Roman Weidenfeller

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Roman Weidenfeller
Personal information
Full name Roman Weidenfeller
Date of birth August 6, 1980 (1980-08-06) (age 27)
Place of birth    Diez, West Germany
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Borussia Dortmund
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2000-2002
2002-present
1.FC Kaiserslautern
Borussia Dortmund
6 (0)
127 (0)   

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of March 23, 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Roman Weidenfeller (born 6 August 1980, in Diez, West Germany) is a Goalkeeper for the Bundesliga Football Club Borussia Dortmund.

Weidenfeller's debut in competitive football came in the Summer of 1997, after he earned the Best Goalkeeper Award at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He transferred from the German Youth Club Sportfreunde Eisbachtal to 1.FC Kaiserslautern, making 6 appearances for Die Roten Teufel in two years, before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2002 to alternate with and eventually replace Arsenal FC-bound Jens Lehmann at the Dortmund Football Club.

Ironically, Weidenfeller made his Dortmund debut against his former club 1.FC Kaiserslautern on 17 December, 2003. The game was one Weidenfeller would probably like to forget: poor communications between Weidenfeller and one of his own defenders caused a mix-up, leading to Kaiserslautern's striker Lincoln getting in a fortuitous goal.

Weidenfeller was banished to the reserves after his error, but the young goalkeeper did not let it faze him. He was given a second chance by then Dortmund Coach Bert van Marwijk in October 2004, after he deciding to drop Frenchman Warmuz. Weidenfeller grasped the opportunity with both hands, and it proved catalytic to his fledgling career. Die Schwarzgelbens rise up the league table in the second half of the 2004/5 season was, in part, attributed to Roman's excellent form, establishing his reputation as one of the most respected players in the Bundesliga today.

This newfound consistency led to press speculation about a potential place in the German National Football Team as second backup after Oliver Kahn (who has since retired), ex-Dortmund goalie Lehmann) and Timo Hildebrand, for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and beyond. However, he has yet to be called up to any of Joachim Low's International squads.


[edit] Links

http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/weidenfellerroman/