Kahn, who spent nearly two decades at the top of the game from 1987 to his retirement in 2008, faced many of the greatest soccer players during his illustrious career and he believes the Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario stands above them all.

When it came to choosing the best of all time, his answer was clear. “For me, Ronaldo was much better than Messi and Cristiano,” Kahn once said. “I still consider him the most complete player of all time. The Brazilian was the best player I have ever seen.”

Kahn’s reverence for Ronaldo likely stems from his firsthand experience during the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, where Ronaldo’s brace sealed Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Germany.

That unforgettable performance earned Ronaldo the Golden Boot and cemented his place as one of the sport’s all-time greats. Kahn, who played in that match, has often credited Ronaldo’s unique combination of speed, skill, and finishing as unparalleled in soccer history.

Kahn identifies Filippo Inzaghi as his toughest opponent

While Kahn considers Ronaldo Nazario the greatest, he admitted that his most frustrating opponent was a different kind of striker—AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi. Known for his uncanny ability to score despite limited flair, Inzaghi frequently troubled Kahn throughout their careers.

“Ronaldo was the best, but the one who irritated me the most was Inzaghi,” Kahn revealed. “He wasn’t a super champion, but he always scored against me. Always. It was so frustrating.”

The stats back it up: Inzaghi faced Kahn and Bayern Munich five times, scoring six goals. Kahn’s frustration with the Italian striker reflects just how effective Inzaghi was in front of goal, even against elite goalkeepers.

Ronaldo Nazario: The striker who redefined greatness

Ronaldo Nazario’s career set a new standard for center forwards. His mix of natural talent, explosive speed, and clinical finishing left an indelible mark on the sport. For Kahn and many others, Ronaldo remains the definitive striker and one of soccer greatest players.

Ronaldo’s journey saw him shine at clubs like Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Corinthians, as well as for the Brazilian national team. He won two World Cups (1994 and 2002) and reached the final in 1998. Across his career, Ronaldo played 624 matches, scoring 420 goals and providing 128 assists, a testament to his extraordinary impact on the game.

The Munich side needed a victory and for their opponents to lose in order to go to the final day, and for most of the day, things seemed good for them. Die Roten team took an early lead, while Dortmund fell behind Mainz 2-0 before 24 minutes and had a penalty attempt from Sebastian Haller denied.

The championship seemed to be returning to Dortmund after a late penalty from Koln tied the game in Munich, but Jamal Musiala scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute. Even though BVB scored an equalizer in the 96th minute, the goal by Musiala was enough to give Bayern the Bundesliga title on goal differential.

Watch: What happened with Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic during Bayern’s title celebration?

The fact that the Bavarians won the German league once again, did not benefit their sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic nor their CEO, Oliver Kahn. Minutes after clinching the championship, news broke that the club had fired both of them.

After illustrious playing careers, both became pivotal characters in the German club. Oliver Kahn was not present during the decisive match and the timing of the decision to exclude him from attending the season finale in Cologne did not sit well with the former Germany international goalkeeper.

“That was the worst day of my life, being kept away from celebrating with the boys. I would like to celebrate with you [the squad], but unfortunately I can’t be with you today. My plan was to come to Cologne and then of course celebrate the title with the squad, but I was forbidden,” the 53-year-old took to Twitter to post.

Meanwhile, a clip that seems to show Bayern’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic being fired on the field of play in the midst of the team’s championship celebration has surfaced. There seems to have been some kind of conversation between club chairman Herbert Hainer and Salihamidzic after the final whistle, with the latter seeming bewildered.

Allegedly, the Bosnian learned about the decision via the media, as reported by the German press. His replacement is in the works, although the club has announced that Jan-Christian Dreesen will take over as CEO as a successor to Kahn.

For the second straight edition, Barcelona and Bayern Munich were drawn together. Needless to say, it will bethe most anticipated clash in the UCL group stage considering the recent history between these European giants. On top of that, Oliver Kahn’s reaction during the gala only fueled the animosity behind this fixture.

When Barca were drawn against the Bavarians, Bayern’s CEO was seen trying to hold back his laughter and many took it as a sign of disrespect towards the La Liga side. Therefore, theformer German goalkeeper later clarified why hesmiled.

The reason Oliver Kahn smiled when Barcelona were drawn against Bayern

Bayern have become a nightmare for Barcelona in the last few years. In 2020, they put eight past the Catalans in the UCL quarterfinals. Last season, the Bundesliga giants destroyed Barca twice in the group stage. Consequently, when Barca came out of the pot and Kahn was seen smiling, many felt he was being arrogant. However, he firmly deniedthose accusations.

“This interpretation has come completely out of the blue,” he told German outlet Bild, as quoted by Marca.“Robert Lewandowski left us for Barcelona just a few weeks ago, now we are back together again in the Champions League group stage.I smiled at such footballing oddities. I have the utmost respect for Robert and Barcelona, these games will be a celebration for fans of both teams and football fans in general.”

Well, his version makesmore sense. Barcelona may have struggled against Bayern as of late, but they are still one of the most respected clubs in Europe. Besides, they have strengthened themselves under Xavi Hernandez.

With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine someonelaughing about being drawn against Barca at this point. Let alone if we’re talking about an executive whohasalso played at the elite level. On the other hand, the Robert Lewandowski reason is much more logical.

The Pole striker pushed hard to join Barca this summer, thoughBayern were reluctant to sell him. He eventually got away with what he wanted, but not without straininghis relationship with the German club. What were the odds that they’d face him so soon?Either way, this meeting between familiar foes will be one of the biggest storylines of the Champions League group stage.

Now both might have new company as French midfielder Paul Pogba claimed after yesterday’s Euro 2020 match between France and Germany that Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger bit him near the end of the first half. Pogba immediately reacted and told the referee of the strange incident. Nonetheless after the 1-0 French victory, Pogba told the media: “I’m not crying for cards, yellow, red cards because of such actions. He nibbled, I think, a little bit on me. But we have known each other for a long time.”

While Pogba may not seek sanctions UEFA may, and the incident immediately brought back memories of past biting incidents that continue to be discussed even today. Here is a look back at past soccer biting incidents!

Luis Suárez bites three opponents

Luis Suárez at one point in his career was a “serial biter”, In 2010 the Uruguayan goal machine was suspended seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder. At Liverpool in 2013 he got ten games for biting Chelsea’s Branislov Ivanovic on the arm, the icing on the cake was in the 2014 World Cup when Suárez dug into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder, even stranger was what happened afterward, Suárez was thrown out of the World Cup, not even being allowed to stay in the country, and received a four month ban from all soccer activity.

Jermain Defoe bites Javiar Mascherano

In a Premier League match between Spurs and West Ham, Defoe took a bite out of the Argentine after a challenge from behind. Defoe quickly turned around and, on the field, leaped and bit Mascherano on the left shoulder.

Vinnie Jones bites journalist

In 1995, hardman Vinnie Jones bit journalist Ted Oliver on the nose in a hotel in Dublin, Ireland. A heavily intoxicated Jones did it for giggles, and while Oliver stood bleeding Jones responded: “I always do that to people!”

Oliver Kahn bites Heiko Herrlich on the neck

In 1999 during a Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund match, the tough goalkeeper went into a state of frenzy as Kahnbit Heiko Herrlich on the neck only to later try a flying kick on striker Stephane Chapuisat. At least he admitted that there was an “internal force inside me signaling: I can’t go on like this.”

Strange celebration

In a Spanish La Liga game between Sevilla and Valladolid in 2001, Jose Antonio Reyes of Sevilla was bitten by his own teammate in a scoring celebration. Francisco Gallardo bit Reyes in the groin, Reyes was more concerned about the locker room banter than the actual act: “I felt a bit of a pinch, but I didn’t realize what Gallardo had done until I saw the video… The worst thing about it is the teasing I’m going to get from my teammates.”