Philipp Lahm announced on Tuesday that he will retire from football at the end of the season.
It came as somewhat of a surprise as his contract with Bayern Munich runs until 2018. Lahm said he would be continue to give his all for the remainder of the season but would be unable to do so beyond then.
It seems Lahm's announcement came not only as a shock to football fans but also, somewhat, to Bayern Munich. In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Bayern had expected there to be a joint announcement regarding Lahm's decision.
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.
Until yesterday we assumed that there would be a joint announcement on this decision by Philipp Lahm and FC Bayern München.
Philipp Lahm has been an important player for FC Bayern München for over a decade. We are convinced that our captain will now concentrate fully with the team on the tough upcoming tasks in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup. We would like to make clear that the door will always remain open for Philipp at FC Bayern München.
The 33-year-old made the announcement following Bayern's German Cup win against Wolfsburg last night, a game in which he played the full 90 minutes.
Shortly before Lahm told the media of his decision, Bayern president Uli Hoeness was asked about Lahm's retirement but said he knew nothing of it.
