Background and career
Philipp Lahm (German pronunciation: [ˈfɪlɪp ˈlaːm]; born 11 November 1983) is a German former professional footballer who played as a full-back or midfielder. Widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, Lahm was the long-time captain of Bayern Munich, having led them to numerous honours including the UEFA Champions League in 2013 as part of the treble.
Lahm is also a former captain of his national team, which he led to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, before retiring from international football. He was included in the World Cup team of the tournament in 2006, 2010, and 2014, and the UEFA Team of the Tournament in 2008 and 2012 and in the UEFA Team of the Year 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014. His 113 appearances make him the eighth-most capped player in Germany’s history.
Lahm developed into a professional football player within the Bayern Munich Junior Team. He joined the team at the age of 11 after a youth coach, Jan Pienta, had scouted him several times while he was playing for the local youth team in his hometown Gern, Munich. He was already considered very talented; one of his coaches, Hermann Hummels, even stated that "If Philipp Lahm will not make it in the Bundesliga, nobody will anymore." He twice won the Bundesliga youth title, the second time as captain of his team, and then was introduced into the B team at the age of 17. His former amateur coach Hermann Gerland considers Lahm to be the most talented player he has ever coached and made him the captain of the B team during his second season. Up to this point Lahm played as a defensive midfielder, right midfielder or right full-back.
On 13 November 2002, Lahm made his debut for the Bayern Munich first-team as a 92nd-minute substitute in a 3–3 draw with Lens in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. However, since Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu were established as Bayern's first choice full-backs, and the club's midfield was also well-staffed, Lahm made no further appearances during the 2002–03 season and was loaned to VfB Stuttgart for the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons to gain first-team experience in the Bundesliga.
Lahm was originally signed as a back-up for Andreas Hinkel, who played as right/back, but coach Felix Magath moved him to the left-back position, on which he toppled the German international Heiko Gerber. He made his Bundesliga debut on the first day of the 2003–04 season against Hansa Rostock as he came in as a substitute left back in the 76th minute for midfielder Silvio Meissner. He made his first professional start as a left-back on the fourth matchday as a 63rd-minute substitute for Gerber and his first game over the full 90 minutes followed on the sixth matchday against Borussia Dortmund. Thereafter he established himself as a regular left back for Stuttgart. On 29 September 2003, Lahm made his first Champions League appearance as a starter against Manchester United. On 3 April 2004, he scored his first ever Bundesliga goal in a 5–1 away win for Stuttgart against VfL Wolfsburg. During the 2003–04 season Lahm appeared for Stuttgart in 31 Bundesliga and seven Champions League matches overall and came second in the election for the Germany Footballer of the year.
