On Tuesday, Philipp Lahm made an announcement that will break the hearts of football fans everywhere: he will be retiring from professional football once this season ends.
The Bavarians captain confirmed speculations that he would hang up his boots at the end of this campaign after their 1-0 triumph in the DFB Pokal. That clash, an encounter with Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg, was the players 501st in a Bayern Munich jersey.
The club shortly afterwards released a statement in regards to the German’s announcement. However, the Bundesliga champions made an honest and shocking claim.
The German giants revealed that they were caught off-guard by the timing of Lahm’s announcement. With the player under contract until 2018, Bayern Munich also revealed that they made several attempts to convince the player to see out his deal.
Die Roten even stated that they offered the 33-year-old a position as a sporting director, which he turned down. They wrote: "FC Bayern München is surprised by the approach of Philipp Lahm and his adviser.”
“Uli Hoeneß and I have held open, intensive and constructive talks with Philipp in recent months about a possible position as sporting director of our club. At the end of last week, he informed us that he is currently not available for such a position and that he would like an early termination of his player contract, which runs until June 2018, at the end of the current season.”
Of course, due to Lahm’s legendary status at the Allianz Arena, he was also showered with praise. His employers of almost 15 years highlighted his importance, and insisted that “the door will always remain open for Philipp at Bayern München.”
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