Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has landed himself in hot water after attacking a neighbour’s property with a chainsaw.
Football fans may best remember the German as a member of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ squad. In that glorious 2003/04 season, Lehmann played every single Premier League game as the Gunners lifted the title without losing a match. He also added an FA Cup medal to his collection the season after, in 2005.
Lehmann started his career back in his homeland with Schalke 04. From here, he moved to AC Milan, then Borussia Dortmund. The German impressively won domestic league titles with Milan and Dortmund before transferring to Arsenal.
After his successful five-year stay in North London, Lehmann joined Stuttgart, then re-joined Arsenal shortly before retiring. Internationally, he made 61 appearances for Germany, playing as their starting keeper at the 2006 World Cup. Sadly for him, the hosts could not win on home soil as Germany lost in the semi-finals to Italy.
As much as Jens Lehmann is respected for his shot-stopping ability, he earned a reputation as a temperamental player. Opponents would often take any opportunity to wind him up in order to get a reaction out of the keeper. On the whole, it worked, too; Lehmann picked up a whopping 63 yellow cards in his career, with five reds too.
In addition, former referee Mark Clattenburg claimed that the German was one of his worst players to officiate. Lehmann did not make himself too popular with match officials.
And it seems that his short fuse has carried over into retirement after news emerged of Jens Lehmann wielding a chainsaw on his neighbour’s property.
Jens Lehmann uses chainsaw to attack neighbour’s garage
German news outlet Bild first released the news that Lehmann had lost his rag in a dispute with his neighbours.
According to Marca, Jens Lehmann took a chainsaw to his neighbour’s garage in an attempt to disrupt their CCTV security system. He also did significant damage to the structure, cutting through ceiling beams with his power tool.
But why?
This apparent ‘frenzy of rage’ was the culmination of a long-standing argument between the former Arsenal keeper and his neighbours. The Daily Mail report that the dispute stems from Lehmann’s belief that their garage is built on his land. As a result, the German has reported his neighbours for ‘damage property and coercion’ in the past.
Another sticking point is the fact that the new garage blocks the former keeper’s view of Lake Starnberg. Considering that his property is worth £4.2 million, it is understandable that Lehmann wants to keep his view of the picturesque lake.
Unfortunately for the German, he did not successfully cut off the CCTV system during his rage-fuelled actions. So, the property owners had a full view of Jens Lehmann attacking their garage with a chainsaw. CCTV footage was thus passed on to authorities.
The Independent say that police are investigating this latest incident in the ongoing property feud. There are three other cases of vandalism to add to this, where Lehmann caused over £9000 in damage.
Jens Lehmann will likely feel the wrath of the authorities for his actions in the near future.
Featured image credit: Getty