Lahm Retires

After Miroslav Klose, now, Philipp Lahm has decided to retire as a German player.
Lahm was the skipper of Germany in the World Cup in Brazil and he ended up leading his team to the title.
Every player obviously wants to exit on a winning note and Lahm is no different, but, he was only 30 years of age and he could probably have played for Germany in one more World Cup. However, just like Klose, he also thought that the time was perfect to put a full stop on what has been a wonderful international career.
Lahm had been the German captain for the last 4 years. He’d luckily got the job before the 2010 World Cup.
It was Michael Ballack who was to captain Germany in that World Cup in South Africa, but, he suffered an injury ahead of the tournament and as a result, Lahm was given the armband. The defender did well as a leader there and thus, he was asked to continue the job.
A statement released by the head of the football federation of Germany yesterday confirmed Lahm’s retirement.
That statement read, “Philipp rang me up earlier today to tell me about his decision. While talking to him, I got the feeling that I would not be able to make him change his mind even if I try to. So, I decided not to put any pressure on him to reconsider his decision.”
“What Philipp has done for the German team is really commendable. Being this impressive over one decade or so, it’s not easy. He would be an idle for many of the young players coming through.”
Lahm won 113 caps for his national side between 2004 and 2014. He has a total of 5 international goals under his belt.