Jens Lehman Biography

Jens Lehman is the type of soccer goalkeeper that alternates fabulous performances with debutant mistakes, but despite all these he is still considered one of the most skilled keepers in activity. A fierce battle for a place in Germany's goal with Oliver Kahn and several successful seasons at Arsenal made him earn this biography.

Jens Lehman Biography – Shalke 04 
Lehman started playing soccer professionally in 1989, for what was then a mid-table team, Shalke 04. His first years at the club were extremely harsh, as he would rarely get a place in the squad and when he did get to play, he would alternate excellent matches with awful performances, which is going to be a sort of personal rule that will follow the soccer goalkeeper for the rest of his career.

A notable match was Shalke's league game against Bayer Leverkusen, with Jens Lehman starting out in the first squad. He conceded three extremely easy goals in the first half, "earning" him a substitution at half time. With a group of angry fans on his back, he was required to run from the stadium and take a tram rather than the team bus. However, leaving that incident behind, he managed to earn himself his fans' trust back, as he would play almost flawlessly for another 4 seasons for Shalke 04.

During this period, Jens Lehman became a soccer goalkeeper known for his ability to intercept crosses and save penalties. His peak at Shalke arrived in 1997, as his team would lift the UEFA Cup trophy, after a final against Inter, in which Lehman was considered a hero, having saved the penalty kick of Inter's Zamorano.

His great performances in the UEFA Cup earned him a move to AC Milan, a rather late step to the first scene of soccer, considering the fact that Lehman was 29 when the transfer occurred.This year would also mark his debut in the German national team, although he was usually regarded as the second choice keeper, being in the constant shadow of Bayern's Oliver Kahn.

Jens Lehman Biography – AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund
Although expected to help Milan get another league title in his first season for the club (1998-1999), the German keeper took off with a poor string of 5 matches, after which he was dropped in favor of his substitute.

Those 5 matches would be the last he would play for Milan that season and not being content with a reserve status, he decided to go back to the German league, joining Shalke's rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Recovering from his poor form showed at Milan and helping Borussia win the league in 2001-2002, Jens Lehman also stood out for his lack of discipline on the pitch, which earned him the German league record for the number of sendings-off for a soccer goalkeeper (with a total of 5).

Not being able to repeat the league-winning performance the following season, Lehman decided it's time for a move and accepted Arsenal's offer, who were in need of a soccer goalkeeper, after veteran David Seaman's retirement.

Jens Lehman Biography – Arsenal
Being 34 and way past his soccer prime, no one really expected Lehman to live his career's best at Arsenal and he was mostly considered as an emergency transfer. Despite his age, he managed to pull off his best season so far, as Arsenal turned on rampage-mode, sweeping through the entire 2003-2004 season unbeaten.

Lehman had a major role in this performance as he started out in all of Arsenal's matches, but his aggressive style of play also proved to be costly in Champions League, as his side lost against London rivals Chelsea after two mistakes from the German soccer goalkeeper. With the transfer of Spaniard Manuel Almunia at Arsenal in 2004, Lehman's occasional mistakes were threatening his starting lineup position and even lost it by the middle of the season.

Fortunately for him, Almunia also had a string of mistakes that brought Lehman back in Arsenal's goal and helped the Gunners win another FA Cup, in a match against Manchester United where Jens Lehman was named MVP (again, saving a decisive penalty kick from Paul Scholes).

The 2005-2006 season made Arsenal's supporters compare Lehman to wine, as the more he ages the better he gets. The German soccer goalkeeper managed to achieve another outstanding season, breaking the record for the most consecutive clean sheets in Champions League with 10 such performances.

He managed to take Arsenal to the Champions League final, where they would play a rampant FC Barcelona, but unfortunately he was forced to make a professional foul in the 18th minute of the final, being sent off and was largely accused by the fans for his team's eventual loss with 2-1.

Still his performances at the club earned him a good standing in the German national team and he finally managed to surpass his arch-rival, Oliver Kahn, in the run for the side's first choice in goal, starting in all of Germany's games at the 2006 World Cup.