Philipp Lahm retires while still at the top of his game

On Saturday, Bayern Munich legend Philipp Lahm played his final game. Few have had a more impressive career.

Fifteen years after making his debut for the Bavarians, Lahm walks away with eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal wins, and one UEFA Champions League title, won as part of a treble in a season where he was Bayern’s captain. He also captained Germany during their 2014 World Cup win.

As an individual, Lahm was named to the team of the tournament for five consecutive major finals — every World Cup and Euros from 2006 to 2014. He’s also been in the UEFA team of the year five times.

Lahm has cemented his status as the best right back of his generation in recent years, but he’s also one of the most versatile players of this era. He played just as much left back as right back in his early years, and was regularly utilized as a defensive or central midfielder in his 30s by Joachim Löw and Pep Guardiola. Despite not playing in the middle for the first 500 or so games of his pro career, he slotted into the role almost effortlessly.

With his excellent first touch and tactical awareness of everything around him, Lahm could have played any position effectively. There was never any reason to take him out of a defensive role, though — no one’s ever been better at winning the ball cleanly, then instantly starting an attack in the other direction.

As they celebrate his career, fans of Bayern Munich and just of soccer in general will also be sad that Lahm is walking away while he has so much left to give. He’s just 33 and didn’t slow down at all this season. He’s still the best fullback in the world. But he wanted to leave the sport on his terms.

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