Germany captain Lahm retires aged 30

Lahm

Germany captain Philipp Lahm has retired from international football less than a week after lifting the World Cup.

At the age of 30, his decision comes as somewhat of a shock, as he was widely-expected to lead his side into the European Championships in France in 2016.

However, according to newspaper Bild in his homeland, he has opted to concentrate purely on his club career with Bavarian giants Bayern Munich and will no longer make himself available for selection for his country.

His final appearance proved to be an iconic one. Winning his 113th cap, he inspired the Germans to the narrowest of victories in Sunday’s final against Argentina.

With the tight contest seemingly destined for a penalty shoot-out, Joachim Low’s men kept their composure and won 1-0 after extra-time courtesy of Mario Gotze’s fine finish.

Germany’s loss will be Bayern’s gain as he will remain fresh for their domestic and European commitments.

He can has four years remaining on his contract at the Allianz Arena and has demonstrated no desire to embark on a new challenge elsewhere.

The versatile talisman, who can operate at full-back or as a holding midfielder, has spent his entire senior career with Bayern and is viewed as pivotal to their hopes of landing more silverware in the coming years.