Lehmann's time comes - and goes?

By Barry Whelan Jul 7, 2006, 9:02 GMT

German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (R) makes a save next to his teammates Michael Ballack, Christoph Metzelder and Sebastian Schweinsteiger (L-R) and Alessandro del Piero (L) from Italy during extra time of the semi final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, 04 July 2006. EPA/MICHAEL HANSCHKE

Berlin - For eight years Jens Lehmann had been trying to make the goalkeeping job his own. Finally, at the World Cup he got his chance - and took it.

A series of assured performances and two saves which put out Argentina in the quarter-final penalty shootout have made Lehmann one of the players of the tournament for Germany.

Now, at what seems to be the peak of his career, he is wondering if he has already played his last game for the national team.

It has been a remarkable tournament for 36-year-old Lehmann in what has been a remarkable but disappointing season for him. Disappointing, that is, when you look at the trophy cabinet.

With his club side Arsenal he was the hero in the semi-final of the Champions League, saving a penalty from Villareal's Argentinian playmaker Juan Ramon Riquelme, only to be shown a red card early in the final against Barcelona. With 10 men, Arsenal went down 2-1.

Now at the World Cup, Lehmann was powerless to stop two last-gasp extra-time goals in the semi-final against Italy to shatter his dreams of lifting the greatest trophy of all.

Yet it had been another flawless display from Lehmann who justified coach Juergen Klinsmann's faith in him. Flawless was the word Oliver Kahn also used to describe Lehmann's goalkeeping earlier in the tournament. For Lehmann, that sort of praise coming from his erstwhile rival compensates for a lot of disappointment.

It has helped, in fact, to make the World Cup anything but disappointing for Lehmann. Still smarting from the defeat against Italy, he is beginning to realize the tournament has been the experience of a lifetime. The thawing of the frosty relationship with Kahn has been just one plus point to take home to London.

'The defeat against Italy hurts more now than it did immediately afterwards. Seeing the other semi-final between France and Portugal made me realize even more what a chance we missed,' he said.

'Twice I was very close this season. We as a team were very close to going to a penalty shoot-out which we could perhaps have decided in our favour. You start asking yourself 'why?'

'I don't know the answer and it might take a while to find one at all. But in football there is always the hope that things can get better. Especially at Arsenal, we have a good team and that is the immediate aim, to reach a final again.'

With Arsenal, Lehmann has a contract until 2007. With Germany, Lehmann really does not know what the future holds. Does Klinsmann want a younger goalkeeper for the European Championship qualification matches? Will Klinsmann still be in charge?

Despite the uncertainty and lack of titles Lehmann can look back on a memorable season. He is now enjoying the respect and recognition he not always felt in Germany, even while playing in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.

For eight years he stood in the shadow of other goalkeepers. At the 1998 World Cup he was the number three behind Andreas Koepke and Kahn while at the 2002 World Cup as well as the 2000 and 2004 European Championships he was deputy to Kahn.

The 2006 World Cup has now confirmed his status as the number one. The tournament has been 'my personal emotional highlight' in a long playing career, he said.

'I have not played in Germany for the last three years and I was so surprised by the openness and the emotions and feelings the fans had for us. This has been an unforgettable event for me,' he explained.

'These are emotions I would not normally have experienced and I am very grateful that I could experience this. My children and family phone me after the game and tell me they get goosebumps watching the games and during the singing of the national anthem. This has been an absolutely unique event.'

There are emotional highlights still to come. The German players will parade before hundreds of thousands of fans in Berlin on Sunday to express their gratitude for the wave of support for the team.

Lehmann is also ready to return a gesture of warmth displayed by Kahn during the penalty drama against Argentina. He will step aside if the Bayern keeper wants to play in Saturday's match for third place against Portugal.

'I will speak to Ollie about it,' he said. 'If Oliver wants to play and the coach also thinks that way I think he deserves it.

There was a time, not very long ago, when the two goalkeepers went out of their way to avoid each other. A war of words was often conducted through the press. But now both goalkeepers appear to be relieved to have buried their hatchets.

Looking ahead to Saturday's match in Stuttgart, Lehmann said of the prospect of Kahn playing: 'He has behaved outstandingly at this World Cup, also to me as we have seen with some nice gestures, and I believe it would be for him a personal farewell.'

In many ways, it would end a remarkable World Cup for both goalkeepers. The World Cup's slogan, A Time To Make Friends could not have been more apt as they near the end of their international careers.