Joachim Löw and Philipp Lahm embrace at the ceremony. - © © gettyimages / Alexander Hassenstein
Joachim Löw and Philipp Lahm embrace at the ceremony. - © © gettyimages / Alexander Hassenstein

Bayern Munich and Germany legend Philipp Lahm honoured by DFB

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Germany's 2014 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm has been named an honorary captain of Die Nationalmannschaft by the German Football Federation.

Lahm, who ended his glorious playing career with Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title win last season, was given the honour at the DFB's Extraordinary General Meeting on Friday.

He is the sixth man to receive the title after Fritz Walter, Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus and Jürgen Klinsmann.

'Duty and commitment'

"It is a huge honour for me to stand alongside players I have always admired and respected enormously for their achievements," Lahm, who played 113 times for Germany, 53 as captain, said. "As captain, I always saw myself as a representative of the team, and so I also accept this award on behalf of all my team-mates without whom I would never have come so far. Together, we achieved very special successes.

"This award means not only pride for me, but also duty and commitment, a commitment to preserving football's reputation in Europe and maintaining the game as a leading light in the world of sport."

Watch: Thanks for the memories, Philipp Lahm!

Löw high praise

Lahm also played over 300 Bundesliga matches for his hometown club Bayern, winning eight top-flight titles, six DFB Cups and the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League among other trophies, to earn himself a place among the greats of German football.

"It was hugely enriching to be able to work with you as a player and as a person," said Germany boss Joachim Löw, who watched Lahm lift the World Cup in Brazil three years ago and his highly fancied to lead his country to back-to-back global crowns in Russia next summer.

- © gettyimages / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

EURO 2024 bid role

"At the 2006 World Cup, I experienced for myself how a tournament in your own country can capture the imagination of people," explained Lahm, who was part of Klinsmann's side that finished third on home soil more than a decade ago.

"Germany presented itself as a welcoming, modern country and a good organiser. I'm sure that EURO 2024 can also be an event people in Germany and Europe can enjoy and get behind together. So, I will do my utmost to ensure we succeed again."

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