Germany's World Cup hero to quit at end of season

Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm, who announced on Tuesday he will retire at the end of the season, is one of the greatest defenders of his generation.

He will hang up his boots in June, just a few months shy of his 34th birthday, with Bayern currently bidding to win a fifth straight German league title.

But Lahm's crowning glory came in 2014, when he led Germany to the World Cup title.

At Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium he joined an elite club of 20 World Cup-winning captains, including Diego Maradona, Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Moore.

Lahm has not always had an easy career, battling injuries and the club hierarchy at Bayern, for which he made his 501st appearance on Tuesday.

Ex-Bayern coach Pepe Guardiola once described Lahm as "the most intelligent footballer I have ever managed" and often switched him from rightback to midfield.

"Philipp can play anywhere; he could be our striker if we asked him," Guardiola said.

Lahm, who earned 113 caps over the course of a decade for his country, joined Bayern as an 11-year-old in 1995.

Back then, he saw himself as an attacking midfielder in the mould of Mehmet Scholl, a pillar of the Bayern team of the 1990s and early 2000s.

But when the club decided his best place was at the back, stalwart Italian defender Paolo Maldini became his hero.

Lahm has since made his name as a fearless but quiet leader, dependable and adaptable on the field.

Nowhere can that be better seen than in the "Mr 100 percent" tributes paid by the German media after an inspirational display against Hertha Berlin in a 3-1 win in March 2014.

The victory secured the 2013-14 German title at record speed for Bayern, and Lahm executed a record 134 passes in a league game with 100 per cent accuracy.

At the 2014 World Cup, he started the group games in midfield, but coach Joachim Low quickly switched him to his habitual spot on the back line.

Cooked Turkey

Lahm scored five goals for Germany, the most important, he said, was a 90th-minute strike in the Euro 2008 semifinal that secured victory over Turkey.

In the final it was a mistake between Lahm and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann that gifted Spain's Fernando Torres the winning goal.

With Bayern, Lahm won seven Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, three German Super Cups and the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

He took over the Bayern captaincy after Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel left in January 2011 and has been loyal to his team through thick and thin.

Lahm made his debut for the senior side in 2002, but there were so many top defenders and midfielders that he was loaned out to Stuttgart from 2003 to 2005.

He tore a cruciate knee ligament in one of his last games for Stuttgart and also fractured a foot.

But back at Bayern, he quickly established himself as first-choice fullback, turned down a big-money move to Barcelona in 2008 and then quickly became frustrated.

Bayern slapped its then largest disciplinary fine on Lahm in November 2009, reported to be more than $26,706, for an interview when he criticized transfer policy and tactics.

"It could be that my personality had been underrated," he said in a later interview about the episode.

"For me it was important to know how Bayern saw me. And there were times when I had the impression that my opinion wasn't 100 percent appreciated all the time.

"Now, after several good discussions, I have the feeling of being an important part of the Bayern puzzle, and that was very important to me."

And again, Lahm bounced back.

He was made Germany captain in 2010 after Michael Ballack was ruled out of that year's World Cup in South Africa by injury - and never looked back.

As he closes the curtain on a truly stellar career, Lahm will be remembered as one of Germany's greatest captains.

The ever-dependable Philipp Lahm takes control for Bayern Munich during its 1-0 German Cup victory over Wolfsburg at Allianz Arena on Tuesday.Matthias Schrader / AP