Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm has confirmed his intention to retire from football at the end of the season, a final decision that had been expected for some time. He will not, however, take up a behind the scenes role at Bayern just yet, despite rumours that he would.
Lahm remains contracted to Bayern until June 2018, but is choosing to walk away of his own accord at the relatively young age of 33.
"I'm going to stop playing football at the end of the season," he told FCBayern.com.
"More than a year ago I started checking and questioning myself from day to day and week to week. 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," he added.
As for the possibility of heading upstairs to join the likes of former players Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness, that won't happen for now.
"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," Lahm explained.
Retirement will bring to an end a glittering career that began when he joined the Bayern youth ranks at the tender age of just 12. From there, Lahm became a first-team regular 10 years later in 2005 and will finish with well over 500 appearances for the club to his name.
He is already a seven-time Bundesliga champions and is likely to lift an eighth title come May. He's also won six German Cups, the Champions League - as well as twice being a losing finalist - and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Internationally, Lahm captained Germany for four years from 2010 to 2014, went to six major tournaments with Die Mannschaft and lifted the country's first World Cup as a reunified team.
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