A survey released by Hamburg sports rights agency Sportfive found that Kahn was, along with Michael Schumacher, Franz Beckenbauer and Steffi Graf, among the most recognisable German sportsmen and women.

While 97 percent of people said they knew who Kahn was, only one in five said they liked the Germany and Bayern Munich captain. Kahn's private life has also been the subject of newspaper headlines this year after he left his wife for his mistress just weeks before the former gave birth to their second child.

Tennis champion Graf was at the top of the popularity stakes with 52 percent saying they liked her, followed by Formula One drivers Michael and Ralf Schumacher and former Germany soccer captain Beckenbauer.

The survey found that the World Cup was the best-known sporting event in Germany, followed by Formula One, the Bundesliga, the Olympic Games and the Tour de France.