It was like a foreign country for...
Jens Lehmann (Milan 1998-99)
Perhaps it’s not always wise to sign players who have impressed against Inter. But that’s exactly what Milan did when they purchased Jens Lehmann in the summer of 1998. The giant ‘keeper caught the eye with his performance against the Nerazzurri in the UEFA Cup Final the previous season, when his Schalke O4 team won the trophy on penalties.
Milan, seeking an agile replacement for the hapless Massimo Taibi and the ageing Sebastiano Rossi, turned to the German international. Unfortunately, Lehmann became one of Milan’s greatest mistakes. After just five games, and despite a decent performance at Venezia, he was sent packing back to his homeland.
A disastrous showing against Fiorentina where he single-handedly gifted Gabriel Batistuta a hat-trick was followed by an equally poor showing at Cagliari where he was substituted. His crisis of nerves saw him shipped off to Borussia Dortmund, but Milan’s goalkeeping crisis didn’t end there. Sebastiano Rossi came in but was soon banned for violently assaulting Perugia’s Cristian Bucchi.
That provided the opportunity for Milan’s third choice ‘keeper Christian Abbiati and Milan went on to win Lo Scudetto and everyone soon forgot about the clumsy custodian. Like so many before him, Lehmann sported a dire perm and needless to say Italy was like a foreign country for the shabby German. |
Born:
Essen (Germany), 10/11/69
Position:
Back of the net
Serie A apps: 5
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