Sebastian Kehl
Kehl in 2023
Personal information
Full name Sebastian Walter Kehl[1]
Date of birth (1980-02-13) 13 February 1980[1]
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
Representing  Germany
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up2002 Korea/Japan
Third place2006 Germany
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place2005 Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sebastian Walter Kehl (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈkeːl];[2][3] born 13 February 1980) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the Sporting Director of Borussia Dortmund.

He amassed Bundesliga totals of 314 games and 24 goals over the course of 15 seasons, representing in the competition SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund. He won six major titles with the latter club, including three national championships.

A Germany international for five years, Kehl appeared for the nation in two World Cups – finishing second in the 2002 edition – and Euro 2004.

Following his retirement, Kehl first worked as the “Head of First Team Football” for Borussia Dortmund before it was announced that he would be taking over as Sporting Director, following the retirement of Michael Zorc.

Club career

Born in Fulda, Hesse, Kehl joined Hannover 96's youth system in 1996 at the age of 15, going on to appear in two 2. Bundesliga seasons with the first team.[4] In the 2000 summer he signed for SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, making his debut in the competition on 12 August by playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–0 home win against VfB Stuttgart, and scoring his first goal on 12 December of that year to help to a 2–1 away success over VfL Wolfsburg.

Under manager Volker Finke, Kehl featured mostly as a sweeper, helping the Black Forest club qualify to the 2001–02 UEFA Cup in his first season, before the club suffered relegation in his second season. He was no longer part of the squad, however, as he had left in the 2002 January transfer window to Borussia Dortmund, who went on to win the championship with 15 games and one goal from the player. Previously, in summer 2001, he controversially agreed basic terms with FC Bayern Munich, and even accepted an advanced payment of 1.5 million Deutsche Mark, which was returned in November as Bayern threatened to take legal action.[5]

Kehl with Borussia Dortmund in 2007

During his tenure with Dortmund, Kehl was more often than not a starter. He contributed with 12 matches in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League to help his team reach the second group phase, and amassed 61 league appearances from 2004 to 2006 in back-to-back seventh-place finishes.

On the first day of the 2006–07 campaign, Kehl injured his left knee in a challenge with Bayern's Hasan Salihamidžić, sidelining him for several months and only recovering fully at the start of 2008–09, when he was made captain by new coach Jürgen Klopp.[6] He eventually relapsed on his condition,[7][8] also losing his importance in the starting XI after the emergence of Sven Bender and Nuri Şahin.[9]

On 27 July 2013, Kehl played the second half of the DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich, replacing Bender in an eventual 4–2 win.[10] In September, he was put out of action for another lengthy period after injuring his ankle in training.[11]

Kehl captaining Dortmund in 2013

Kehl began hinting at retirement in March 2014, shortly after having agreed to a one-year extension to his contract.[12] The 35-year-old confirmed it at the end of the 2014–15 season,[13] after having taken part in 21 games to help Dortmund come from behind in the table and qualify to the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.[14]

In April 2018, Borussia Dortmund announced that Kehl would become its players licence department director starting on 1 June.[15]

In June 2021, Borussia Dortmund announced that Kehl would be the successor to sporting director Michael Zorc following his retirement in the summer of 2022.[16]

International career

Kehl earned the first of his 31 caps for the Germany national team on 29 May 2001, in a 2–0 friendly win against Slovakia in Bremen where he came on for Marko Rehmer after 45 minutes.[17] He scored his first goal on 15 August of that year, contributing to a 5–2 win over Hungary in another exhibition game.[18]

Selected for both the 2002 and the 2006 World Cups, Kehl played twice (against Paraguay and United States) in the former tournament as the Mannschaft finished in second place, and started in two of his four appearances to help to the third place in the latter.[19]

Personal life

Kehl is married to Tina Kehl. They have three children.[20]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[21][22][23]
ClubSeasonLeagueGerman CupEuropeOther[lower-alpha 1]Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hannover 961998–992. Bundesliga 8110——91
1999–20002. Bundesliga 24120——261
Total 322300000352
SC Freiburg2000–01Bundesliga 25222——274
2001–02Bundesliga 152205210234
Total 404425210508
Borussia Dortmund2001–02Bundesliga 15100——151
2002–03Bundesliga 2802012010430
2003–04Bundesliga 231106030331
2004–05Bundesliga 3243020—374
2005–06Bundesliga 29110——301
2006–07Bundesliga 6000——60
2007–08Bundesliga 14350——193
2008–09Bundesliga 2852020—325
2009–10Bundesliga 6100——61
2010–11Bundesliga 601020—90
2011–12Bundesliga 273605010393
2012–13Bundesliga 2203090—340
2013–14Bundesliga 171405110272
2014–15Bundesliga 210614010321
Total 274203414717036222
Borussia Dortmund II2003–04Regionalliga Nord 11———11
2006–07Regionalliga Nord 10———10
2007–08Regionalliga Nord 20———20
2009–103. Liga 10———10
2010–11Regionalliga West 20———20
Total 7100000071
Career total 353274115238045431

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[24]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany 200131
2002110
200371
200430
200500
200670
Total312
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kehl goal.
List of international goals scored by Sebastian Kehl
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
115 August 2001Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary Hungary2–05–2Friendly[18]
230 April 2003Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany Serbia and Montenegro1–01–0Friendly[25]

Honours

Borussia Dortmund[26]

Germany[26]

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Germany" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ↑ Dudenredaktion; Kleiner, Stefan; Knöbl, Ralf (2015) [First published 1962]. Das Aussprachewörterbuch [The Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German) (7th ed.). Berlin: Dudenverlag. pp. 503, 773. ISBN 978-3-411-04067-4.
  3. ↑ Krech, Eva-Maria; Stock, Eberhard; Hirschfeld, Ursula; Anders, Lutz Christian (2009). Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch [German Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. p. 917. ISBN 978-3-11-018202-6.
  4. ↑ Arnhold, Matthias (23 September 2015). "Sebastian Kehl – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Der FC Bayern will Kehl verklagen" [FC Bayern want to sue Kehl] (in German). Die Welt. 24 December 2001. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Klopp macht Kehl zum Kapitän" [Klopp makes Kehl captain] (in German). Rheinische Post. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Kehl hofft auf dauerhafte Rückkehr in BVB-Startelf" [Kehl hopes for durable return in BVB's starting XI] (in German). Der Westen. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl: Der ewige Borusse" [Sebastian Kehl: The true Borusse] (in German). ZDF. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Loder, Ben (6 March 2013). "Sebastian Kehl Borussia Dortmund captain is back where he belongs". Bundesliga Fanatic. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Dortmund prevail over Bayern in Supercup thriller". Bundesliga. 27 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Dortmund captain Kehl out for six weeks". FIFA. 16 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Dortmund captain Kehl to retire in 2015". FIFA. 23 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Borussia Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl looking to retire on a high". ESPN FC. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Borussia Dortmund must keep focus on football and not farewells". ESPN FC. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl ab 1. Juni Leiter der Lizenzspielerabteilung" [Sebastian Kehl head of players licence department from 1 June] (in German). Borussia Dortmund. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl to follow Michael Zorc as sporting director". Borussia Dortmund. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  17. ↑ Arnhold, Matthias (19 February 2010). "Sebastian Kehl – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  18. 1 2 "Völlers Jugendstil bleibt erfolgreich" [Völler's youngsters still successful] (in German). kicker. 15 August 2001. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Germany 3–1 Portugal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  20. ↑ "BVB im Baby-Fieber: Profi zeigt rührendes Foto auf Twitter" (in German). 12 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "Kehl, Sebastian" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl » Club matches". World Football. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  24. ↑ "Sebastian Kehl". European Football. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  25. ↑ "Kehl belohnt Völlers Rumpf-Elf" [Kehl reward's Völler's stripped-down eleven] (in German). kicker. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  26. 1 2 "S. Kehl". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Bundesliga Historie 2000/01" (in German). kicker.
  28. ↑ "Bundesliga Historie 2008/09" (in German). kicker.
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