Philipp Lahm Biography

Philipp Lahm, born on November 11, 1983, in Munich, Germany, is a former German international footballer who played as a full-back or defensive midfielder from the early 2000s to the late 2010s. Lahm began his professional career in the Bayern Munich club in his hometown. Under the guidance of experienced players, he was first loaned out to VfB Stuttgart for two seasons, where he played in the

, the UEFA Cup and the national team.

After returning to Bayern, the full-back gradually established himself on the left flank. In his first season, he won the league and cup with Bayern and was brought up to the right side of the defense. Lahm was captain of the Bavarian club from 2011 onwards and is one of the Bayern Munich's most successful players.

He played in three

finals, winning only the last one in 2013. He also won the

and the

in the same year. At the national level, Bayern and Philipp Lahm won seven German Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, two Supercups and one German League Cup. Lahm retired in 2017 after playing more than 500 games for Bayern Munich and 700 games in total involving Stuttgart and the national team.

Philipp Lahm played 113 matches with the German team. He participated in all international competitions between 2004 and 2014 except the Confederations Cup in 2005. The defender was crowned world champion in 2014

after finishing twice in third place in 2006 and 2010. 

He was a semi-finalist at Euro 2012 and a finalist in Euro 2008 with Germany. As captain of his national team in 2014 World Cup, Lahm retired from international football at the end of the competition.

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All You Need to Know About Philipp Lahm Biography

Since ending his playing career, he has worked as an entrepreneur. He is managing director of DFB EURO GmbH and a member of the DFB Executive Committee.

Philipp Lahm Information

In this section of Philipp Lahm biography, we want to share some general information about him, before moving on to early days and football career.

Philipp Lahm Bio

• Full Name: Philipp Lahm

• Nickname: Magic Dwarf

• Profession: Professional Footballer

Philipp Lahm Physical Stats

• Weight: 66 Kg

• Height:  1.70 m

• Eye Color: Blue

• Hair Color: Blonde

Philipp Lahm Football Information

• Position: Full Back, Defensive Midfielder

• Jersey Number: 21

• Professional Debut: 2001

Philipp Lahm Date of Birth and Personal Info

• Date of Birth: 11 November 1983

• Birth Place: Munich, West Germany

• Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

• Nationality: German

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Philipp Lahm Early Life

Philipp Lahm was born and raised in the Gern district of Munich together with his sister, who was two years older than him. His father, a telecommunications technician, played football in the district league. His mother was a youth leader at the Freie Turnerschaft Gern (FT Gern), where Lahm started playing football. He attended the Rudolf-Diesel-Realschule in the Neuhausen-Nymphenburg district, where he earned his Mittlere Reife.

Philipp Lahm childhood

was full of football adventures for him. He grew up in a professional soccer environment within the Bayern Munich Youth League. He joined the team at the age of 11, after one youth coach, named Jan Pienta, saw him play several times in the local youth team of his hometown Gern, Munich. Lahm was already considered very talented; one of his coaches, Hermann Hummels, even stated: "If Philipp Lahm doesn't make it in the Bundesliga, no one else will".

He won the Bundesliga youth title twice, the second time as captain of his team, and then entered the B-team at the age of 17. His former coach Hermann Gerland considered him the most talented player he had ever coached and made him the captain of the B-team during his second season. Up to this point he played as a defensive midfielder, right midfielder or center defender.

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Philipp Lahm Profile

Lahm took his first steps as a soccer player for FT Gern. From 1995, he first played for FC Bayern München's youth team, then from 2001 for the club's amateurs in the Regionalliga Sud. In his youth, he was used both in central and defensive midfield and as a central defender. In his first years as a youth footballer, he also played as a winger.

Since Bayern had already filled Lahm's preferred positions well with Bixente Lizarazu and Willy Sagnol, he made only one appearance in a competitive match for the first team until 2003, when he was brought on once in the 90th minute in the Champions League group stage.

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Loan to VfB Stuttgart

Because Hermann Gerland, who was coaching Bayern's amateur team at the time, thought Lahm was too good for a third year in the Regionalliga, he recommended Lahm to Felix Magath, who was coaching VfB Stuttgart at the time. In June 2003, he was loaned to the Stuttgart club for two seasons. There, he made his Bundesliga debut on the first matchday on August 3, 2003, in a 2-0 win over Hansa Rostock, coming on for Silvio Meißner in the 76th minute.

From the sixth matchday, he replaced Heiko Gerber at left-back and was subsequently part of Stuttgart's main squad. In early January 2005, Lahm suffered a fractured right metatarsal that forced him to take a break for several months; he made his competitive comeback on April 9, 2005, against

. Before the final matchday, Lahm suffered another injury when he tore his ACL in his right knee during training, meaning he only made six appearances in the second half of the season. 

At Stuttgart, he played a total of 53 Bundesliga games and scored two goals. He also played for Stuttgart seven times in the Champions League and six times in the UEFA Cup.

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Bayern Munich

After returning to Munich in the summer of 2005, Lahm played for the first time in FC Bayern II's Regionalliga match against Jahn Regensburg on November 15, 2005, after recovering from his injury. He made his comeback to the professional team four days later in the match against

. This game was also his first Bundesliga game for FC Bayern. After two more substitutions, he was in the starting lineup for the first time on matchday 16 against

. He then played in every second-round game until the second-to-last matchday and gradually played his way into the first-team lineup.

From the 2006/07 season onwards, in which he played all 34 league games and nine of the ten Champions League matches for the first time, Lahm was a regular player for FC Bayern Munich. His regular position was initially left-back, and later right back. He quickly became one of the key players of the team. In 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016 he won the double (Bundesliga and DFB Pokal) with his club. In 2010, he reached the final of the Champions League, which FC Bayern Munich lost 0:2 against

.

After the departure of Mark van Bommel, Lahm became team captain of FC Bayern in January 2011. In the 2011/12 season, he again reached the final of the UEFA Champions League with FC Bayern, this time in their own stadium. There, he and his team lost to Chelsea FC in a penalty shootout. In the 2011/12 season, Lahm made his 200th Bundesliga appearance for FC Bayern Munich in the match against 1. FC Nurnberg on March 31, 2012.

For Philipp Lahm, 2013 was the most successful year of his club career: After becoming the earliest champion in the history of Bundesliga with FC Bayern Munich on the 28th matchday of the 2012/13 season, and receiving the Bundesliga trophy for the first time as captain on May 11, 2013, he then went on to reach the UEFA Champions League final with FC Bayern Munich for the third time in four years.

The 2-1 victory over

at London's Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2013, marked his first win of Europe's most prestigious club trophy at the age of 29. With a 3-2 victory over his former club, VfB Stuttgart, in the DFB Pokal final on June 1, 2013, captain Lahm's team also became the first German team to win the major European triple in men's football.

Under new coach Pep Guardiola, who initially used him mainly as a defensive midfielder, he and the team failed to retain the DFL Super Cup early in the season, but by winning the UEFA Super Cup on August 30, 2013, against Chelsea FC and the FIFA Club World Championship in December of the same year, Lahm and his teammates won five major titles in one calendar year for the first time in the club's history.

At the end of the year, he was awarded the Silver Ball at the Club World Championship as the tournament's second-best player behind Franck Ribery, was named by FIFA alongside five FC Bayern Munich teammates in a shortlist of 23 players for the 2013 World Player of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI and UEFA Team of the Year. He was also ranked in the "World Class" category by Kicker sports magazine for his new position in defensive midfield.

On January 24, 2014, Lahm played his 300th Bundesliga game against Borussia Monchengladbach, including 247 Bundesliga games for

and 53 for VfB Stuttgart. On March 25, 2014, he and Bayern were confirmed as German champions at an earlier date than any other team before. On May 17, 2014, they also won the DFB Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund 2-0 after extra time. Lahm thus secured his fifth double. In his 321st Bundesliga match on October 18, 2014, he scored two goals in a Bundesliga match for the first time in a 6-0 win over

, scoring the 1-0 and 5-0 goals and also achieving his 200th Bundesliga win.

On November 18, 2014, Lahm broke his right ankle in training and underwent surgery two days later. On March 14, 2015, he made his comeback in the 4-0 win in the away match against Werder Bremen, when he was substituted for Mario Götze in the 82nd minute. At the end of the season, the German Bundesliga title was successfully defended.

On April 13, 2016, he played his 103rd game in the UEFA Champions League in the quarterfinal second leg against Benfica, equaling Oliver Kahn and making himself the German record player in the Champions League. On May 7, 2016, Lahm became German champion for the fourth time in a row with FC Bayern Munich, winning his seventh championship overall. He also won the double for the sixth time with the Cup victory over Borussia Dortmund.

In June 2014, his contract was extended until 2018. On February 7, 2017, he announced that he would end his playing career at the end of the 2016/17 season. On April 18, 2017, he played his last European match in the quarterfinal second leg against

, and on April 26, 2017, he played his last match in the

in the semifinal against Borussia Dortmund. In the final season of his career, he won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich for the fifth time in a row.

With a total of eight Bundesliga titles, he is the most successful player alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger, Oliver Kahn and Mehmet Scholl, behind Franck Ribery with 9 championships. As captain, he has won five Bundesliga titles, all in a row. With 112 appearances in the Champions League, he held the German record until it was broken by Thomas Müller in 2020.

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German National Team

He made his debut in the national team on February 18, 2004, against Croatia and with the team, he took part in the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Cup, scoring the first goal of the competition on 5 minutes of the match against Costa Rica.

In 2008 he was called up by head coach Joachim Löw for the 2008 European Championship in Switzerland and Austria, where he scored the final goal 3-2 in the semifinal against Turkey. The European Championship ended with the defeat in the final against Spain.

Since the 2010 World Cup, due to Michael Ballack's injury, he became the German team captain, where he made his debut as captain in the 4-0 win against Australia on June 13 in Durban. After losing 1-0 against Serbia and winning 1-0 against Ghana, on June 27 in Bloemfontein Germany played in the round of 16 against England, the match was won 4-1 by the Germans who reached the quarter-finals where they played against Argentina, beating them 4-0 on July 3. The 2010 World Cup ended for Lahm and the team on July 7 in the semifinal defeat against Spain.

In June 2012 he was included by coach Joachim Löw in the list of 23 who will participate in the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, where the national team reached the semifinals, eventually losing 2-1 to Italy thanks to Balotelli's double.

Summoned for the 2014 World Cup, Lahm played the tournament as a starter and captain of the team. On July 13, 2014, he was crowned World Champion after a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final, thanks to Götze's decisive goal in extra time. At the end of the tournament, he was included in the best 11 for the third time in a row.

On July 18, 2014, with a letter published on the website of the German federation, he announced his retirement from the national team.

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Style of Play

Philipp Lahm is considered one of the best defenders in the world. An energetic and fast player, Lahm is known for his defensive and offensive skills. A fiercely focused defensive player, he is known for his anticipation and tackling skills. His speed and reflexes make him capable of coming back on his opponent even if the latter has passed him once.

Very aggressive on the ball, he is a very clever player in his tackles and is rarely disciplined. He has never even been sent off once in his career. He is classically playing as a full-back, both left and right, but will be regularly switched back to defensive midfield from the 2013-2014 season by Bayern Munich's new manager, Pep Guardiola.

While his speed is his main attacking asset, he is also an excellent dribbler and a very precise passer. He has also repeatedly shown that he is a good shooter of the ball.

Reception

During his playing career, Philipp Lahm was widely considered to be one of the best defenders of his generation and he just proved that with his great performances on the field. He was a versatile footballer, able to play in several positions on the pitch. After he announced his retirement from football, Pep Guardiola praised Philipp Lahm, saying that he’s a special person in his life.

"Philipp has been and is a special person in my life," he stated. "It's not simple for a Catalonian guy to go to Munich after his treble to learn German to get interested in that world. On and off the field, he supported me. He's among the most excellent players I've ever trained in my career, and one of the smartest. Football is going to lose one of the greatest stars in the world.”

Goal Celebration

As a defender, Philipp Lahm only scored 22 goals during his club career and thus, we never had enough chance to see his goal celebrations. One other thing to note here is that he never had a signature goal celebration and we saw many different goal celebrations from the German legendary footballer.

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Philipp Lahm outside Football

After his retirement from playing professional football, Philipp Lahm has started his entrepreneurship career. Since 2015, Lahm has been a joint owner and since 2017 the sole owner of Sixtus Werke, a manufacturer of skincare products. Also in the summer of 2015, Lahm made a failed attempt to acquire the fashion company, Bogner, as part of a consortium of investors.

Lahm is also a shareholder in the companies Schneekoppe, the Berlin-based start-up Fanmiles and in Danova, a provider of digital preventive medical checkups. On January 16, 2018, it was announced that Lahm would become a majority shareholder in Schneekoppe.

Schneekoppe is a German wholesale food company. Its core product range includes gluten-free products relevant to celiac disease, reduced-calorie confectionery for diabetics and overweight people, and natural food products.

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Philipp Lahm Personal Life

In this section of Philipp Lahm biography, we want to take a closer look at his personal life and share some information about

Philipp Lahm life story

, his wife, his children and other stuff about his private life. Stay tuned!

Family, Children and Relationships

As the saying goes, behind every successful man is a strong woman! This is also the case for Philipp Lahm: His wife's name is Claudia, they have been together since 2008 and got married in 2010 three days after the World Cup in South Africa in Aying, Upper Bavaria. Their son Julian was born on August 15, 2012 - but he's not supposed to be the only child, because Philipp and his wife want two children: "Very classic, a girl and a boy." In 2017, their daughter Lenia was born.

Philip Lahm is a passionate family man and always takes his loved ones more important than football. For example, Philipp Lahm told the German newspaper "Bild" in December 2014: "The birth of my son was more beautiful than winning the World Cup. For me, personal matters always take priority over professional ones."

Philipp Lahm religion

is Christianity. Stay tuned to read more about

Philip Lahm biography

.

Philanthropy

Football could be the most important aspect of Philip Lahm’s life after his family, but what was at least as important to him as the sport is his charity work, in which his wife Claudia also actively supports him. In 2007, he founded the Philipp Lahm Foundation, which supports disadvantaged children and young people from Germany and children from Africa. This includes the summer camp for socially disadvantaged children that Philipp Lahm set up: On the homepage "philipp-lahm-sommercamp.de," the top athlete emphasizes that the camp is not just for soccer enthusiasts, but appeals to anyone who is "adventurous!"

In addition to his work with his foundation, he works with SOS Children's Villages and is an ambassador for World AIDS Day. Fighting homophobia and intolerance in sports are also matters close to Philipp Lahm's heart. In 2014, he was awarded the Bavarian State Medal for Social Merit for his many efforts. Philipp also keeps his fans up to date about his charity campaigns via Facebook, where he has millions of fans.

Legal Issues

Philipp Lahm is amongst the footballers that never had any known to public legal issues. If you look up his name on media, there are no records of legal issues for him. Stay tuned to read more about Philipp Lahm biography and his career stats.

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Philipp Lahm Career Statistics

Philip Lahm’s professional football career started in 2002, and while footballers usually play for 18 to 20 seasons and many believed that could’ve played for a few more seasons at the top level, however, he decided to retire from playing football. In this section of Philip Lahm life story and biography, we want to take a look at his career stats.

Club

Other than two seasons playing on loan for Stuttgart, Philip Lahm is one of the most famous one club football players. During his rather short playing career which started at 2001 and ended in 2017, Philipp Lahm has played 652 matches in all competitions, scoring 22 goals. Of these, 71 matches and 3 goals were at

.

International

Philipp Lahm nationality

is German and therefore he has represented Die Mannschaft on the international level. During a rather short 10-years career at

, Philip Lahm managed to play 113 matches for his nation, scoring 5 goals. His first match for Germany was against Croatia and he last played for the national team at the 2014 World Cup final match against Argentina.

Philipp Lahm Honors

He is definitely one of the most decorated German footballers of all time, having won many titles and trophies during his career. He has won the German Bundesliga with Bayern on eight occasions and the DFB Pokal six times. He also has a UEFA Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup trophy among others to his name.

At the international level, his only honor and maybe the most prestigious of them is 2014 World Cup win in

.

Of his major individual honors we can include FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2006, FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2010, FIFA World Cup Castrol Index All-Star Team in 2014, UEFA Team of the Year on 5 occasions and Germany Footballer of the Year among many others.

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