During his first season at Dortmund, who he joined after an unsuccessful spell at AC Milan, he was constantly barracked because he had begun his career with their most bitter and intense rivals, Schalke 04.
"At the beginning, it was very hard for me and for my family because of the things that were shouted at me because of my time at Schalke" - not least because he had once scored against them with his head - "I was the first goalkeeper to score a header in the Bundesliga in 30 years."
But matters improved when he began to establish his no-nonsense reputation.
During one pre-season friendly he reacted to some barracking from one Borussia fan by going behind his goal and grabbing hold of the loud-mouth.
Unsurprisingly, mayhem ensued and Lehmann eventually had to be rescued by his team-mates. Not quite Eric Cantona revisited but a bold enough gesture which earned him respect from the sceptics.
"After that it went better," he said although he now has no regrets about moving on.
"It was my fate, my destiny. When I was leaving Milan, I could have gone to Liverpool or Dortmund.
"I chose Dortmund and it was there that I met my wife Connie. Now maybe this is destiny for me again to come to Arsenal because now I have a second chance to play in a foreign country. That is something I always wanted to do.
"Now I have a good chance to finish my career here."
In Germany he retains a reputation of being difficult to handle, but he believes it is unwarranted.
"A difficult person? No. Sometimes I have my own opinion and this could be different from other people, sure.
"Sometimes I express that opinion - but not every time. I have learned from life. I suppose, yes, sometimes I could be difficult but really I am not."
Bundesliga referees might not agree because he has a poor disciplinary record.
Lehmann insists he became a target for officialdom and a victim of the heavy bias towards Bayern Munich.
Five red cards suggest that he clearly has the knack of catching the eye of the match official, although he says that only two were deserved.
One happened last year against SC Freiburg when he felt that the Mali striker Soumaila Coulibaly was guilty of a career-threatening lunge.
"The match came at a very important time for me, I was talking with the club about a new contract and I was about to sign," he said.
"Then during the game, this guy came in and hit my knee.
"It immediately went blue and there was a big pain and I had a big fear that it was very serious. I hit him back.
"I immediately thought, 'Oh no, don't do this.' But it was too late. This suspension was deserved."
He is less convinced about the validity of the two yellow cards he picked up against Bayern in one of last season's crucial games.
"I was booked for taking a drink of water as I prepared to take a goal kick and then booked again when I was going to tell the referee their goal was offside," he said.
"I didn't even speak to him! In the same game, their striker Elber kicked me in the head, clearly. But nothing happened. It was a joke.
"I was a target for referees. So was Oliver Kahn of Bayern, but me a little more.
"Bayern have a lot of power in the background, Borussia Dortmund less. The referees are always cautious with their players, not so with those of Borussia."
That is behind him now as he anticipates his wife and sons, Lasse and Matts, joining him next week in the new house he has found in north London.
"I miss them," he said. "Hotel life can be so boring. I cannot wait for us all to be a family again."
When he is finally settled off the field, he will have more time to focus on attaining his two ambitions - success with Arsenal and Germany.
"I came here because Arsenal have the chance of winning the Championship and the Champions League. They are one of six or seven teams who can do that."
And Germany? "I am tired of being the second choice," said Lehmann, who feels he has been too long in the slipstream of Kahn. "Now is the time for me to play."
