Still hungry for success, Jens Lehmann turns 40 (News Feature)

By Sebastian Stiekel Nov 9, 2009, 14:58 GMT

   Stuttgart - Jens Lehmann turns 40 on Tuesday, but sometimes he still acts like a boy.

During this season alone he went to Munich's beerfest without informing his club VfB Stuttgart, had a scuffle on the pitch with Dortmund player Neven Subotic and an argument with a ballboy in Hanover.

The former Germany goalkeeper is the oldest active player in the Bundesliga, and insists he has learnt in a professional career spanning 22 years that being a quiet personality brings you 'nowhere' in football.

He was once taken out of a match at Schalke at halftime, he spent most of the time on the subs' bench when he went to AC Milan in 1998, he was alienated by Borussia Dortmund fans because of his Schalke past and was not first choice all the time at Arsenal.

As a result, Lehmann says, he has to show aggressive behaviour on the pitch.

It is a strategic approach, while rival Oliver Kahn was aggressive on the field because of his personality.

'I don't think on the pitch how it might look but how I can have success,' he says. 'But I never did a thing after which I thought 'this was really evil.''

Injured only badly once, in 1992, Lehmann has enjoyed big success for club and country.

He won a surprise UEFA Cup title with Schalke 1997 in a penalty shooutout at Inter Milan, the Bundesliga crown with Dortmund in 2002 and the Premier League in 2004 with Arsenal.

A Germany number one only since 2006, he came third at that year's home World Cup and was a Euro 2008 finalist.

Lehmann said that the current generation of players is not as hungry for success as players of his age.

'I grew up in a different way than today's players. In the past it was about winning, said Lehmann, adding that 'I sometimes have the feeling that not titles are important for young players but good contracts.'

In Stuttgart, where he has been playing since last year and plans to retire after the current season, they are happy with Lehmann's views in a difficult season in the lower Bundesliga regions.

'He has clear opinions and still shows a certain calmness. He is very important for me because of his experience,' said coach Markus Babbel.