Bodo Illgner (born April 7, 1967) is a retired
German footballer, who played as a
goalkeeper.
During his career, he played for
1. FC Köln and
Real Madrid, and helped
West Germany to the
1990 World Cup, where he became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a
World Cup final.
Club career
Born in
Koblenz, Illgner was a product of
1. FC Köln's youth system, and made his debut in the
first division on February 22, 1986, in a 3–1 away loss to
FC Bayern Munich. From
1987–88 onwards, he became the side's undisputed starter, being voted as
Best European Goalkeeper in 1991.
On August 30, 1996, already having started the season with Köln, Illgner was signed by
Real Madrid, and played 40 league matches in
his first season, helping the
capital side to
the league conquest. In the following, he lost his place to
Santiago Cañizares, but regained it in time to play in the
1998 UEFA Champions League Final against
Juventus FC (1–0 win).
In
1999–2000, Illgner would be succeeded by 18-year old
Iker Casillas, after which he retired from football altogether.
International career
On September 23, 1987, Illgner made his debut for the
West Germany national football team in a 1–0...
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