I don't just want to be famous for shouting, says Lehmann

Born and bred in the Ruhr Valley in the heart of Germany's steel region, the Arsenal goalkeeper chose to stay within the gaze of the watching TV millions after his premature 18th-minute exit from the Champions League Final against Barcelona at the Stade de France two seasons ago, following a professional foul on Samuel Eto'o.

'I was sitting in the stands. My sons, six and 10, were sitting on my lap,' he recalled. Did that help him? 'Well, no. It was still very disappointing.'

It was Lehmann, perhaps more than any other player, who hauled Arsenal to that first Champions League Final — which they lost 2-1.

For 835 minutes he kept a clean sheet — from March 22, 2005, when Bayern Munich's Hasan Salihamidzic scored in the quarterfinals, until September 13, 2006, when Hamburg's Boubacar Sanogo scored an 89th-minute consolation in a group stage tie.

However, Jens Gerhard Lehmann perhaps never expected to be a superstar, especially not back in 1993 when he made an infamous 45-minute appearance for Bayer Leverkusen.

During that first half he conceded three goals from the 'howler' menu and fled the stadium on a tram instead of waiting for the team bus.

But those days were long gone by the time he stood firm and furious against Ronaldinho and Co.

He was 36 by then and a serious piece of work. 'I have to be the most concentrating human being on earth during matches,' he explained.

'That's why I can't tell you what was going on in my brain. During the whole game you have to be on that concentration level and it's difficult to describe afterwards. The experience is so intense that the downside is that you forget it.'

His competitiveness cannot be in doubt. This is the man who always arrives first to Arsenal training, a thorough professional in every aspect of his work. 'I do sometimes ask myself about that motivation, where it comes from.

'My parents never played football and never really supported me. They said, "You are not allowed to play more than once a week because of school". That was key, I think, in my development. If you are forbidden something, you want to do it more.

'I played for club teams, the school sometimes. I wasn't the best young goalkeeper but I was the only one who believed in himself. Even at the age of 14 when nobody believed in me, I did. I kept on working.

'By 17, I was one of the best at that age. Part of the reason was I didn't have distractions. I had a girlfriend up to the age of 15 and then we broke up. I just concentrated on getting there in football after that.'

This paints Lehmann in a whole new light, lovelorn and turning to football for solace. He demurred. 'I probably just did not get the woman I was chasing,' he said with a smile. 'And I didn't want to take the other ones.'

He definitely did not fulfil the traditional characteristics of a romantic hero. For one thing, he seemed to have quite a temper. He quietly disagrees with this evaluation as well. 'If you have noticed, I never lose it completely.

'I do admit I get into trouble a lot. This was because when I first came to England everybody was laughing about my style.

'Now I see other goalkeepers copying my style. Fortunately, the referees are more protective now, so fouls on keepers are more rare. Before they didn't, that's why I had to complain to opponents and to referees.

'It sometimes gave the impression of me being a little bit of a nasty player then. I have been lucky until now, not getting injured badly, but sometimes it could have turned against me, not being scared.

'That's why I protect myself in my goal area. Everybody does.'

But he does concede that he was rather an extreme case. 'I know, but as far as I can see, it's either him or me. So I'd better decide for the opponent to get injured and not me.'

When Arsenal visited Stamford Bridge last December, Didier Drogba lost his balance in flamboyant style after a push in the back from Lehmann. He stood up again and nudged the Arsenal goalkeeper, who fell down before regaining his feet.

This minor fracas provoked much discussion and an element of derision from those who felt the Christmas pantomime season had come early. Lehmann, to his credit, was among them.

'To be honest, I felt a little bit embarrassed when I saw it on TV, but I went down because here the referees are sometimes so fragile that you think, "Well, if I go down it might help me not get booked or a red card because sometimes they're hysterical for nothing".

'I didn't hurt Drogba. I just pushed him a little bit and he went down. So I thought, "Oh, I don't want to get a booking here or sent off" because Drogba made a lot of it. So I went down myself, but like I said before, it's not a thing I like about myself. Normally, I don't do that, I don't go down that easy and I felt a little bit embarrassed.'

It cannot be easy when, at the age of 37, he has a defence in front of him with an average age of 21.

'I know. There is just an eight-year gap between my oldest son and some of the Arsenal defenders! But I don't father them.

'They have to deliver and I have to deliver. Sometimes when I'm telling them things it's up to them whether they, first, listen and, second, agree.

'I don't want to be famous for yelling at them from my six-yard box but sometimes you have to do that as a keeper.'

This exclusive interview appears in full in Arsenal Opus, a limited edition, leather-bound, 850-page book, including more than 400,000 words and 2,000 photographs, published last week by Kraken Sport & Media with a print run of 1,500, price £3,000. Each copy is signed by Arsene Wenger; 500 copies of the Icons edition, signed by Arsenal legends including Tony Adams and Liam Brady, are available at £4,250. More details: www.arsenalopus.com