a chance to play in the tournament. At the '98 World Cup, Kahn continued his third attempt as a substitute goalkeeper in a major tournament, and he witnessed Germany's defeat in that tournament. Koepke announced his retirement after the game, and Kahn really became the first goalkeeper of the German team.

The daughter-in-law of many years has become a mother-in-law. From '98 onwards, Kahn was truly at the peak of his career. On the field, he dangled his blonde hair to guard the gates of Bayern and Germany, often loudly reminding defenders of their positions with his trademark lion's roar. He helped Bayern Munich win three league titles in the '99-01 season, and helped Bayern win a penalty shoot-out in '01 to beat Valencia to win the European Cup after a 25-year absence.

Karn has a distinct personality, domineering, and fierceness, often making the opposing strikers fearful. He reacts quickly and is good at throwing a single ball. Never say die, he is the spiritual pillar of Bayern. A Bayern defender once said that it was always uneasy to hear Kahn roaring behind him in a game. The most classic moment was in the final round of the 00-01 season, when Bayern drew with Hamburg to win the title. But in the 89th minute, Hamburg's Barbarets broke the deadlock with a surprise header. Just when the whole team was discouraged, Kahn pulled up his teammates who had collapsed to the ground one by one, and shouted at them not to give up, and even rushed to the midfield to prepare for kick-off. In the end, a miracle happened, thanks to an indirect free-kick in stoppage time, Bayern successfully defended their title.

But there were times when Kahn had moments of pathos, as Bayern reached the Champions League final in '99, leading by 89 minutes, only to be beaten twice by Manchester United in the last minute and in stoppage time. In his prime, Karn will also make some low-level mistakes and become the laughing stock of everyone. At Euro 00, the German team collapsed, and Kahn made the most humiliating mistake. Against Portugal, who had already qualified as a substitute, Kahn conceded three goals in a row, one of which bounced into the net from his arm that was about to receive the ball. It's no wonder that when Conceição scored the third goal with a tackle in front of goal, Kahn, who fell into the goal with him, was so depressed that he didn't even want to get up.