As a pro in Spain he is less often in the limelight back home in Germany than the young, strong Bundesliga goalkeepers Rene Adler and Manuel Neuer. Robert Enke is also followed more intensively and the destiny of Jens Lehmann in his London exile receives regular attention from the German media and millions of football fans. Timo Hildebrand faces world class opposition almost every week in the Primera Division, where the standard of football is considered to the best in the world. The former VfB Stuttgart player has firmly established himself as the No 1 at Valencia even though he wears the No 13 jersey. At the end of February Hildebrand put on a magical display in the first semifinal leg of the Copa del Rey, the Spanish cup.

Playing away against FC Barcelona, Hildebrand, an advertising partner of the Continental AG, performed magnificently in the 1-1 (0-0) draw in front of a sell-out 100,000 crowd in the Nou Camp stadium. It even looked as if Valencia would end up winners after David Villa (70th minute) had put the team, who are coached by Dutchman Ronald Koeman, into the lead. Xavi only equalised for the Catalans in the fourth minute of added time. Valencia hopes now to reach the final against either Getafe or Racing Santander after the second leg on 19 March. The German sports news agency “Sport-Informations-Dienst” (sid) summed up the Spanish media’s reactions as follows: “Hildebrand keeps Valencia alive. He reminds one of his famous countrymen Sepp Maier and Toni Schumacher.” (AS - the daily sports newspaper). “He thwarted twelve 100% chances and broke another of the current season’s records held by his predecessor Santago Canizares. Outstanding!” (“Marca”). “You’re a saint. Your saves were unbelievable.” (the Cadena Ser radio station). The keeper also received praise from Koeman, who normally tends to be critical: “He kept very well, especially in the one on one situation.”

In an Interview with “Welt online “ – the online edition of the German national paper – Hildebrand commented on his successful duels with top strikers like the Argentine Lionel Messi, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Frenchman Thierry Henry by saying: “It was the first time I’d played in Nou Camp. The atmosphere in the stadium is unique and was amazingly inspirational for me. Playing football such conditions is so enjoyable. Everything went well for me.” Questioned as to whether he thought his gala performance would improve his chances of being selected for the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008, Hildebrand said that he didn’t want to make any comments. It is a sensitive topic.

It seems as if the German national team can no longer exist without discussions about the goalkeeper. Lehmann? Hildebrand? Enke? Adler? Four keepers in particular were at the centre of attention in the first weeks of 2008 when fans in the bars and the German media were debating as to who should stand between the posts for the FIFA World Cup’s third placed team at the UEFA EURO 2008™. And then Manuel Neuer put himself back in the picture with a magnificent display in the UEFA Champions League round of the last 16 second leg game between Schalke 04 and Porto in Portugal, The 21-year-old parried two spot kicks in the penalty shoot-out (4-1) after kept the German championship runners-up in the game both in normal time and then in extra-time (0-1, 0-1, 0-0). As the situation stands in mid-March, head coach Joachim Löw and the national goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke are not expected to call up Germany’s U-21 keeper to the senior side prior to the European Champs finals. It is likely that Löw and Köpke will nominate the three goalkeepers, who will make up the German Football Association’s (DFB) squad at the UEFA EURO 2008™ along with 20 outfield players, from the four man group of players mentioned above.

Lehmann was able to play a few matches for Arsenal in January and February before coach Arsene Wenger again preferred his Spanish rival Manuel Almunia. The Gunners from London shone in the UEFA Champions League second leg at AC Milan when advancing to quarterfinals. In the Premier League they top the table but have recently lost a little of their advantage over Manchester United. Lehmann was in goal when they were thrashed 4-0 by ManU in the FA Cup. In spite of everything Löw and Köpke have continually stressed that the 38-year-old former Schalke and Dortmund player will be their No 1 at the European Champs finals.

The debate however is not quite so heated as the one before the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, when the then head coach Jürgen Klinsmann had to choose between Oliver Kahn and Lehmann as his regular keeper. And the goalkeeping problem is again the German team’s top talking point in the lead up to the UEFA EURO 2008™. Many experts criticise the fact that Lehmann has not enough match practice. That was the case after Germany’s 3-0 win the test against Austria in Vienna in February when former international keepers Toni Schumacher, Uli Stein and Bodo Illgner all declared that the man between the posts for the German national team has to turn out regularly for his club. Many fans see things the same way whereby Lehmann does also have a lot of support.

Lehmann’s competitors in the battle for the position in goal for the three-time UEFA European champions all have the required degree of match practice. Rene Adler came into the reckoning for the place as the third goalkeeper in Germany’s senior squad after outstanding displays in the Bundesliga and a world class performance for Bayer Leverkusen in the 0-0 draw at Galatasaray Istanbul in the UEFA Cup. “It’s naturally also a consideration for us and I’d like to clearly state that the door is still open,” said DFB goalkeeping coach Köpke in an interview with “Kicker”, the German football magazine. It was the answer to the question as to whether it is advisable or not to fill one of the goalkeeper spots in the German squad for the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008 with the young Adler (23). Löw still tends to favour Jens Lehmann (38), Timo Hildebrand (28) and Robert Enke (30), said Köpke. “That’s how things stand at the moment but a lot can happen before the European Champs,” said the former international goalkeeper when highlighting Adler’s qualities. “Out of all the Bundesliga keepers he’s had the best season. It’s not something we’ll ignore.” Köpke then stressed that it would be a mistake to continually waver and not show any consistency.

Should Adler be picked, then Enke would have to bury his hopes. The Hanover player has only played one international up to now: in the 1-0 defeat against Denmark in Duisburg in March 2007 when Löw tested his B-team. “The whole discussion has gone crazy. I‘m ready to play a good European Champs if selected,” said Enke in an interview with the German Sunday newspaper “Bild am Sonntag“. Enke has a regular place in Hanover’s side but he has let in 39 goals in 23 matches so far this season. His team holds a middle of the table position in the Bundesliga in spite of having higher expectations. Valencia also finds itself in the middle of the Spanish league.

Hildebrand has established himself in the team, which is having its worst season for many years. Which is why the goalkeeper, who won the German championship last year and who has won seven caps since becoming a member of the senior squad in 2004, will have an advantage over Enke should Löw and Köpke actually hand a goalkeeping spot in their European Champs squad to Adler from Bayer Leverkusen.

Link to the interview in “Welt online” with Timo Hildebrand after Valencia’s 1-1 draw in Barcelona

Link to the pictures with Timo Hildebrand at “Welt online”