Philipp Lahm: A special case without explanation in football history

When Philipp Lahm retired, people still didn't know if he was the best left-back in the world, the best right-back in the world or the most intelligent midfielder in the world.

When Pep Guardiola took over Bayern Munich in 2013, he had worked with many world-class players before. From Messi, Xavi, Iniesta at Barca and when coming to Bayern, Pep had the opportunity to train superstars like Robben, Ribery or Neuer.

However, no one has had as big an impact on Pep as Philipp Lahm, whom Guardiola himself admitted: "Perhaps Lahm is the most intelligent player I have ever coached in my entire career."

Midfielder Philipp Lahm

Known as a full-back, Lahm has blurred the lines between a defender and a midfielder, and he has also made previous views of a defender obsolete.

When Pep arrived at Bayern, Lahm was still just a defender, but one of the best full-backs in the world. He was simply called the best full-back because he could play so well on both the left and right flanks. This was due to his two-footedness and excellent positional sense.

No one would dare to think of changing the position of the best player in the world, except Pep Guardiola. In the 2013 European Super Cup match against Chelsea, Pep boldly put Lahm in the center of Bayern's midfield and played defensively, after the advice of assistant Domenec Torrent.

Lahm was arranged by Pep Guardiola to play as a midfielder.

Although Bayern only won the match on penalties, for Pep, the result was not as important as the fact that he had made one of the most interesting discoveries of his career: midfielder Philipp Lahm. Pep could even spend a week or a month just talking about how good Lahm is as a midfielder.

He described Lahm as the most intelligent player he has ever coached, and that Lahm is on a completely different level to the rest. “Games are always decided in midfield, so you have to play your best player there. That is Lahm,” said Pep.

Pep’s obsession with Lahm has grown. After the 2013 win over arch-rivals Dortmund, Pep said: “If we win the title this season, it will be largely down to the decision to play Lahm in midfield. Everything fell into place the moment I put Lahm in midfield.”

Much praise has been heaped on Lahm for his intelligence. German writer Uli Hesse said that Lahm can play well in any position on the pitch, even calling him the best left-back in the world, the best right-back in the world and the best midfielder in the world. Coach Hermann Gerland – who coached Lahm in the Bayern youth team – simply said that Lahm “cannot afford to play a bad game”.

When Lahm was just 19 years old, Hermann Gerland wanted to find a team to send Lahm to for an apprenticeship. Hermann Gerland contacted the then Stuttgart coach Felix Magath and suggested that the “Swans” borrow a Bayern player who “looked like a 15-year-old but played like a 30-year-old”. Magath then wanted to know what positions Lahm could play and Gerland replied: “Left-back, right-back, right midfielder or central midfielder”.

Distinctive

However, Lahm is very modest when talking about himself. He does not consider himself an excellent midfielder but only says that this is a trend of modern football: "Football has changed a lot. Nowadays there are many midfielders on the field and there are not many traditional full-backs anymore."

But it must be said that Lahm was the pioneer of that trend and also the best. Thanks to Lahm, the role of a full-back has changed a lot over the years.

Where the full-back used to be a primarily defensive position, now it is seen as the starting point of an attack. If a decade ago the best defender in the Premier League was Gary Neville, now it is Kyle Walker or Bellerin, who have been influenced by Philipp Lahm himself.

It is difficult to find a player as complete as Lahm.

Moreover, Lahm also changed the concept of a full-back's playing style. Lahm is rarely seen in fierce disputes, fierce tackles. And there is one thing that never appears with Philipp Lahm: red cards. Indeed, throughout his career, Lahm has never received a red card, whether he has to play as a defender or a defensive midfielder.

Lahm is the epitome of a clever, sophisticated and artistic player. His style of play is recognised around the world. Carlos Alberto, the full-back who led Brazil to World Cup glory, says Lahm is an artist on the pitch. “Sometimes he is spectacular. He never makes mistakes. Only machines can do that. But no, he is an artist.”

Until the end of his career, Lahm's legacy still did not include a single mistake on the football field. Perhaps, his greatest legacy was the World Cup championship with the German team.

Before Lahm, there were two great captains who led Die Mannschaft to the World Cup championship: Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthaus. Both were strong, steady and physically strong captains. They were the ones who created the brand of the tough, taciturn and rough "Tank" that people still know.

But Philipp Lahm opened a new chapter for the Germans, changed the image of the "Tank" and inspired everyone with a defensive artist on the football field, an artist who played with intelligence, diligence and sophistication.

According to Zing