Philipp Lahm

Profile Football Stars | Philipp Lahm | Although Lahm is right-footed, he is Able to play on both sides of the pitch. 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 Gern hometown, Munich. Up to this point Lahm played as a defensive midfielder, right midfielder or right full-back. Since Willy Sagnol was playing as right back, Bixente Lizarazu was the main left back for Bayern Munich, and Their midfield was also well-staffed , Lahm was loaned to VfB Stuttgart for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 Bundesliga seasons.

Lahm's first Champions League appearance in the previous season with Bayern Munich as a late substitute against RC Lens was now Followed by his first Champions League game in the starting line-up on the 29 September 2003, against Manchester United. During the 2003-04 season Lahm eventually Appeared for Stuttgart in 31 Bundesliga and seven Champions League matches and came second in the election for the German footballer of the year. During the second season in Stuttgart (2004-2005) Lahm had substantially more difficult, time.

In July 2005, Lahm returned to Bayern Munich. During the season he Appeared 20 times for Bayern in the Bundesliga Thrice in the Champions League and, contending over field-time evenly with Bixente Lizarazu. During the season 2006-07 Lahm played in all of Bayern's 34 Bundesliga games and in nine of the ten Champions League games and was only substituted twice, Mainly Because he was the only left back in the team but also due to his sufficiently solid performances during That was a season of one of the worst for Bayern in many years. During the 2009-10 season under the new coach Louis van Gaal, Lahm was Able to play in his preferred position as a right-back. Lahm was also chosen as vice-captain by Van Gaal, and played full time in all of Bayern's competitive matches apart from the first round game in the German Cup. After the departure of captain Mark van Bommel in January 2011, Lahm was made the new captain for the remainder of the season.

Lahm started his international career in the U19 national team. He was part of the team won silver for That Germany in the 2002 U19 European championship playing in all games in the final tournament and scoring a crucial goal in the 90th minute (2-3) against England in a game That ended 3-3. Lahm was ever present during Germany's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and was the only player to play every single minute. Following the withdrawal of regular captain Michael Ballack from the World Cup squad due to injury, Lahm was chosen to captain the team at the upcoming tournament. On 13 June 2010, he captained the German National Team in the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Australia, Becoming the youngest player to captain a German side in a World Cup tournament. Lahm's captaincy would Became permanent later, when coach Joachim Low Announced Ballack would not be Considered to play for Germany anymore.  Captain Lahm's solid defending helped Germany win all ten qualification matches for Euro 2012, and he also Provided one assist each for Mesut Özil and Mario Gomez.

Personal information

Full name Philipp Lahm

Date of birth 11 November 1983 (age 28)

Place of birth Munich, West Germany

Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)

Playing position Full back

Club information

Current club Bayern Munich

Number 21

Youth career

FT Gern München 1989-1995

Bayern Munich 1995-2001

Senior career

years Team

Bayern Munich II 2001-2003 63 (3)

2003-Bayern Munich 202 (7)

VfB Stuttgart 2003-2005 (loan) 53 (3)

National team

2003 Germany U-21 3 (0)

2004-Germany 85 (4)

Honours

Club

Bayern Munich

     Bundesliga: 2002-03, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10

     DFB-Pokal: 2002-03, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10

     DFB-Ligapokal: 2007

     U-19 Bundesliga: 2001, 2002

National team

     UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship Runner-up: 2002

     FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2006, 2010

     UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2008

Individual

     Man of the Match: for his performance in the game Germany versus Poland,

     FIFA World Cup 2006

     WC 2006 Mastercard All Star Team

     Man of the Match: for his performance in the Semi-final

     Game of Germany versus Turkey (25 June), UEFA Euro 2008

     Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament

     UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2008,

     FIFA Team of the Year: 2008

     FIFA World Cup All Star Team: 2006, 2010

     Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (2): 2006, 2010