Bayern to bid Tarnat farewell

A UEFA Champions League winner in 2001, left-sided midfield player Michael Tarnat will be leaving FC Bayern München, and possibly football, when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Dead-ball ability
The 33-year-old started a match for the first time since October on Saturday as Bayern, the German champions, defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1-0. Tarnat joined the Bavarian club in 1997 from Karlsruher SC and soon established himself as a dependable performer with a ferocious free-kick.

Numerous honours
Capped 19 times by Germany, Tarnat has won four German titles, two German Cups and a European/South American Cup in addition to being part of the Bayern squad which won the European crown two years ago, although he did not play in the defeat of Valencia CF on penalties.

Rau arrival
Having signed the 21-year-old Tobias Rau from VfL Wolfsburg, Bayern have announced that they will not be offering Tarnat a new deal. After playing his 261st league match on Saturday, when he deputised for Bixente Lizarazu, Tarnat stated that he wanted to play on for another two seasons.

Dream destinations
When asked if he had a preferred destination, Tarnat joked: "It has to be Manchester United [FC], Real Madrid [CF] or a team like that." Yet the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern in Berlin at the end of May could be his last game as a professional. "Maybe it will be the end," he said. "If there are no offers then I will quit football."

'Not nervous'
Yet Tarnat, who scored once in five outings in the first group stage of this season's Champions League, is confident that it will not come to that. "Whichever club signs me they know what they will be getting," he said. "At the age of 33 everyone knows what I am capable of. I am not getting nervous."