Phillipp Lahm, a good reader of the game

Philipp Lahm might not be the tallest man; he looks like the well-educated boy next door you would trust to water your plants while you are on vacation.

It is seldom said he has an overflowing charisma, but on the pitch the 30-year-old from Bayern Munich is a threat. For the Brazil World Cup he is Germany's most dangerous weapon and coach Joachim Loew's key player.

The man can read the game like no other and stands for Germany's hopes in their opening game Monday against their strongest group opponents, Portugal.

Behind Lahm lies a year long struggle to get to the top. For a long time he was a right back dreaming of a job in the thick of things in midfield. Running and passing precisely like a Swiss watch, but he was still the nice Philipp doing his job. In summer 2014, Lahm, who won his 106 caps, is now on the same level, and as deadly effective, as the Spanish midfield legends Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

"He's the most intelligent player I've worked with," Pep Gurdiola says. Praise indeed and even more so coming from today's Bayern coach Guardiola who was in charge of the Barcelona that included Iniesta and Xavi from 2008 to 2012. Iniesta and Xavi pay the highest respects by calling Lahm "a leader with a lot of personality" and "a midfielder that knows what to do." Meaning Lahm can feel the heartbeat of Germany's game. His statistics couldn't be more impressive. Up to 95% of his passes hit the target. "It's a dream to be playing the ball and passing so much," said Lahm about his dream midfield role.

Some years ago being the nice guy was not something for Lahm any more. He used his elbows, followed a strict career-plan that paid off. For him it was either start your rockets or stand still. After being the "boss" of the German squad in 2012, he was also made the Bayern captain in 2011. He started to xpress his opinions on this and that. He and his manager Roman Grill played a high risk game to sharpen image. He was once fined 50,000 euros after giving an interview where he accused his club for not doing enough to strengthen the team.

For German coach Loew, Lahm is the insurance policy in midfield. Lahm gives Germany's game the needed structure -- just like Iniesta and Xavi do for the World Cup holders Spain. The Spanish duet is of a similar character as Lahm. You won't find them in the tabloids or hip nightclubs downtown. Like Iniesta and Xavi, Lahm is a modest genius with deep family roots and an indomitable will.

Lahm grew up in Munich suburb of Gern. He forced his mother Daniela to be his goalkeeper in the concrete driveway. "Mum, come on, dive," the youngster complained while practicing for hours every day. His mother still is head of the junior section of his home-club FT Gern. His father Roland helps out when they have a barbeque and anytime they need him. Lahm's family still lives in the same flat he grew up in. "Why change things, we are still the same despite Philipp's success," Daniela Lahm says.

Against Portugal, no one less than Bastian Schweinsteiger will in all probability lose his place in Germany's midfield to his Munich teammate Lahm.

"I won't be stealing anyone's place," says Lahm smiling. The times when he thought of others before himself are definitely over.