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After the victorious match for the third place in the World Cup, German national team goalkeeper Oliver Kahn announced the end of his career in the national team.
"These were my last international matches. They were very beautiful matches, but you need to know when it's time to end," said the goalkeeper from Bayern Munich. "The atmosphere was fantastic. For a moment, we thought about what could have been if we had won the World Cup."
"It was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, events in my life," continued the German. "I played my last match for the national team and couldn't have asked for a better farewell match. But you need to know when it's time to end."
Oliver Kahn, who represented the German national team 86 times and was the captain of the team that reached the final of the 2002 World Cup and lost 2-0 to Brazil, received the "Golden Ball" - the prize awarded to the most valuable player of the tournament.
However, Kahn lost his secure position in the national team two years ago when Juergen Klinsmann took over. The coach first handed over the captain's armband to Michael Ballack, and right before the World Cup, he announced that Jens Lehmann would be the main team goalkeeper.
In Saturday's match, Kahn was the main goalkeeper for the German national team - a tribute from Klinsmann to the team's veteran.
"It's incredible how he handled the role of a backup goalkeeper," said Klinsmann. "I can only speak about Oliver with the utmost respect."
In Saturday's game, Kahn was the captain of the German national team for the 49th time, as Michael Ballack did not play due to injury.
Throughout his career, Kahn was voted the best goalkeeper in the world three times and the best goalkeeper in Europe four times.
