Philipp Lahm

Philipp Lahm (born November 11, 1983 in Munich, Bavaria) is a Germany football (soccer) who currently plays as a defender (football) for Bayern Munich and Germany national football team at 2004 UEFA European Football Championship and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored the opening goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is considered one of the best young fullbacks in the world, as is shown by his inclusion in the Mastercard All Star Team.

Known to be young and energetic, Lahm's pace is unbelievable, which is often compared to Samuel Eto'o and Saviola. He has a strong defensive tempo. His fellow players often quote that "he doesn't let the striker breath when he receives the ball" as he would never give up until he comes out with the ball. Lahm's tackling skills are rather clean and his crosses usually come out as assists.

Career

Philipp Lahm developed into a professional football player within the Bayern Munich Junior Team.
As Bixente Lizarazu was the main left back for Bayern Munich, Philipp Lahm was loaned to Stuttgart for the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons. In July 2005, Philipp Lahm returned to Bayern Munich. However, just before his return to FC Bayern, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and would have to go on rehabilitation. He made his return to Bayern in December 2005.

Although Lahm is right-footed, and while he played as a right wing-back as a youth, today he is almost exclusively played as a left wing-back. The reason for this is partly because good left-footed wing-backs are rare in German football, and his signature move (running with the ball from the left flank and then dribbling towards the centre over his strong right foot) is so effective that putting Lahm onto the "correct" side would rob him of his best offensive weapon.

He scored the opening goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany against Costa Rica national football team in the 6th minute, cutting inside the area and launching a right foot shot into the top-right corner of the net. He was also the only German player to play all 690 minutes of the 2006 World Cup.

Lahm was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year 2006 following his outstanding performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was in contention alongside fellow Germans; Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose and Jens Lehmann, but the award was won on 18 December 2006 by the Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro. However, he was chosen as the left back for the UEFA Team of the Year 2006.

In June 2007, FIFA announced that Lahm and Owen Hargreaves would visit South Africa in advance support for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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Honors

Club Titles

- Bundesliga (football): 2003, 2006
- German Cup: 2003, 2006
- Liga-Pokal: 2007

National Team

- Confederations Cup Bronze medallist: 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
- FIFA World Cup Bronze medallist: 2006