Looking back, Kahn said the scene summed up "the tragic nature of goalkeeping", as well as the "thrill of operating on the knife-edge between heroism and failure".

Transformation

For the three-time world goalkeeper of the year, the inexorable ascent to the status of superman was over. But far from marking the start of an equally inevitable descent, the fumbled shot that allowed Ronaldo to put Brazil on the road to victory proved to be a moment of transformation for Kahn.

As he later described it to current affairs magazine 'Der Spiegel', "The mistake in the final would show me that something was fundamentally wrong with direction I was taking." And when he acted to correct it, and escape the never-ending tunnel football had become, "I started to feel better".

"Living legend"

Kahn made his 557th and final Bundesliga appearance against Hertha BSC. Asked beforehand if he feared his emotions might get the better of him on the occasion, he said, "No. If they do, I'll just cry."

The eulogies have been coming thick and fast. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said recently, "We've had a lot of good players - Stefan Effenberg, Lothar Matthäus - but in terms of value, as a sportsman and as a representative of the club, Kahn was the most important."

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld described his 38-year-old captain as a "living legend" - one of the "greatest-ever personalities in German sport".

Free of pressure

Kahn himself finds it a strange that it is above all the negative experiences that remain with him. The last-gasp 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final; that fumbled shot against Brazil three years later. Or his notorious double freak-out against Dortmund, resulting in a flying attack on Stephane Chapuisat and a bite on the cheek for Heiko Herrlich. Leading, later, to the question, "Where have I let myself be taken by the emotion involved in football?"

The man who once seemed to have ambition etched permanently on his features has of late, in the words of Bayern sporting director Uli Hoeneß, come ever more to resemble one of the game's "elder statesmen" - relaxed, mature, at ease with himself.

"The constant pressure to be number one is gone", said Kahn at the start of last season, as a result of which he felt "freed up and invigorated".

New-found respect

The process which began with his mistake in the 2002 World Cup final came to its conclusion when he lost his battle with Jens Lehmann for the keeper's jersey at the 2006 finals.

Kahn accepted the tough decision of then-national coach Jürgen Klinsmann and took his place on the bench, offering Lehmann encouragement ahead of the quarter-final penalty shootout against Argentina. That attitude earned him a different sort of respect from the fans.

Tragic hero

"The realisation that you didn't necessarily have to be out on the pitch winning games all the time to be a success was very liberating. I quickly got a sense of empathy from people that I hadn't experienced before."

As a world class keeper Kahn had always been respected, even feared, but it was only as a "loser" that he came to enjoy widespread popularity. He made his 86th and final appearance for Germany in the third-place play-off victory over Portugal.

Out on a high note

Appropriately, Kahn ended his league career with a record - Bayern's 4-1 win over Hertha meant they conceded just 21 league goals all season, breaking the record held since 1987-1988 by Werder Bremen (with Oliver Reck in goal).

Next up for Oliver Kahn is a mediterranean cruise, a time-out to contemplate his future. As he heads off into the sun, the Bundesliga waves goodbye to a true original.

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