Philipp Lahm
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Philipp Lahm | ||
Personal information | ||
---|---|---|
Full name | Philipp Lahm | |
Date of birth | November 11, 1983 | |
Place of birth | Munich, Germany | |
Height | 1.70 m (5' 7") | |
Nickname | Lahmy, Wireless Lahm, The Magic Dwarf | |
Position | Right-footed Left-back | |
Club information | ||
Current club | Bayern Munich | |
Youth clubs | ||
until 1995 1995-2003 |
FT Gern München FC Bayern Youth |
|
Professional clubs* | ||
Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
2003-2005 2005- |
VfB Stuttgart Bayern Munich |
53 (2) 31 (1) |
National team** | ||
2004- | Germany | 30 (2) |
* Professional club appearances and goals |
Philipp Lahm (born November 11, 1983 in Munich, Bavaria) is a German footballer who currently plays as a defender for Bayern Munich. He played for Germany at Euro 2004 and is in their squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored the opening goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is considered one of the best young fullbacks in the world, and is shown by his inclusion in the Mastercard All-Star team.
[edit] Career
Philipp Lahm, being born in Munich, developed into a professional football player within the Bayern Munich youth system. With Bixente Lizarazu being the main left back for Bayern Munich, Philipp Lahm was loaned to Stuttgart for the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons. In July 2005, Philipp Lahm returned to Bayern Munich. However, just before his return to FC Bayern, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and would have to go on rehabilitation. He made his return to Bayern in December 2005.
Although Lahm is right-footed, and while he played as a right wing-back as a youth, today he is almost exclusively played as a left wing-back. The reason for this is partly because good left-footed wing-backs are rare in German football, and partly because his signature move (coming from the left flank and then dribbling towards the centre over his strong right foot) is so effective that putting Lahm onto the "correct" side would rob him of his best offensive weapon.
He scored the opening goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany against Costa Rica in the 6th minute, cutting inside the area and launching a right foot shot into the top-right corner of the net. He was also the only German player to play all 690 minutes of the 2006 World Cup.
During and shortly after the World Cup there were rumours of a big money move to Chelsea FC. However the transfer never took place, due to his impressive showings and his growing reputation in World football, Bayern Munich issued a public warning to any interested suitors, stating he was untransferrable.
Recently, Lahm was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year 2006 following his outstanding performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is in contention alongside fellow Germans; Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose and Jens Lehmann. The results will be announced in a ceremony in Zurich on December 18.
[edit] External links
- Myspace Philipp Lahm Fanpage
- Philipp Lahm (World Cup 2006)
- Philipp Lahm Fanpage
- Official Site (German Only)
FC Bayern Munich - Current Squad |
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1 Kahn | 2 Sagnol | 3 Lúcio | 5 Van Buyten | 6 Demichelis | 7 Scholl | 8 Karimi | 10 Makaay | 11 Podolski | 14 Pizarro | 17 van Bommel | 18 Görlitz | 19 dos Santos | 20 Salihamidžić | 21 Lahm | 22 Rensing | 23 Hargreaves | 24 Santa Cruz | 25 Ismaël | 26 Deisler | 29 Dreher | 30 Lell | 31 Schweinsteiger | 36 Fürstner | 37 Saba | 39 Ottl | Coach: Magath |
Germany squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Third Place | ||
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1 Lehmann | 2 Jansen | 3 Friedrich | 4 Huth | 5 Kehl | 6 Nowotny | 7 Schweinsteiger | 8 Frings | 9 Hanke | 10 Neuville | 11 Klose | 12 Kahn | 13 Ballack | 14 Asamoah | 15 Hitzlsperger | 16 Lahm | 17 Mertesacker | 18 Borowski | 19 Schneider | 20 Podolski | 21 Metzelder | 22 Odonkor | 23 Hildebrand | Coach: Klinsmann |