World Cup winner Lahm confirmes retirement at season-end

Germany's World Cup winner Philipp Lahm has confirmed that he will hang up his boots at the end of the current football season and rejected the role as Bayern Munich's sports director.

"I have decided to stop playing football at the end of the season," the 33-year-old defender said after Bayern's 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in the third round of the German Cup on Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Bayern were keen to name Lahm as the club's new sporting director ahead of next season, but the long-serving captain has opted to take a sabbatical instead.

"I have decided that it is not the right moment yet to take the job as sporting director," he said.

In 1995, Lahm joined the Bayern's youth academy at the age of 11, and spent his entire career at the "Bavarians" except two-year loan to Stuttgart. The world-class fullback has celebrated his 500th club appearance against Schalke on Saturday.

During the years at the Allianz Arena, Lahm has won seven Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. He replaced the Dutch combative Mark van Bommel, becoming the German outfit's captain in 2011.

Lahm capped 113 games for the German national team, winning the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil as captain, before retiring from international football after the tournament.

--IANS

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