Lehmann didn’t even pass the breath test when the authorities caught up with him in Munich.
25.9. 17:28•Updated 25.9. 17:49
He rose to world fame as a soccer goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has drifted into a cycle of unpleasant headlines after his playing career. Most recently, the German media Bild and T-Online brought up the suspicion of drunk driving against Lehmann.
Lehmann, 54, was celebrating in the traditional way at Oktoberfest in Munich and then went for a drive. The authorities paid attention to Lehmann’s reckless traffic behavior and stopped the former top goalkeeper, dressed in traditional Bavarian leather pants.
After that, things became even more difficult. Lehmann failed the breath test, so he was taken for blood tests. Now the ex-goalkeeper is suspected of drunk driving.
National team and Arsenal hero
During his playing career, Lehmann waited a long time for the first goalkeeper position in the German national team and rose above his rival and peers by Oliver Kahn finally passed the first place for the 2006 World Cup home games.
For example, Lehmann blocked two shots from Argentina players in the World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out, which Germany won and advanced to the semi-finals. Kahn’s conciliatory gesture also went down in history from the semifinals, when he went to slap Lehmann before the penalty shootout. Germany finally achieved bronze in their home games. Kahn played the bronze medal match.
In 2008, Lehmann was one of the key players when Germany reached the European Championship final, but missed out on silver.
At the club team level, Lehmann is especially remembered for the English club Arsenal, who won the Premier League in Lehmann’s debut season in 2003–04 without losing a single match. In Germany, Lehmann represented Schalke, Dortmund and Stuttgart. He won the German championship in Dortmund in 2002. Lehmann ended his playing career in 2011.
In recent years, there have been enough headlines for various mix-ups. The German financial newspaper Handelsblatt reported in 2018 that Lehmann had evaded taxes for more than 900,000 euros during his playing career. Lehmann agreed to pay a six-figure sum in back taxes.
In 2022, Lehmann destroyed his neighbor’s garage with a chainsaw, which disturbed the view of the lake. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Lehmann cut the roof beams of the garage. He was fined for his act last December.