Sebastian Kehl facts for kids
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93079.jpg)
Kehl in 2023
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sebastian Walter Kehl | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 February 1980 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fulda, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1994 | SV Lahrbach | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Borussia Fulda | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Hannover 96 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Hannover 96 | 32 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | SC Freiburg | 40 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2015 | Borussia Dortmund | 274 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Borussia Dortmund II (res.) | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 353 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Germany U18 | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Germany U19 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Germany U21 | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Germany | 31 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sebastian Walter Kehl, born on February 13, 1980, is a German former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder. Today, he is the Sporting Director for Borussia Dortmund.
Kehl played in the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league, for 15 seasons. He played 314 games and scored 24 goals. He played for SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund. With Borussia Dortmund, he won six major titles, including three national championships.
He also played for the German national team for five years. Kehl played in two World Cups. In 2002, his team finished second. In 2004, he played in the Euro 2004 tournament. After he stopped playing, Kehl first worked as the "Head of First Team Football" for Borussia Dortmund. Later, he became the Sporting Director, taking over from Michael Zorc.
Contents
Club Career: Playing for Top Teams
Sebastian Kehl was born in Fulda, Hesse, Germany. He joined the youth team of Hannover 96 in 1996 when he was 15. He later played two seasons for their main team in the 2. Bundesliga, which is Germany's second-highest league.
Joining SC Freiburg
In the summer of 2000, Kehl moved to SC Freiburg, a team in the Bundesliga. He played his first game on August 12, helping his team win 4–0 against VfB Stuttgart. He scored his first goal on December 12 of that year. This goal helped Freiburg win 2–1 against VfL Wolfsburg.
Under coach Volker Finke, Kehl often played as a sweeper. This position is a defender who plays behind the main defensive line. In his first season, he helped SC Freiburg qualify for the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, a European competition. However, the team was relegated (moved down to a lower league) in his second season.
Moving to Borussia Dortmund
Kehl left SC Freiburg in January 2002 during the transfer window. He joined Borussia Dortmund. That season, Borussia Dortmund won the championship. Kehl played in 15 games and scored one goal for them.
During his time with Dortmund, Kehl was usually a starting player. He played 12 matches in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. This helped his team reach the second group stage of the competition. From 2004 to 2006, he played in 61 league games.
Injuries and Becoming Captain
On the first day of the 2006–07 season, Kehl injured his left knee. This happened during a challenge with Hasan Salihamidžić from Bayern Munich. The injury kept him out of play for many months. He fully recovered at the start of the 2008–09 season. At that time, new coach Jürgen Klopp made him the team captain.
However, Kehl had more injury problems. He also started playing less as other talented players like Sven Bender and Nuri Şahin became more important.
On July 27, 2013, Kehl played in the second half of the DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich. He came on as a substitute and helped Dortmund win 4–2. In September, he was injured again, hurting his ankle during training. This kept him out for a long time.
Retirement from Playing
In March 2014, Kehl hinted that he might retire soon. He had just agreed to extend his contract for one more year. The 35-year-old confirmed his retirement at the end of the 2014–15 season. In his final season, he played in 21 games. He helped Dortmund improve their position in the league and qualify for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.
After Playing: A New Role
In April 2018, Borussia Dortmund announced that Kehl would become the director of their players' license department. He started this new role on June 1.
In June 2021, Borussia Dortmund announced another big step for Kehl. He was chosen to take over as the Sporting Director after Michael Zorc retired in the summer of 2022.
International Career: Playing for Germany
Sebastian Kehl played for the German national team 31 times. His first game was on May 29, 2001. It was a friendly match against Slovakia in Bremen, which Germany won 2–0. Kehl came on as a substitute in that game.
He scored his first goal for Germany on August 15, 2001. This was in another friendly game against Hungary, which Germany won 5–2.
World Cup Appearances
Kehl was chosen to play in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. In the 2002 tournament, he played twice, against Paraguay and the United States. Germany finished in second place that year.
In the 2006 World Cup, which was held in Germany, Kehl played in four games and started two of them. He helped his team achieve third place in the tournament.
Personal Life
Sebastian Kehl is married to Tina Kehl. They have three children together.
Honours: Trophies and Awards
Sebastian Kehl won many important titles during his career.
Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga: 2001–02, 2010–11, 2011–12 (Won the league championship three times)
- DFB-Pokal: 2012 (Won the German Cup)
- German Supercup: 2008 (Won the Supercup)
- DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014 (Won the German Supercup again)
- UEFA Cup runners-up: 2002 (Finished second in this European competition)
- UEFA Champions League runners-up: 2013 (Finished second in Europe's biggest club competition)
Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 2002 (runners-up); 2006 (third place)
- Bronze at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup (Finished third in this international tournament)
Individual
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2000–01, 2008–09 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league for these seasons)
See also
In Spanish: Sebastian Kehl para niños
