The moment they've all been waiting for: Philipp Lahm (front l.) takes reception of the championship plate from League Association president Dr. Reinhard Rauball (c.)
The moment they've all been waiting for: Philipp Lahm (front l.) takes reception of the championship plate from League Association president Dr. Reinhard Rauball (c.)

Lahm : "A special moment"

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Munich - The FC Bayern Munich players returned to the pitch one by one after Saturday's 3-0 home win against FC Augsburg, passing through a guard of honour comprising some of the club's many legends of Bundesliga years gone by.

Last out was the man about to formally take possession of the championship shield from League Association president Dr. Reinhard Rauball. For skipper Philipp Lahm, Munich born and bred, getting his hands on the coveted trophy after two seasons without a title was doubly sweet, as he explained in an interview after the ceremony.

Question: Philipp Lahm, this is the first time you've got to lift the championship shield as captain. How did it feel?

Philipp Lahm: Special. When you consider the players who have had the privilege of getting their hands on the plate first in the past, it was really a special moment in my career.

Question: Was it even more satisfying on the back of two seasons without a Bundesliga title for FC Bayern?

Lahm: FC Bayern aim to win the German title every season. This time around we've certainly done it in style, breaking a few records along the way. And, again, looking at the teams who set those records across 50 years of the Bundesliga, it's really quite something. But we're not done yet, we have two more opportunities to crown our season in a fortnight and three weeks' time.

Question: So will the league title celebrations be relatively moderate - or will you have to dispense with them altogether?

Lahm: At our age, if two weeks isn't long enough for a bit of rest and recuperation, we're doing something wrong in life.

Question: Now that you have the plate in your hands, how confident are you about adding the Champions League trophy as well?

Lahm: It's going to be hard work, all the way. So far this season we've put in that work, a lot of it, and now we want to reap the rewards. Next up, it's the Champions League final and we're going to have to turn in another top-notch performance to win it. After that, there's the DFB Cup final, another occasion we'll need to rise to. It's not so easy, but we'll be giving it our absolute all. We've come very close in the past - obviously, we want to get our hands on the thing now.

Question: For the moment, though, you must just be looking forward to getting out on the city hall balcony?

Lahm: For sure, it's always fantastic to celebrate in front of so many people. There's going to be no shortage of fans lining the streets and around the Marienplatz.. That's always tremendous. And it's especially memorable for those players winning their first league title.

Gregor Nentwig reporting from Munich