Germany’s World Cup winning captain Philipp Lahm has retired from international football.
The Bayern Munich skipper, who guided his nation to World Cup glory less than a week ago, has made the surprise announcement over his future today, according to German newspaper Bild.
Lahm, just 30 years old, could realistically have captained Joachim Low’s side at the next European Championship in 2016, as well as at the next World Cup.
But Bild reports Lahm made his decision even before this summer’s tournament: ‘I told Jogi Low on Monday that I will resign. This decision came to me during last season.’
The right-back has 113 caps for his country, scoring five goals.