Just like his crosses, Philipp Lahm’s decision to retire was perfectly timed

“One of the reasons for my success at Bayern is the relationship with Philipp Lahm; he helped me a lot from the beginning. He always performs. I have never seen Philipp have a poor match. He will always be a special person in my life, and he is an absolute legend. Philipp Lahm is the most intelligent footballer I have ever coached.” 

— - Pep Guardiola on Philipp Lahm

It is worth remembering that Guardiola had managed the likes of Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta before managing Lahm and Bayern Munchen.

In footballing terms, this was a match made in heaven – the tactical understanding of the game possessed by player and manager is perhaps unmatched.

A picture of Lahm in school portrays an awkward boy standing for the class picture quietly in the middle of the top row, surrounded by his flashier classmates. On the pitch too, whether for Bayern or Germany, he would toil away on the flanks whilst being surrounded by his teammates who would grab the flashbulb moments.

The master of positional flexibility

Yet, the qualities that had Pep besotted with “The Little General” had been noted by the coach of Bayern’s B team Hermann Gerland 15 years prior to the Spaniard’s stint at Bayern.

Standing at only 5 feet 7 inches, Gerland had said that Lahm was a 15-year old who played like he was 30 and capable of playing at left-back, right-back and central midfield. Lahm’s first stint with captaincy would also come at the Bundesliga youth level where he would lead his team to two titles.

Not able to establish his place in the team due to the presence of Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu, he would then be loaned out to Stuttgart for two years where he would play at left-back instead of his preferred right.

Indeed, years before surprising Guardiola and the rest of the footballing world with a transformation to a holding role at the age of 30, Lahm had been plugging holes for the national team under Joachim Low.

Giacinto Fachetti and Carlos Alberto may headline the discussion on the template for the modern fullback and Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ashley Cole, Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti may have improvised on that blueprint, but when it came to defensive duties, the Bayern captain was as solid as any of the above.

Breakthrough and German captaincy

While on loan at Stuttgart in his first full season of senior football, Lahm had surprised one and all including Sir Alex Ferguson after his first Champions League appearance against Manchester United. According to Gerland, Ferguson had wanted to sign him but had dropped the idea after finding out that he was a Bayern player.

Lahm would later be named runner-up in the voting for German footballer of the year and played his first major tournament at the Euros in 2004. Germany crashed out of the tournament in the group stage, but Lahm was one of the few survivors who would go on to mesmerise home crowds in the World Cup two years later, scoring the first goal of the tournament, a screamer which announced that Die Nationalmannschaft had finally found Andreas Brehme’s spiritual successor.

Three of his five national goals would come at international tournaments, none more important than a last gasp winner against Turkey in the Euro 2008 semi-final.

Very rarely did he have an off day but he was humanly fallible as a mix-up between him and keeper Jens Lehmann would hand Spain the trophy. Fernando Torres, who scored the only goal that day was a tormenter-in-chief, also getting the better of Lahm in the Under-19 Euros in 2002 and the Champions League final ten years later.

With Michael Ballack ruled out of the 2010 World Cup, Lahm became Germany’s youngest ever captain at the World Cup. Some of his predecessors – Oliver Kahn, Lothar Matthaus, Ballack – may not have been universally liked but Lahm was known and acknowledged as one of the game’s good guys.

A Champions League and a World Cup triumph at last

On his return from Stuttgart, he would cement his place in the Bayern line-up and would become a key but understated figure over the years.

Guardiola’s first stint at Bayern, however, was not the first time that he had attempted to connect with Lahm. In the summer of 2009, Barcelona had almost managed to sign the fleet-footed fullback before he signed an extension with Die Roten.

Being a nice guy, however, did not stop Lahm from speaking out. In November 2009 with the team languishing in eighth under Louis Van Gaal, Lahm questioned the club’s lopsided transfer policy and squad imbalance in an unprecedented, tell-all interview.

Three years later, Bayern would manage to lose the Champions League final at home to Chelsea and Lahm was once again on the losing side in a major final.

A host of second and third place medals had gathered in Lahm’s cabinet but the hoodoo was finally broken at Wembley 12 months later as Lahm led Bayern to the treble for the first time in their history. Lahm registered 19 assists that season, a return that would put many an attacking midfielder to shame.

In Brazil in 2014, Lahm had played four games in central mid but reprised his role at right-back as he became the fourth man after Fritz Walter, Franz Beckenbauer and Matthaus to lead Germany to a World Cup trophy, bringing the curtains down on a distinguished, 113 caps-filled international career.

He may have never won any individual honours but made it to the all-star teams in each of the major tournaments that he played in from 2006 to 2014 – ever the consummate team man, but never the man.

The Bavarian was calmness personified and if there was ever a statistic which exemplified this, it is the fact that Lahm has never been sent off at any level of professional football. Between September 2014 and October 2015, Lahm did not commit a single foul!

Lahm’s desire to retire while at the top of his game is reflective of his outlook towards the game and his rejection of a sporting director role at Bayern is once again, an indicator of a man who was waiting for the right time, akin to a beautifully placed cross.

For now, once the season is over, Bayern fans and many others will miss that blonde hair, tirelessly romping up and down the flank.

Lahm retires as one of the game’s understated greats and even though Joshua Kimmich is a ready replacement, not many will be able to fill the giant shoes of the little fullback.