Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm does not believe he will be able to maintain his high standards next year after announcing he will retire from football at the end of the season.
The 33-year-old has a year left on his contract with the defending Bundesliga champions but will walk away early – also saying he has rejected an offer from the club to become a sporting director.
He admits he has been considering his future for some time and will give his all for the rest of the campaign.
“I’m going to stop playing football at the end of the season,” the FC Bayern youth product confirmed on the club’s official website following his team’s 1-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg in Tuesday evening’s DFB Cup Round of 16 tie.
“More than a year ago I started checking and questioning myself from day to day and week to week. I’m certain I’ll maintain peak form through to the end of the season. I can manage that until the end of the campaign, but not beyond it.”
On the chance to join the club’s backroom staff, he added: “There were talks, and in the end I decided it’s not the right time for me to take up a new position at FC Bayern.”
