Honest words from Oliver Kahn (53) to clarify!
In a podcast with his therapist of many years, the Swiss doctor and chemist Florian Holsboer (77), the chairman of the board of FC Bayern talks about the psychological pressure during his active time – and with this foundation podcast he is committed to supporting young people pressure to perform, fear of failure and psychological problems.
Above all, the 2002 World Cup final made things difficult for the former world-class goalkeeper. In the defeat of the final against Brazil (0:2), Kahn rebounded a shot, Brazil striker Ronaldo dusted off to make it 0:1.
Unforgotten how the three-time world goalkeeper leaned blankly on the post of his goal after the game. Kahn says: “Two billion people watched me fail.”
The permanent malice of opposing fans would have been a reason why Kahn got professional help as a player to deal with burnout and depression.
Kahn: “For years the opposing fans made monkey noises at me and bananas were thrown. It was funny at first, but eventually it got demeaning. Somewhere it didn’t feel good anymore.”
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Kahn, who has been at the top of Bayern since 2021, sees a much more positive approach to mental illness in today’s football business. It was only in September that Bayern star Benjamin Pavard (26) spoke publicly about his struggle with depression during the corona pandemic.
Kahn: “I’m glad that we live in today’s world where you can talk openly about these topics. Without it immediately leading to enormous stigmatization.”
It was different during Kahn’s career. Kahn reveals: “It was like this: For God’s sake, it shouldn’t be made public under any circumstances. That put even more pressure that you have to hide something.”
Kahn has spoken about mental health for years. As early as 2008, in his biography “I. Success comes from within” reveals that he suffered from burnout during his world-class career.
