BERLIN: Former Germany captain Oliver Kahn is emerging as the favourite to be the next president of Bayern Munich -- 15 years after he first put himself forward for the job.
In 2003, while he was still keeping goal for Bayern and Germany, Kahn said in an interview that he "could not imagine a better man than me" to one day take charge of Bayern.
Current Bayern president Uli Hoeness, 66, is due for re-election in November 2019. According to magazine Sports Bild, Kahn, 49, is Hoeness' prefered candidate to replace him when he eventually stands down.
The pair have stayed in contact since Kahn retired in 2008 after making 632 appearances for Bayern in 14 years, winning the Bundesliga title a joint record eight times.
Neither Kahn nor the club has commented on the speculation.
Former Bayern and Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus says Kahn would be the ideal candidate to succeed Hoeness, who has spent nearly 50 year at the club as a player, then team manager and eventually president.
"He (Kahn) is a face of Bayern Munich, carries the club's DNA within him and is a connoisseur of football," wrote Matthaeus in German daily Bild.
"He was always ambitious and has continued to educate himself, even in financial matters.
"I trust him to lead Bayern in the future."
Kahn made the last of his 86 appearances for Germany in 2006 and has been working as a TV pundit since.