Jens Gerhard Lehmann (pronounced [ˈjɛns ˈleːman];[3] born 10 November 1969) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

His first years were rocky, notably a game against Bayer Leverkusen in 1993 in which he conceded three goals and was substituted after 45 minutes,[6] causing him to flee the stadium alone by tram rather than taking the team bus,[7] but Lehmann gradually established himself as a strong keeper lauded for his ability to intercept crosses.

In one game Gabriel Batistuta scored a hat-trick against him, including a goal from a free kick in the box which Lehmann had conceded by handling a back pass.

[13] In early 1999, Lehmann returned to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund replacing long-time goalkeeper Stefan Klos.

That same year, Borussia Dortmund reached the UEFA-Cup final, though the team lost to Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.

In a match against SC Freiburg, Lehmann kicked opposing attacker Soumaila Coulibaly after they collided in the penalty area.

[citation needed] By the middle of the 2004–05 season, Lehmann's inconsistent form lead to Spaniard Manuel Almunia starting in several matches instead.

At the end of that season, as speculation again began to mount that he would be replaced over the summer, Lehmann cemented his position in the Arsenal goal with a man-of-the-match performance against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup Final.

[citation needed] Lehmann had an outstanding 2005–06 season with Arsenal, making his 100th Premier League appearance for the club in their game against West Bromwich Albion on 15 April 2006.

That run formed the bulk of an 853-minute spell without conceding a goal, overtaking the CL record for an individual goalkeeper set by Edwin van der Sar.

The final clean sheet was earned in the semi-finals against Villarreal, after Lehmann saved an 89th minute Juan Román Riquelme penalty.

Arsenal would go on to lose 2–1 despite having the lead at half-time, but that did not stop him from being named the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2005–06 season after going 853 minutes without conceding a goal.

[18] His remarkable run was finally ended on 13 September 2006 by Hamburger SV's Boubacar Sanogo, who scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute of Arsenal's first group stage match of the 2006–07 Champions League season.

[citation needed] Lehmann's contract at Arsenal was due to expire in summer 2007 and during the 2006–07 season there was much speculation he would leave the club on a Bosman transfer.

On 24 August, the BBC reported that he returned to Germany to treat an Achilles tendon injury which he picked up during international duty against England, meaning Manuel Almunia took his place for Arsenal's third match.

[citation needed] Lehmann subsequently had to wait nearly four months to make another competitive appearance for Arsenal, which came in their final Champions League group match against Steaua Bucharest.

Due to Almunia catching flu straight after the injury, Lehmann kept his place in goal for the following three matches in February, including the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Milan, but also the 4–0 loss to arch rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup.

The following week, Łukasz Fabiański was given his Premier League debut against Derby County and Almunia returned to the bench for the game.

[citation needed] On 3 April 2009, Lehmann extended his contract at VfB Stuttgart until the summer of 2010[27] and announced in August 2009 that he would retire on 30 June 2010.

[28] On 14 March 2011, German tabloid Bild reported that Lehmann was in talks to come out of retirement, due to an injury crisis at Arsenal leaving them with only one fit senior keeper, Manuel Almunia.

[35] Lehmann made his debut for the Germany national team against Oman in February 1998 and earned 61 caps for his country, 32 of which were friendlies.

Lehmann was in the squad which finished as runners-up in the 2002 World Cup, but he didn't play any matches in the competition, as Kahn was still Germany's first choice goalkeeper.

Lehmann played strongly in the next three games, conceding no goals and allowing Germany to sweep their group undefeated and beat Sweden convincingly in the Round of 16.

Lehmann's prowess in the shootout was aided by notes given to him before the kicks – an idea from Germany's chief scout, Swiss-born Urs Siegenthaler.

Lehmann was considered a hero by the German public after these saves, and he received praise even from long-time rival and backup keeper Oliver Kahn.

He allowed two goals within a minute of each other with only a few seconds remaining in extra time, which put Italy into the World Cup final.

[41] In August 2006, Lehmann revealed that during the World Cup he was suffering with a foot injury that he claims was a result of wearing different boots.

[45][46][47][48][49][50][51] A well–rounded goalkeeper, he was also highly regarded in the media for his distribution with either foot, as well as his handling, physical presence, positioning, reading of the game, and his ability to come off his line and collect or punch crosses, which allowed him to command his area effectively.

After graduating from secondary school with A-levels (Abitur) in 1988, he studied economics at the University of Münster between 1992 and 1998 while continuing his football career.

[73] He plays Big John Jacobs, a football coach and talent scout, who discovers Themba, a young and ambitious youth, who is faced with poverty, AIDS and violence, but eventually makes his way on to the South African national team.