Roman Weidenfeller: Borussia Dortmund's under-appreciated Bundesliga great
If ever a Borussia Dortmund fan of a younger generation had the temerity to ask what Roman Weidenfeller has ever done for us - taking their cue from Monty Python - the answers would be shot back as swiftly as they were witheringly.
One of the Bundesliga's under-appreciated greats, Weidenfeller, who made his final top-flight outing as a late substitute in BVB's end-of-season defeat against Hoffenheim, has an honours list to compare with the best of them: twice a Bundesliga champion, twice a DFB Cup winner and a UEFA Champions League finalist in 2013. Put simply, he is one of the lesser-heralded – but no less vital – influences behind Dortmund's staggering recent success.
And that's only talking about club level – his brief but wildly successful international career made him both Germany's oldest debutant between the sticks and a 2014 FIFA World Cup winner. Not bad for a bloke who started out as back-up to Jens Lehmann.
Weidenfeller's consistency and leadership at the highest level were influential as Klopp turned BVB from domestic also-rans to continental powerhouse – as well as that fine shot-stopping and the aura of calmness he transmitted to his defence, Weidenfeller skippered the 2010/11 title-winning side in the absence of Sebastian Kehl, which was more often than not.
Regarded as a calm, family man off the field, Weidenfeller went down in BVB legend for a post-match interview given at the Signal Iduna Park after winning that Meisterschale. When begged for a comment by a visiting broadcaster, Weidenfeller responded: "I think we have a grandiose saison gespielt," mixing up German and English to much hilarity. So much hilarity, in fact, that to honour his career, Dortmund fans have produced t-shirts reading, "You have 16 grandiose saisons gespielt." Klopp called it a comment that would "go down in history".
Weidenfeller's on-field performances continued to draw praise the following year: he played 32 of 34 Bundesliga games as BVB retained the title, in large part thanks to his 86th-minute penalty save on Matchday 30 from Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben, preserving Dortmund's 1-0 lead and grip on the salad bowl.
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The arrival of Tuchel's successor, Peter Bosz, also led to more bench time, although he was the first to admit that his role within the squad had changed: "Nobody happily takes a step back, but youth catches up with everyone eventually," he told kicker earlier this season.
"Since I've not been No1, I feel a bit more like the soul of the team. I try to keep the team together, to connect generations and set boundaries. I'm still hungry to win every game, and that's something I want to pass on."
There, then, would be the answer as to what Roman has done for us. No further questions, your Honour.
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