If there’s one thing you might not know about Bernd Leno, it’s that he’s of Russian-German descent and the well-known son of his parents, Rosa and Viktor Leno, in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany. Another key moment in his career came during the 2021/2022 season when Aaron Ramsdale joined Arsenal. Leno, who found himself sidelined, later claimed that it was club “politics,” not his performances, that forced him out of the North London team.
Determined to prove his critics wrong, the Russian-German goalkeeper is steadily rising with Fulham. This article dives deep into his full story, including his background, and offers insight into this goalkeeping genius who’s best known by the nickname “Penalty Killer.” Now, let’s explore the journey of Bernd Leno.
Uncovering Bernd Leno’s Background: The History of the Russian-German Goalkeeper
This article dives into the full story of Bernd Leno’s childhood and reveals some lesser-known facts about his life. We’ll take you through the key moments from his early years to the present day, covering his family background, his journey into football, his rise to fame, and his personality. You’ll also get to learn about his love story with his long-time girlfriend, Sophie Christin.
While many recognize him as one of the brightest goalkeepers in the world, not everyone knows the details of Bernd Leno’s biography, which is truly fascinating. So, without further delay, let’s get started.
Bernd Leno Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, Bernd Leno was born on the 4th day of March 1992 to his parents, his mother, Rosa Leno and father, Viktor Leno, in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
Bernd Leno’s family is of German-Russian origin, thanks to his dad, who is half-German and half-Russian. Leno and his brother grew up in the small town of Bietigheim-Bissingen, located in southern Germany, not far from Stuttgart.
Those who knew Leno as a child saw him as a very energetic boy. Such energies were channelled into sports. Speaking of sports, every member of the Bernd Leno family loved football. As Leno once put it,
“Football was everything for my family, especially for my brother and me. It wasn’t just a game; it was our entire life. We always wanted to be on the field, with a ball at our feet. Back then, every toy we had was somehow connected to football.”
Early on, during holidays, Leno would go on playing local games, especially in “bad pitches” which didn’t matter to him because he was with friends.
At the age of 6, he decided to take football seriously by picking up a career.
Early Career Life:
Leno enrolled into the roster of his youth team, SV Germania Bietigheim, which gave him the stage to lay the foundation of his career. He started pushing as a midfielder right from the moment he joined the club.
Bernd’s determination to become professional wasn’t just a passing fantasy. Such determination led him to attempt trials at bigger academies.
At the age of 11, Leno applied to join the VfB Stuttgart youth team and was invited to attend trials. He was one of about 200 young players who were shortlisted and grouped into batches for the trials.
Can you spot Bernd Leno in this photo?
Luckily, Leno was among six players who were selected by VfB Stuttgart after they convinced the coaches. Leno, still at this time, continued as a midfielder.
Bernd Leno Biography – Quest For Fame:
How he became a Goalkeeper:Â As a young midfielder, Leno did a lot of running back to protect the back line and even the goalkeeper in most cases.
He did this until he was ten years old before something led to him becoming a goalkeeper. In an interview with Arsenal FC, Leno once narrated. In his words,
“One day, the goalkeeper from my hometown club didn’t show up for a game, so the coach asked if anyone wanted to step in as the goalkeeper. I raised my hand and said, ‘I’ll give it a try.’ After that game, everyone realized I had a knack for it. My parents bought me my first pair of gloves, and from that moment on, I never wanted to leave the goalpost.”
What made Leno further enjoy the act of goalkeeping was his idol, no other person than former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Although, as a youngster, Leno took his lead from Spanish and former Real Madrid icon Iker Casillas.
It was at Stuttgart Leno first met Jens Lehmann, whom he took lots of goalkeeping lessons from. Speaking about that, he once told Arsenal Press;
I watched so many of his training sessions and even got to train with him a few times when I was around 16 or 17 years old. He was incredibly focused and professional. That’s the kind of mentality you need to succeed as a professional goalkeeper.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann still remained at VfB Stuttgart when Leno rounded up his youth career with the club. Leno saw himself as Lehmann’s successor upon being promoted to their club’s senior side.
Unfortunately for fans, Leno decided to accept greener pastures after two years with the club, which, as of then, played in Germany’s third division. Leno’s performance earned him a Bundesliga ticket with Bayer Leverkusen.
Rise to Fame:
Moving from a German third division all the way to the first division was challenging and at the same time, exciting for Bernd Leno, who was only 19 at the time.
It was challenging due to the fact that he made his Champions League debut against Chelsea just three weeks after joining the club.
During the match, Leno performed beautifully against Chelsea’s best striker, Didier Drogba.
At 19, Bernd Leno climbed from Germany’s third to first division and stood out in a Champions League game against Chelsea, particularly against Didier Drogba.
In an interview, Leno once recalled;
After the game, Petr said he was pleased and excited for me. He didn’t have to say that, but I really appreciated it.
That was seven years ago, and now we’re both at Arsenal—it’s quite surprising!
After the Champions League match, it became clear Bayer Leverkusen had found a new hero in a goalkeeper.
Did You Know?…Â That Champions League match gave Leno the European award for the youngest ever to play in the UEFA Champions League. He was only 19 years and 193 days.
After Jens Lehmann’s departure, Leno became a regular in the first team after a string of impressive performances.
He went on to stay with Bayer Leverkusen from 2011 to 2018, making 233 appearances. Things went well all those years until one very BAD DAY!!
The Pressure Getting to Him: Everyone knew Leno to have tremendous courage – stacks of it.
But no one knew what happened to him on this very bad day in October 2015 when he made the worst Bundesliga goalkeeping blunder of the season.
In a Bundesliga game with Augsburg, Leno contrived to slice a harmless-looking back pass from Jonathan Tah into the back of his own net.
Speaking furiously after being attacked by the words of fans, Leno said,
“As a Goalkeeper, you’re a lone fighter. You train separately; you warm up separately. You fight for just one spot, and then if you make just one big mistake, you’re quickly the idiot.”
At this time, it was clear Leno’s final day with his beloved German club would come. All he did was wait for an opportunity to leave.
Fortunately, on the 19th of June, 2018, the English club Arsenal acquired his services. This gave Leno the opportunity to meet his old friend Petr Čech.
As destiny would have it, Leno became the goalkeeper who would succeed another of Arsenal’s great goalkeepers. The rest, as they say, is history.
Love Life with Sophie Christin:
Bernd Leno has been with Sophie Christin since August 15, 2015, which happens to be the date they celebrate their anniversary.
Sophie, who is of German and Czech descent, was born on the 17th day of February 1997 (5 Years younger than her man) in Dusseldorf, Germany.
She is a marketing student who also spends some time modelling. Both lovers have been spotted in multiple exotic locations enjoying their vacation.
Despite being together for a long time, neither lover has made any plans for their wedding. However, it is only a matter of time before the two ring the wedding bells.
Bernd Leno’s Personality:
Getting to know Bernd Leno’s personal life aside from goalkeeping would help you get a complete picture of him. Starting off, he is a Roman Catholic by faith. Leno once made an effort to visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican in Rome, to have what he termed ” a special moment” with Pope Francis.
Bernd Leno had a great encounter with the Pope.
A Real FIFA Gamer: While his Arsenal teammates Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding would play shooter games, Call of Duty, Bernd Leno, like Nelson Semedo and Diogo Jota, would rather stick with FIFA.
Leno’s respect for Casillas was reflected in his choice of the team for the FIFA gaming series. Speaking about that, he once said…
“I always used to play as Real Madrid on PlayStation,” he said. “Casillas was a big reason for that”.
Untold Career Facts:
How He Got His Nickname- “Penalty Killer”: Although Leno learned a lot from Jens Lehmann and Iker Casillas, he could actually teach these two goalkeepers something. That is the act of “saving penalties”, which gave him his beloved nickname.
Did You Know?…
The former Leverkusen gloveman once stopped five penalties out of eight in a Bundesliga spot-kick back in 2013/14.
He actually saved four in a row. As of the time of writing, no goalkeeper alive (both active and retired) has beaten that world record.
Endurance:
The Goalie who once accused Arsenal of playing club politics has lots of endurance, than most modern-day goalkeepers. He once kept the post safe with a broken nose and was never afraid to charge toward his opponents in a bid to take the ball from them.
This happened in a Champions League last 16 games against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
Fact Check:
Thank you for taking the time to read Bernd Leno’s story. We always aim for accuracy and fairness when sharing the biographies of goalkeepers. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the stories of Ederson and Caoimhin Kelleher as well. If you spot anything that seems off or have any feedback, please feel free to share it with us in the comments below. Your thoughts are important to us, and we truly appreciate your input.
