Bayern captain Philipp Lahm announces retirement
FC Bayern München captain Philipp Lahm has announced that he will bring his playing career to an end in the summer. "I'm going to stop playing football at the end of the season," said the 33-year-old following the German record titleholders' 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg in the DFB Cup Round of 16.
"More than a year ago I started checking and questioning myself from day to day and week to week," said Lahm, whose contract is due to run out in 2018. "I wanted to decide when I would call time on my career. I'm certain I'll maintain peak form through to the end of the season. I can manage that until the end of the campaign, but not beyond it."
Watch: Relive all 14 Bundesliga goals Philipp Lahm has scored for Bayern and VfB Stuttgart:
Germany's FIFA World Cup-winning captain has been on the books at Bayern since 1995, making his debut for the club in 2002. In the 1-1 draw with FC Schalke 04 on Matchday 19, Lahm made his 500th competitive appearance in all competitions for the Bavarians. However, when asked about taking up a different role with the club, the seven-time Bundesliga champion commented: “There were talks, and in the end I decided it's not the right time for me to take up a new position at FC Bayern.”
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