Overview

In this candid autobiography, Jens Lehmann reflects on the a 23-year playing career as an elite goalkeeper, performing at the pinnacle of European and International football. In a career spanning four decades, Lehmann was twice voted Europe's best goalkeeper. He won league titles in both England and Germany, and the UEFA Cup with his boyhood club Schalke. In one Champions League campaign, he went a miraculous 852 minutes without conceding a goal. Undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in recent times, Lehmann was also one of the most unconventional. He always sought out challenges that not only tested him as a footballer, but as a person as well. This extraordinary sportsman has now taken stock to write about his career. Imparting his own dry humour on each subject matter, Lehmann takes us from Schalke to bi er rivals Borussia Dortmund, via Milan. From there he moves to Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, before his career comes to a close with Stuttgart in Germany. At the 2006 World Cup Lehmann did things his own way, employing kidology in the form of a note in his sock during a quarter-final shootout with Argentina. Germany wouldn't win that tournament, another agonising defeat that he would have to come to terms with. But for every near miss in his career Lehmann would experience an incredible high, representative of his Jekyll and Hyde character.

Full Product Details

9781909245624

Table of Contents

Reviews

A work like his career. Entertaining and a bit crazy -- Der Spiegel

A work like his career. Entertaining and a bit crazy -- Der Spiegel

Author Information

Jens Lehmann was born in Essen, West Germany in November 1969 and began his professional football career with Schalke 04 in the late-1980s and was the key figure when they lifted the UEFA Cup in 1997. International recognition and a high profile move to AC Milan followed, but after just one year in Italy, Lehmann joined Schalke's bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund in 1999. It was Westfalenstadion that Lehmann started to combine success and controversy, a blend that defined his career. His performances with BVB led to Arsene Wenger signing him as David Seaman's replacement. With the Gunners Lehmann would enjoy football immortality and heartbreak: he was part of the 2003/04 Invincibles side and Man of the Match in the FA Cup Final a year later, but the German stopper would later be sent off in the 2006 Champions League Final. Never one to shy away from confrontation, the Gunners' stopper fiercely contested the number one spot for the national team with Oliver Kahn, neither player prepared to give an inch. It was a mentality that served Lehmann well until his retirement in 2011. Lehmann now works as a television pundit for RTL Television and Sky TV in his native Germany.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available