Bodo Illgner - 256.79 Performance Pts
Born: 07/04/1967 Koblenz, Germany
Position: Goalkeeper Height: 1.92m Weight: 88kg
4th July
1990. Illgner's legs blocked Stuart Pearce's penalty during the epic 1990 World
Cup semi-final shoot-out. Moments later, as Chris Waddle's spot-kick sailed
over the crossbar, Illgner and his German team-mates could celebrate as they
overcame England to reach the final, and they of course became world champions
4 days later. With the 1-0 victory over Argentina, Illgner became the first
goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final. At this time, Illgner
was part way through his long club career with 1.FC Koln, and they'd achieved
their second successive runners-up spot in the Bundesliga that same year. He'd followed
in the footsteps of Harald Schumacher, at both club and international level.
2nd place was the best finish that Illgner achieved at Koln, but he moved to
Real Madrid and won La Liga in his first season in Spain - 1996-97. Champions
League success was achieved the following season, ending Real's 32-year wait.
Illgner kept a clean sheet in the final as Real beat Juventus 1-0. Illgner also
appeared at the 1994 World Cup finals; his last ever match for Germany was
their surprise 2-1 defeat to Bulgaria in the quarter final. He retired in 2000,
as a young Iker Casillas came on the scene to become first-choice 'keeper at
the Bernabeu.
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