Ex Arsenal and German international goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann celebrates his 51st birthday today.
FC Schalke
Lehmann started his professional career at Bundesliga 2 side FC Schalke in 1988.
During his 10 year stint at Schalke he won the German second division in 1991 securing promotion to the top flight, and also a UEFA cup in 1997.
AC Milan
After a successful decade in Germany, Jens moved on to a new challenge in the Serie A for AC Milan.
His time in Italy was short lived though, making only 6 appearances before being dropped from the team.
After only signing for Milan in the summer, the German keeper left less than 6 months later in the Winter transfer window.
Borussia Dortmund
In 1999, Lehmann signed for Borussia Dortmund where he eventually managed to regain his form.
3 years later he would go on to star in a title winning season for Dortmund winning their first Bundesliga since 1996.
During his time at the German club he also became notorious for his wild antics where he earned the record for the most red cards for a Bundesliga goalkeeper.
Arsenal
The next chapter of his career saw him join Arsenal replacing legendary goalkeeper David Seaman.
Lehmann was an instant hit in North London where he earned invincible status after Arsenals undefeated Premier League campaign.
The German shot-stopper played every minute in the 2003/04 title winning season in what was a ground-breaking year for English football.
In his time at the Gunners he also won the Community Shield in 2004 and the FA Cup in 2005.
VfB Stuttgart
The year of 2008 would see Lehmann return to home soil signing a one year contract at Stuttgart.
He made 90 appearances for the German side over the course of two seasons and announced that he would retire in 2010.
Arsenal (loan)
Due to an injury crisis at Arsenal, Lehmann was forced out of retirement to sign for his former club on an emergency loan deal.
Lehmann was called into Premier League action for the last time against Blackpool in 2011,after Almunia sustained an injury in the warmup.
Jens bowed out on a 3-1 victory allowing him to retire for good.
The invincible goalkeeper retired with over 750 appearances and 7 major honours for his respective clubs.
Happy Birthday Jens!
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